Titans Bounced From Playoffs

It wasn’t a day for favorites in the NCAA men’s soccer playoffs.

Just ask Cal State Fullerton.

The Titans, seeded seventh in the 32-team field, were surprised, 2-1, Sunday in Titan Stadium by San Diego, a team that Fullerton had beaten by three goals during the regular season.

The Titans joined third-seeded Duke and fourth-seeded Washington as first-round upset victims. Washington and Fullerton’s losses eliminated the first and second-place teams in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.

“I guess that’s the beauty of soccer in that any team can win on a given day, as disappointing as it is for us,” Titan forward Duncan Oughton said.

But that didn’t make it any easier for Fullerton, which had defeated the Toreros, 5-2, in San Diego in mid-September and entered the game as the nation’s 10th-ranked team.

“I don’t think we underestimated them, but we felt we had the edge on those guys playing at home,” Titan Coach Al Mistri said.

But the Titans (14-5-2) were stunned quickly when the Toreros’ Devin Ebright scored 1 minute 15 seconds into the game.

Fullerton came back to tie the score in the second half on a goal by Art Ramirez, but San Diego connected for the game-winner with slightly less than seven minutes left.

Midfielder Antonio Gonzales headed in a high corner kick that hit Titan goalkeeper Sean Rockwell’s foot before skidding inside the goal. “Sometimes things just don’t go your way,” Rockwell said.

The Titans had one more chance to tie the score in the 88th minute, but a header by Colby Jackson was caught by San Diego goalkeeper Justin Neerhof.

Fullerton missed another good scoring opportunity in the second half when the score was tied, 1-1. Oughton broke away down the left side, but lost control and didn’t get off a solid shot. The one he took was blocked on the ground. “I felt I should have scored, but I sort of got tangled up in my feet,” Oughton said.

The Titans had three shots on goal in the first half, and six in the second half. San Diego had six for the game, three in each half.

San Diego Coach Seamus McFadden said his strategy was to drop back on the Titans on defense, cutting down on opportunities for Titan forwards Ramirez and Jackson to develop openings.

“Ramirez killed us in the first game,” McFadden said. “We didn’t want him and Jackson to have a chance to roam.”