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Men's Soccer

Sonoma State Dethrones Two-Time Champion Toros in 6-5 PK Shootout to Claim CCAA Title

Midfielder Hiram Rangel notched 2 shots on goal as CSUDH was detroned in the CCAA Championship game.
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La Jolla, CA -- Cal State Dominguez Hills' arch rival Sonoma State again got the best of the Toros after regulation and two overtimes failed to decide yet another classic contest, with SSU's 6-5 PK decision giving the Seawolves the CCAA Championship, one season after SSU took the Far West crown by advancing on penalty kicks in Carson.

Not only fighting the Seawolves of Sonoma State, the fierce Pacific winds and exceptional defense from both teams kept the final game of the CCAA Championships scoreless throughout regulation and two overtimes. With the championship decided in a shootout, the Toros put forth their best efforts but were unable to secure a win as Sonoma won the shootout 6-5.

Sonoma's Nathan Medina put forth his best effort to give the Seawolves the lead in the second half – at 49:12 - as he captured a loose ball and lobbed it over Toros keeper Miguel Benitez. With the ball nearing the goal line, Marco Pulido, seemingly coming out of nowhere, deflected the shot to keep the game even at zeros.

CSUDH rallied immediately in their attempt to take the lead at 50:43 as Kris Clark delivered a perfect cross to Kyle Holland at the top of the box. A one-touch later saw the ball gracefully arc towards the top of the post, however with the wind not in their favor, the Toros shot came high and sailed over the goal.

With no other strong attempts at goal, neither team was able to edge out a regulation time victory as the game entered its first, then second overtime to remain at 0-0.

With the 2008 CCAA Men's Soccer Championship to be decided in a shootout, the Toros lined up as Benitez took goal. Of their shooters, Andrew Marinez, Kyle Holland, Kevin Gallaugher, Alberto Garcia and Diego Turoldo converted, while Scott Mariano and Chris Perkins both had their shots deflected, with latter sealing the Toros' fate.

"It usually is a defensive game, with both of these teams very familiar with each other," said Toros head coach Joe Flanagan, just minutes after the contest.  "I think we played well enough to win but I can't fault our boys.  We could have taken better advantage of our chances, especially as we outshot them in the game.

"We definitely played well enough to win, and that's all I could ask of them today."

For their efforts, Holland, Gallaugher, Piechota and Pulido were named to the CCAA All-Tournament Team.

The 4th-ranked Toros, the top seeded team in the NCAA Far West region heading into this weekend's tournament, could still host next week's NCAA Far West first and second round contests after earning two ties this weekend, or be sent to Rohnert Park after today's contest as the CCAA Champion Seawolves entered as the NCAA's second seeded team in the Far West.

The official announcement to come via the NCAA on Monday, November 10, at 4:00 pm PST.  Stay tuned to www.GoToros.com for all the updates.
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