Williams’ goal not enough to top Cal State Fullerton

FULLERTON, Calif. – Sophomore Ben Williams (Unionville, Ontario) fired a header between the posts to give the Bulldogs the lead in the first half, but the Bryant University men's soccer team was not able to pull out a win against Cal State Fullerton on Sunday evening in Fullerton, California.

Game Information
Cal State Fullerton 2, Bryant 1
Records: Cal State Fullerton (2-0-0), Bryant (0-2-0)
Location: Titan Stadium | Fullerton, Calif.

Coach Purcell's Comments

"We're very proud of the team and their efforts. We played two very strong teams on the West Coast and competed well. We will be very strong this season and I'm very excited to watch our players and team work to achieve our goals moving forward. They had a solid effort all around."

Key Moment

After the Bryant offense overpowered Cal State Fullerton in the first half, the Titans came back with a persistent fight in the second 45. CSF took advantage of a mistake by senior goalkeeper Olivier Larente (LaSalle, Montreal) and the Bulldogs' backline when Oscar Flores' ball spun off Larente's hands and rolled over the goal line.

Scoring Summary

• 36^th minute - Bryant 1, Cal State Fullerton 0 - Williams headed the ball past the Titan's goalkeeper after a cross from senior Alex DaCosta (Bristol, R.I).
• 69^th minute - Cal State Fullerton 1, Bryant 1 - CSF managed to get the ball past the goal line after Oscar Flores ball spun off Larente's hands. The Bulldogs' backline could not get to it on time, ultimately allowing the ball to cross the line for the goal.
• 81^st minute - Cal State Fullerton 2, Bryant 1 - Diego Useda received a pass from Jessy Sotelo and sent a shot over Larente's head to win the game for the Titans.

Stats/Notes

• Williams scored the first goal for the Bulldogs this season and had two shots overall.
• Five different Bryant players fired shots at goal.
• Junior Matteo Toti (Rome, Italy) was the only other Bulldog with multiple shots, finishing the game with two.
• DaCosta had one shot and one shot on goal.
• Bryant outshot CSF five shots to two in the first half, but the Titans came back and fired 11 at goal to the Bulldogs' two in the second half.
• Larente finished the game with two major saves.

Up Next: Siena

The Bulldogs take a week off before they head to Loudonville, N.Y. to take on Siena on Sunday September 8th at 1 p.m.

Be sure to follow the team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for updates during every game this season and an inside look at the program.