BOX SCORE  
 
HAYWARD, Calif. – The Cal State Monterey Bay men's soccer team saw a chance to solidify its hold on fourth place in the CCAA North Division race disappear thanks to a late penalty kick and an unfriendly crossbar that handed Cal State East Bay a 2-1 win Sunday afternoon at Pioneer Stadium.

“It was a tough loss,” said CSUMB Head Coach Rob Cummings. “We hit the crossbar several times and we certainly felt the call that led to the penalty was debatable. Honestly, I believe we played better today then we did when we beat East Bay earlier in the season.”
 
CSUMB opened the scoring on Alex Shuler's first of the season in the 53^rd minute. But East Bay's Rey Suarez equalized on the hour to set up a dramatic finish.
 
The Otters nearly took the lead in the 81^st minute only to see the crossbar deny a head by junior striker Servando Perez. Less than three minutes later, the Otters were called for a disputed foul in the box on an East Bay set piece. Suarez finished from the spot to complete his brace.
 
It didn't take long for the Otters to beat Pioneer goalkeeper Rene Martinez again. Just inside four minutes to play, Julian Salas had Martinez dead to rights, only to see the crossbar make its second excellent save in just over five minutes.
 
Neither offense asked many questions of the opposing goalkeeper in the first half. The teams combined for just three shots on goal and three corner kicks leading up to the interval.
 
The Pioneers called Otter keeper Evan Drake to action twice within the first seven minutes after the restart with the Otter freshman deny Derrick Driggs both times. But it was Shuler who broke the seal, creating a turnover in the East Bay defensive third before dribbling between a pair of defenders and firing home to give CSUMB the lead.
 
The goal came at a price for the Otters, however, as Saydou Kamara knocked heads with Salvador Mendoza, creating a 20-minute delay and forcing Kamara from the game.
 
“The game changed when Saydou got injured,” said Cummings. “The stoppage of nearly 30 minutes right after we scored had a big impact.”
 
“Now we turn our attention to next weekend and the chance to finish the season strong.”
 
CSUMB returns to the Otter Sports Complex for its final two matches of the 2012 season. The Otters will host Cal State San Bernardino Friday (Oct. 26) and UC San Diego Sunday (Oct. 28). Sunday will be senior day as the Otters bid farewell to the five seniors who will be making their last collegiate appearances.