SEASIDE, Calif. – Behind a pair of goals from Mason Ward and a stellar effort in goal from Jack Blickenstaff, the Cal State Monterey Bay men's soccer team (5-3-4, 2-2-2 CCAA) blanked Cal State East Bay, 2-0, Sunday afternoon at Cardinale Stadium.

"The staff thought that we started the game really well and made it difficult for a good East Bay side," CSUMB head coach Graeme Jaap said. "We controlled the game and Hugo and Janos in the middle of the field were excellent. Great to see Mason Ward score another good goal. We knew that East Bay would come out firing in the second half and we were a little disappointed with the relaxed attitude at the beginning of second half of the guys but finally started to step it up and bypass their press and scored another good goal from Mason. Overall, really happy with the three points and another clean sheet. The guys are excited to get on the road again for another tough trip to Sonoma and Humboldt."
 
Blickenstaff has posted back-to-back clean-sheets since returning from injury, making three saves in the winning effort.
 
Ward hammered home his first goal of the match when he one-timed a Ronaldo Guardarrama pass from the six to give the Otters the early 1-0 lead in the 20^th-minute.  Zion Okyere-Yeboah set up the chance by racing down the far side and cut inside the box and found Guardarrama.
 
The Otters added on their second tally of the contest when Janos Kömmerling split two Pioneer defenders that Kane Ritchie flicked on to the crashing Ward that slipped the one-timer far-post for the 2-0 lead in the 57^th-minute. The brace moves his total to a team-leading five on the season.
 
Hugo Vargas-Rios and Ward fired off a game-high three shots a piece to combine for six of the 12 on the match for the Otters.
 
CSUMB will play a pair of road matches next weekend. The Otters will face Sonoma State on Friday, Oct. 25, and then close out the trip on Sunday against Cal Poly Humboldt.