SEASIDE, Calif. – The Cal State Monterey Bay men's soccer team opened its 2024 campaign with a 3-1 victory over Academy of Art Thursday afternoon at Cardinale Stadium.
The Otters came out of the gate strong, outfiring the Urban Knights 13-1 in the first half, culminating in a 17-5 match advantage.
Just seven minutes into the young season
Ronaldo Guardarrama opened the scoring for CSUMB, finding the back of the net off an assist from
Mason Ward.
After heading into the intermission with a 1-0 lead, the Otters opened the floodgates in the second, scoring two goals within four minutes of each other.
Cameron Belandres recorded his first tally in an Otter uniform, scoring in the 64
th minute off an
Avery Edgar pass.
Alexis Sanchez capped off the CSUMB scoring with the third goal of the afternoon after he finished a
Kai Martin setup.
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE… Whether they're on the Cardinale Stadium turf or on the Otter Sports Complex grass, the Otters continue to be dominant at home against nonconference competition. CSUMB is 11–1–4 in its last 16 nonconference matches at home dating back to the 2018 campaign.
LEADERS OF THE RAFT… GOALS: Ronaldo Guardarrama (1),
Cameron Belandres (1),
Alexis Sanchez (1).
ASSISTS:
Mason Ward,
Avery Edgar,
Kai Martin.
SHOTS LEADER:
Ronaldo Guardarrama, 4. SAVES: None.
THE LAST WORD… "I am really happy with the guy's efforts today. The guys worked hard and caused Art a lot of problems from the start of the game. Always happy when we score three goals, a little disappointing that we conceded a goal later in the game, but happy to get a win and looking forward to a tough road trip next week." —
CSUMB Head Coach Graeme Jaap
THEY'VE GOT NEXT… The Otters hit the road for a two-match road trip to Salt Lake City. CSUMB will face Westminster University on Thursday, Sept. 12, and then play Colorado Mesa on Saturday, Sept. 14.
