FULLERTON – Junior winger Chase Minter recorded his second two-goal game of 2014, but the Cal Poly men’s soccer program – after overturning a two-goal deficit in the second half – surrendered a Cal State Fullerton goal 52 seconds from full time and fell at Titan Stadium on Saturday evening, 3-2.

Junior goalkeeper Wade Hamilton produced a pair of saves for Cal Poly (7-3-3, 2-1-1), which was outshot 19-7, but enjoyed two goals from Minter in a five-minute span to deadlock the score. Cal State Fullerton (6-5-2, 2-2-0), however, received its 90th-minute goal from junior forward Dyllan Stevens to pick up the three points.

“The challenge at halftime was to play our way and reassert our dominance in possession,” interim head coach Phil Ruskin said. “We thought we didn’t move and pass for one another in the first half and the guys really responded in the second. We looked like Cal Poly again and were happy with our second-half performance.”

Cal State Fullerton scored with Saturday’s first shot on goal as a free kick from senior defender Fermin Villalba fell to senior forward Marc Fenelus, who bested Hamilton.

Held without a shot attempt for the opening 55 minutes, Cal Poly then found itself down 2-0 in the 53rd as Fenelus crossed into senior midfielder Garrett Loose, who found Amara Soumah near the left post.

The Mustangs struck back three minutes later as Minter notched his fifth goal of 2014 by converting a penalty.

Cal Poly then made it two goals in two shot attempts in the 61st as sophomore left back Jack O’Connor earned his first collegiate point by finding Minter, who fired high into the right corner of the Titan net. The goal was Minter’s team-leading sixth of the season.

“Chase was one of our more impassioned guys at halftime. He spoke right after the coaches and came out locked in,” Ruskin said. “He’s putting every ounce that he has into the game and really makes our team go.”

The Mustangs forced Cal State Fullerton junior goalkeeper Jeff Salt into three saves, but the Titans produced the game winner with junior forward Nigel Patterson flicking on to Stevens.

“It’s important to note that we had four starters out tonight, including two center backs,” Ruskin added. “For our entire back line to play completely out of possession we dominated the second half and it says a lot about our team to come from two goals down.”

Cal Poly closes a three-match road trip and opens action against Big West North Division opposition when visiting Sacramento State on Saturday, Oct. 18 at 3 p.m.

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