DENVER, Colo.—No. 1 New Mexico (17-0-3) outscored CSU Bakersfield (12-3-5) 3-1 in penalty kicks to win the MPSF Men’s Soccer Tournament Sunday afternoon at CIBER Field. The teams advance to PK’s after playing to a 1-1 tie in regulation.

Gyasi Zardes (R-So., Hawthorne, Calif., Leutzinger HS) broke the seal for the Roadrunners in the 83rd minute. Ernesto Hinojosa (Jr., Tustin, Calif., Tustin HS) made a quick throw in. The ball found its way to Jesus Sanchez (Jr., Chula Vista, Calif., Castle Park HS) who sent a cross to Zardes for the tally.

At 84:19, New Mexico sent a cross into the goalkeepers’ box where a CSUB player inadvertanly headed the ball into the Roadrunners net, tying the score and sending the match into overtime.  In the first overtime, the Lobos threatened as New Mexico took advantage of a corner kick to put three shots on CSUB goalie Eric Shannon (Jr., Valencia, Calif., Valenica HS) in a 30-second span. Shannon saw his defense block the first shot. Shannon made a save, and saw the third blast go wide. There was no score, sending the match into a second overtime.

CSUB had their best scoring chance of the second overtime when a Justin Finch (Jr., Bakesfield, Calif., Southwest Baptist) header off a David Velasquez (R-Fr., Los Angeles, Calif., Locke HS) corner kick went wide with under a minute remaining in the period. With no score, the match headed to penalty kicks.

The first round of penalty kicks saw both teams miss their attempts.  Tournament MVP Victor Rodriguez made a save on Richard Menjivar’s (Sr., Panorama, Calif., Univ. of Evansville) attempt in round two, but Michael Green made his attempt to give UNM a 1-0 advantage. Rodriguez made a save on Sanchez’s try in round three as the Lobos’ Blake Smith converted.  

Ken Taylor (Sr., Bakersfield, Calif., Garces HS) kept CSUB alive when he converted on his PK attempt in round four, but Devon Sandoval gave New Mexico the tournament title when he scored on his attempt in round four for an insurmountable 3-1 advantage.

The match is officially recorded as a tie. Taylor and Scott Luedtke (R-So., Dallas, Texas, Pearce HS) were named to the All-Tournament team.

“I thought we played a fantastic game against the number one team in the country,” said CSUB head coach Simon Tobin. “Losing on penalty kicks hurts, but the game is recorded as a tie. That result should get us an NCAA at-large bid on Monday. There is absolutely no gap between CSUB and the top team in the country. That is an incredible acheivement in our second year (as a Division I program).”

New Mexico earns the MPSF’s automatic berth into next week’s NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Tournament. CSU Bakersfield will await word on an at-large bid into the 48-team tournament. The tournament field will be set on Monday beginning at 1:30 p.m. (PST). The selection show is available for viewing on NCAA.com.

~www.GoRunners.com~

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