CSUSM 14 – Channel Islands 3
This past Saturday, Cal State San Marcos traveled up North to take on the Dolphins of CSU Channel Islands. This is only the second time the two teams have met after a CSUSM victory last year. The Cougar defense really stepped up and commanded the outcome of this game from beginning and brought a win to San Marcos with a score of 14-3.
In the first half, the Cougars outscored the Dolphins 9-0. There were many errors offensively, but due to the brick wall defense on the other end of the field, the team was able to hold them scoreless going into the second half. At the beginning of the second half, Channel Islands put up three quick goals to end their shutout. The Cougars only put up five goals in the final 30 minutes, but were able to begin executing plays offensively and eliminate some of the sloppy play. With junior LSM, James Delaney, scooping up seven ground balls on the face-off wing and the defense consistently causing turnovers, San Marcos was able to have possession of the ball for most of the game.
The close defense really took this control of this game, but the Cougar offense was able to continually execute even with a few unforced errors. Freshman attackman, Austin Jenkin (on left), facilitated an easy win by having seven goals and one assist. Other notable freshman were midfielders Brandon Bowens and Rashid Jones, putting up two points each.
After the game, Coach Hicks felt pleased with the cohesion and teamwork the Cougars were playing with and expect to clean up the offensive errors this coming week. “Thankfully our defense came out strong and never let down all game, but we definitely have some things to work on offensively if we expect to beat our coming opponents. Our schedule only gets harder from here, but I am confident that we can fix everything from today. Overall, I’m happy with the win and how the team is buying into the system.”
The Cougars face the San Jose State Spartans in their home opener on February 23, at 12:00pm. The Cougars are 1-0 against the Spartans, victorious in last-season’s match-up 13-8.