The Jacks win their final match to finish off the season against Cal State East Bay
The Lumberjacks men’s soccer team finished off the regular season with a 3-1 win over Cal State East Bay on Senior day at College Creek Field on Oct. 27.
Both Humboldt and East Bay had many opportunities to score in the first half as both teams made plays down the field, but neither team found the back of the net. The Jacks defense remained strong and maintained great communication as they protected their goal.
“We had a couple of chances to score,” senior midfielder Francisco Calderon said. “Unfortunately we couldn’t score them, but overall I think we played the soccer we wanted to play.”
The match became intense as many fouls were called on both teams which eventually resulted in a penalty kick for the Jacks in the early second half. The Pioneer’s goalie misread the ball as senior left back Daniel Allred kicked it into the top left corner of the net.
“Since it’s my last game I had a feeling our team was going to get a penalty kick,” Allred said. “Honestly I was pretty nervous but I practiced them a lot so I just hit it.”
Over thirty minutes later freshman Devin Hauenstein received the ball and took a shot from afar which earned the Jacks their second goal. As the Jacks led 2-0, the tension was rising for East Bay as they struggled to score a goal.
As the game continued, more fouls occurred which finally led to a penalty kick for the Pioneer’s landing them their only goal of the game.
The Jacks offense continued to breakaway down the sides of the field as they took multiple shots at the Pioneer goalie. After many attempts, senior Max Steinmetz took the ball down center field and hit the ball straight into the back corner of the net in the 88th minute.
“We were fighting for our seniors today,” Steinmetz said. “We battled for the win and ended up getting the job done, and it was a team effort.”
Steinmetz, Allred, and Calderon, as well as Chris Cherms and Bryan Hernandez gave their all in their last soccer match playing as a Lumberjack. College Creek Field was filled with family and friends as they supported the five seniors over the weekend. They all have goals and aspirations to either pursue their careers or continue playing soccer in the years to come.
“It’s a lot to take in,” said Calderon. “It hasn’t really hit me yet but as for now I’m just proud to be a part of this team.”
