The Lumberjack



Students Serving The Cal Poly Humboldt Campus and Community Since 1929

Tag: hsu mens soccer

  • Men’s Soccer Finishes Season With an Emotional Senior Day

    Men’s Soccer Finishes Season With an Emotional Senior Day

    Jacks defeat Dominguez Hills by two goals, but fall to Cal State LA

    The Humboldt State University men’s soccer season concluded over the weekend and honored senior players at College Creek Field.

    It was an emotional ending to another season of Jacks’ soccer as the final two games yielded different results. On Thursday, the men’s team beat Cal State Dominguez Hills 2-1 with two goals from the Jacks leading scorer Isaiah Dairo. He scored the game-winner in the final minute.

    Saturday’s matchup against Cal State Los Angeles was held on Senior Day, and for athletes Robert Quintero, Rudi McClellan, Isaiah Dairo, Israel Gonzalez and Gus Baxter it was their last game as a Lumberjack.

    A ceremony commenced before the game, with senior players taking photos with their families and Head Coach Fred Jungemann. For some players like Isaiah Dairo, their last game had an impact on them.

    • Senior Isaiah Dairo moves the ball up the left wing for the Jacks during their match against Cal State Los Angeles at College Creek Field on Nov. 9. | Photo by Thomas Lal
    • Senior midfielder Rudi McClellan moves the ball up the field for Humboldt State during their match against Cal State Los Angeles at College Creek Field on Nov. 9. | Photo by Thomas Lal
    • Humboldt State’s Marco Silveira attempts to play the ball during the first half of the Jacks’ match against Cal State Los Angeles at College Creek Field on Nov. 9. | Photo by Thomas Lal

    “Having my family here motivated me,” Dairo said. “They don’t get to see a lot of games that I play and for them to see these last two games of my college career was special.”

    The Jacks fell to Cal State LA 2-1. The lonesome goal came from Dairo, but it was not enough to help the Jacks come back from a point deficit.

    “I had tears in my eyes when the final whistle blew because I looked over to my family, and they were clapping and filled with joy,” Dairo said.

    In the first half, the Jacks and the Golden Eagles were off to a competitive start. After a 20-minute scuffle for possession, Cal State LA slipped one through HSU’s defense giving them an early 1-0 lead.

    Two minutes later, Jacks’ midfielder Israel Gonzalez connected a pass to Dairo, which he finished in the Golden Eagles’ net.

    Senior Israel Gonzalez battles for the ball during the Jacks’ match against Cal State Los Angeles at College Creek Field on Nov. 9. | Photo by Thomas Lal

    HSU goalkeeper Robert Quintero kept his composure throughout the first half and made drastic saves.

    “In the first half I remember the pile of players fighting to score and me stretching out my hand to prevent the ball from crossing the line,” Quintero said.

    With ten minutes left in the first half, the Golden Eagles were able to score another goal on the Jacks. With the Jacks now trailing, Jungemann felt it was a response for his players showing a pulse in the fight.

    “Our goal reminded them we had a fight in us,” Jungemann said. “So they started to take us more serious, and they certainly did what they wanted to do, but our players held their ground.”

    Going into the second half, the Jacks and Golden Eagles fought hard to overcome the opponents’ strategies, but both teams were unable to add any points to the board.

    Humboldt State senior Gus Baxter soaks in the moment after his final game as a Lumberjack against Cal State LA at College Creek Field on Nov. 9. | Photo by Thomas Lal

    “This day is part of our lives every year and it doesn’t get easier,” Jungemann said. “It’s always a difficult and emotional day. The graduating players gave five years of their life to an organization that they had fun being apart of and now await the challenges ahead.”

    Dairo is saddened that his time with Jacks’ soccer is over, but his sights are set for furthering his career.

    ”It’s memorable knowing that this is another start in a journey for my life,” Dairo said. “It’s not the end of the road for anybody, you can always get better and in time I hope to play professionally.”

  • Men’s Soccer Wins In Stunner Against SF

    Men’s Soccer Wins In Stunner Against SF

    Three-game losing streak snapped by Jacks’ offense

    The Humboldt State men’s soccer team defeated San Francisco State 3-1 on Saturday. It was another strong offensive outing for a Humboldt State team that has found the back of the net often this season.

    The Lumberjacks impressed in the second half with goals from Isaiah Dairo, Marco Silveira and Dalton Rice. The victory snapped a three-game losing streak, bringing their overall record to 7-8, and two more games to play in the regular season.

    The first half of the game was tightly contested, with both teams taking most of the time to feel out the opposing defense. The Gators’ midfield play provided a challenge for the Jacks’ offensive players as they were unable to break through the center of the field.

    However, Humboldt State was able to find their rhythm as they quickly moved the ball upfield to create more space between SF State’s defenders and cut to the net. As a result, the Jacks outshot the Gators 6-4.

    Humboldt State midfielder Nicolas Falco keeps the ball away from an attempted tackle by SF State’s Ramiro Palencia at the College Creek Field on Nov. 3.

    Despite the Jacks’ progressive play, the Gators were able to get a shot over the head of HSU goalkeeper Tab Heinz. With just over three minutes left in the half, the Gators grabbed a 1-0 lead just before halftime.

    Coming out of halftime, the already physical match ramped up as the Jacks looked to make a comeback. Just a couple of minutes into the half, Humboldt State thought they tied up the game as Dairo chipped the ball in from short-range. But, a whistle from the line ref called the play offsides.

    This setback didn’t appear to have a lasting effect on the Jacks, as Dairo once again found the back of the net, putting the ball over the Gators’ goalkeeper from the penalty box. Th Jacks tied the game 1-1. The goal was Dairo’s 10th of the season as he leads the Jacks in scoring.

    “They give me a lot of support and they give me a lot of energy to keep going,” Dairo said. “That’s something that made me want to stand back up and keep pushing this game. It’s up to you if you want to mentally and physically stand up and my team definitely helped me through that challenge.”

    The Jacks went on to score shortly after Dairo returned to play. Silveira netted his third goal of the season by firing the ball from the right-wing and banking it in off of a Gators defender.

    Humboldt State forward Marco Silvera and San Francisco State defender Damiano Sbicca battle for possession at College Creek Field on Nov. 3.

    The sudden change in direction took both the defenders and the goalkeeper by surprise and sent the home crowd into a frenzy. Just seven minutes later, Humboldt State followed with another goal off of a second chance rebound as Rice rocketed the ball past the off-balance goalkeeper.

    At the end of the game, Head Coach Fred Jungemann talked about how pleased he was with his team’s performance. He was particularly pleased with how the Jacks limited their defensive errors and were able to stay strong in their own zone.

    “Today we really focused on minimizing our mistakes and managing the game a little bit better,” Jungemann said. “I think it showed in the result as well in only giving up only one goal.”