The Lumberjack



Students Serving The Cal Poly Humboldt Campus and Community Since 1929

Tag: 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.”

  • Strong Defense Shakes Jacks’ Gameplay

    Strong Defense Shakes Jacks’ Gameplay

    Men’s soccer struggles against Cal State Monterey Bay

    The Humboldt State men’s soccer team lost to Cal State Monterey Bay on Sunday, dropping the match 1-2. Despite the loss, the Jacks outshot Monterey 16-6 and held a majority of the possession throughout the second half. Humboldt is now 2-5 in conference play, which puts them at No. 11 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association standings.

    The first half snuck away from the Jacks as CSUMB scored a goal on junior goalkeeper Tab Heinz just under seven minutes into the match.

    Humboldt was unable to respond as Monterey consistently pressured with a high defensive line and controlled offensive possession. Despite being able to make offensive pushes in the first 25 minutes, the Jacks were unable to establish themselves in the attacking area for a significant amount of time. It wasn’t long before Monterey scored again, keeping their lead with a new score of 2-0.

    Humboldt State forward Isaiah Dairo battles for the ball while pressing into the offensive zone during the Jacks’ match against Cal State Monterey Bay on Oct. 20 at College Creek Field. | Photo by Thomas Lal

    On the offensive side, Isaiah Dairo provided the spark needed to the Jacks on the board. Throughout the match Dairo constantly drove the play along the right wing as well as in Monterey’s goal box.

    Senior defender Gus Baxter stepped up to take the kick for the Jacks and didn’t hesitate, striking it past CSUMB’s goalkeeper Daniel Lomeli to score his fifth goal of the season. With the score now 2-1, the Jacks’ offense seemed reinvigorated and pushed Monterey hard until the end of the half.

    In the second half, Humboldt’s offense outshot CSUMB 13-2 and took four corner kicks but didn’t have any luck finding the back of the net. Monterey managed the clock very well, playing a possession focused game and continuing to challenge the Jacks.

    Humboldt State midfielder Dylan Tovani looks to cross the ball during the first half of the Jacks’ game against Cal State Monterey Bay on Oct. 20 at College Creek Field. | Photo by Thomas Lal

    The pacing of the half was slow as both teams committed nine fouls, but neither of them were able to capitalize on the reoccurring opportunity. This was a trend throughout the match as Monterey committed 22 fouls in total and Humboldt committed 12.

    Humboldt State defender Martin Calderon was confident in the defensive side of the Jacks’ game even after the loss.

    “The last few games have been pretty solid on the back,” Calderon said. “I think it’s just been the little mistakes that have cost us the games. Last game we gave up two headers, this game it was just a deflection that we kind of messed up and the other teams don’t let those goals go.”

    Head Coach Fred Jungemann was disappointed to not come out of the match with a win but saw positives from the Jacks’ offensive opportunities that they were able to generate.

    “I think even before the penalty kick our guys kind of regrouped and managed the game really well,” Jungemann said. “The last 75 minutes of the game we dominated, played the game we wanted to play. We created chances, just couldn’t hit the back of the net.”

    Humboldt State goalkeeper Tab Heinz jumps into the air in an effort to stop what would end up being the game winning goal during the first half of the Jacks’ game against Cal State Monterey Bay at College Creek FIeld. | Photo by Thomas Lal
  • HSU Shuts Out Stanislaus State

    HSU Shuts Out Stanislaus State

    Humboldt State capitalizes on strong offense and outstanding defense to defeat Warriors

    Coming into Sunday’s match, the men’s soccer team had dropped an agonizing match to Chico State, setting the stage for a dominant game against the visiting Stanislaus State Warriors.

    Humboldt showed up strong for the home crowd, exhibiting their goal-scoring prowess by netting three. Meanwhile, Stanislaus was unable to make a mark on the scoresheet. With 24 goals on the season, the Jacks now average three goals a game and play with the defense to back up the scoring.

    The first half of the match saw fairly even play between the two teams, with both sides rushing forward to test the defenses. The Jacks’ defense allowed six shots in the first half but goalkeeper Robert Quintero stood tall in net, making three saves early on to hold the Warriors scoreless. On the offensive end of things, the Jacks failed to capitalize on a few free and seemed unable to sustain pressure in Stanislaus’ defensive zone putting just 5 shots on the board with all sailing wide of the mark.

    • Freshman midfielder Nicolas Falco leaps into his waiting teammates as he celebrates his first goal in CCAA competetion for Humboldt State against Stanislaus to make the score 2-0 during their match on Oct. 6 at College Creek Field. | Photo by Thomas Lal
    • Humboldt State midfielder/forward Angel Rodriguez (14) and mid fielder Israel Gonzalez (10) go to work on a set play from the corner kick during their match against Stanislaus on Oct. 6 at College Creek Field. | Photo by Thomas Lal
    • HSU midfielder Dylan Tovani throws the ball in during the team’s match against Stanislaus on Oct. 6 at College Creek Field as the home crowd watches on. | Photo by Thomas Lal

    The second half of the contest saw a much more aggressive start from Humboldt State, who were immediately making deep runs into the Stanislaus side of the pitch. It wasn’t just the offense who came out looking assertive however, with Quintero coming out of the net to make a perfectly-timed tackle in the middle of the Warrior’s attack. With confidence in the defense’s ability, Jacks’ forward, Isaiah Dairo, found the back of the goal just 10 minutes into the half to score his team-leading sixth goal of the season and put Humboldt up 1-0.

    The scoring would not stop there. Freshman midfielder, Nicolas Falco, buried the first goal of his college career into the top of the Warrior’s net only 15 minutes later. Following his goal, Falco made a beeline to the Jacks’ sideline jumping into a sea of his teammates all clearly ecstatic to him get on the board.

    With a 2-0 score in their favor, Humboldt State eased back just a bit on the offensive front, focusing on making safe plays in the interest of protecting the lead. Even with a more defensive approach for the final stages of the game, Jacks’ midfielder/forward Devin Hauenstein chipped the ball over Stanislaus goalkeeper Justin Motzkus to score the home team’s third and final goal of the match.

    • Humboldt State forward/midfielder Devin Hauenstein gestures to the hear the crowd cheer louder after scoring the Jacks’ third and final goal of their 3-0 shutout against Stanislaus on Oct. 6 at College Creek Field. | Photo by Thomas Lal
    • Humboldt State forward/midfielder Devin Hauenstein watches as his shot that cleared Stanislaus goalkeeper Justin Motzkus’ head goes into the goal during the second half to score the final goal of the day for the Jacks in a 3-0 shutout on Oct. 6 at College Creek Field.
    • Humboldt State sophomore Devin Hauenstein is fouled by Stanislaus defenseman Carlos Amaya during their match on Oct. 6 at College Creek Field. | Photo by Thomas Lal
    • Forward Isaiah Dairo challenges Stanislaus goalkeeper Justin Motzkus during the second half as Motzkus tries to clear the ball during their match on Oct. 6 at College Creek Field. | Photo by Thomas Lal
    • Humboldt State forward Isaiah Dairo squares up to the net before scoring the Jacks’ first goal of the game on the way to a 3-0 shutout against Stanislaus during their match on Oct. 6 at College Creek Field. | Photo by Thomas Lal

    Following his shutout performance for the Jacks, Quintero was very positive, noting that it was a strong overall performance from the team which led to their success.

    “The last few games we really stepped up defensively,” Quintero said. “Today we just put it all together. Everyone stepped up, we had each other’s back on the defensive end. No goals, so that’s always good to get a shutout.”

    Head Coach Fred Jungemann was also impressed with Quintero’s performance in goal and the confidence that it brought to the whole defensive line.

    “Rob’s a senior leader for us and he’s a big part of what we’re doing,” Jungemann said. “When he plays like he did today, he gives the defense so much confidence and self-belief. He’s a big part of everything we’re doing back there, and I’m really happy for them to get the shutout the way they played and, obviously, Rob was a big part of that.”

    Humboldt State forward/midfielder Devin Hauenstein battles for the ball with Stanislaus defenseman Adolfo Maldonado during their match on Oct. 6 at College Creek Field. | | Photo by Thomas Lal

    With the win on Sunday, the Jacks moved to 5-3 this season and were able to put Friday’s loss behind them in resounding fashion. Jungemann was happy to have picked up the second game but still saw room for improvement from the weekend as a whole.

    “I don’t think we can ever get past losing some points,” Jungemann said. “But certainly winning points today will give us a good taste in our mouths and hopefully give us something to build towards for next weekend.”