Published 2010-09-22T00:00:00Z”/>

Isaac Brambila

The sound of a foot striking a bench summoned the roar of the crowd Friday after Cal Poly Pomona forward Luis Gonzalez channeled his frustration over a 3-0 deficit.

After a two-goal game for junior forward Ferid Celosmanovic and a third goal by sophomore midfielder and forward Luis Martinez, the Chico State men’s soccer team added to its undefeated winning streak, bringing it to 5-0-0.

Chico State fans had their first reason to celebrate at the 16-minute mark after Celosmanovic made a powerful shot from a set piece about 20 yards out and four yards from the end line. The ball soared into the top left corner, surprising the goalie who was positioned too far toward the center of the goalie box in anticipation of the cross.

“I was initially planning to cross the ball to try to find a header, but decided to shoot to goal at the last second,” Celosmanovic said. “I saw him cheating way to the left, so then I just knew to hit it on to the target and it would go in.”

The ‘Cats maintained control throughout most of the first half, taking eight shots and holding Cal State Pomona to only one, which arrived at the 41-minute mark from the cleats of Gonzalez.

Celosmanovic scored his second goal of the night with a header off a set piece cross by Martinez from 30 yards out.

Martinez scored his goal in the 62nd minute when he connected a cross by senior midfielder Zach Bradford that came from the right, tapping the ball with the inside of his right foot to beat the keeper, who managed to get a piece of the ball, but not enough to stop it from going into the goal.

After the third goal, positions shifted and the Broncos began to create more chances, which resulted in seven shots in the second half and only four from the Wildcats.

The last 15 minutes had a different atmosphere, with more aggressive attitudes and tougher ball challenges.

The frustration of Cal Poly Pomona resulted in two players receiving yellow cards in the 78th minute.

Gonzalez, who received one of the preventive cards in the 78th minute, was subbed after receiving the yellow card. He walked off the field visibly angry and kicked the bench hard enough to make a noise that everyone in the stands could hear, which immediately resulted in boos and disapproving comments from the crowd.

The ‘Cats expected the Broncos to get a little rough if the score turned in Chico State’s favor, said senior right defender Ryan Nevarez. But they knew they just had to play their game.

“We’re here to do our job,” he said. “We do our job and we get out of it and let them worry about the emotion.”

The important thing is to stay cool and keep training hard, coach Felipe Restrepo said.

“If they continue to work this way, it is going to be fun for all of us to watch them develop,” Restrepo said. “I’m just taking it one game at a time and try to make my team better each day.”

The Chico State men’s soccer team fell 2-1 to the Cal State San Bernardino Coyotes Sunday after a couple shots on the crossbar, a shot that hit the post and rested on the goal line for about two seconds and a couple of questionable fouls in the box that were not called.

With this defeat, the ‘Cats’ five-game winning streak came to an end.

The Coyotes came out fast in the first half and scored two goals, said freshman midfielder Michael Tieku.

The Wildcats came out and tried to compete in the physical aspect of the game.

In the second half, they fought back after falling behind in the first, but it was not enough to overcome the two goals received.

The first goal came in the 31st minute when senior Albert Cabrera of Cal State San Bernardino dribbled from the left side and cut to the center of the field just outside of the goalie box, where he struck the ball with his right foot riffling a low shot close to the left post where Chico State goal keeper Sam Evans could not reach it.

Two minutes later, a free kick from the right side was rejected by Wildcat defense, but Cabrera was there once again and slid his right foot to connect the volley and score the second goal.

The ‘Cats’ intensity was not high enough in the first half and that had an effect on the score, Bradford said.

“We came out a little slow in the beginning, we can’t really do that in the future,” Bradford said.

In the second half, the ‘Cats came out more aggressively and pushed forward trying to get the two goals that would tie the game.

The added pressure the Wildcats put on the Coyote defense resulted in several close calls.

In the 58th minute came a slide shot from the right side by sophomore forward Tyson Crim, which hit the left post and rested suspensefully on the goal line for a couple of seconds before it was cleared.

A couple of shots on the cross bar, including a powerful volley by Celosmanovic, brought the ‘Cats close to scoring their first goal, but they still were unsuccessful at hitting the back of the net.

The goal finally came in 75th minute when junior forward Christopher Akwaja tapped in a rejected shot from Tieku.

The goal brought the crowd back into the game, but the Wildcats’ tireless efforts were not enough to get the equalizer.

The Coyotes’ win brings them back from a two-game losing streak, but Cabrera remains respectful of the Chico State team even in victory.

“We came in here to Chico Wildcat stadium to prove we can compete with the top teams in the conference,” Cabrera said. “They’re a great squad, we always give them all the respect that we can.”

The Wildcats will face Humboldt State and Sonoma State next Friday and Sunday, respectively, at University Stadium.

Isaac Brambila can be reached at

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