ATHERTON, CA — In a thrilling match that saw Menlo Men's Soccer come from behind, the Oaks overcame an early deficit to defeat the Golden Eagles of Concordia University Irvine, 2-1. After falling behind in the first half, Menlo delivered a dominant second-half performance, netting two critical goals to secure the victory.
Oaks Offensive Frenzy Pays Off
The match got off to a challenging start for Menlo as Concordia struck first, scoring in the 16th minute. Despite some solid defensive plays, the Oaks entered halftime trailing 0-1, needing a spark to turn the game around. Menlo struggled to build up any offense as they only attempted a shot three different times in the first half. The halftime talk from Head Coach Keith Lambert clearly fired up the team to get something started.
That spark came in the second half, as Menlo showed immense resilience and tactical adjustments. Just minutes after the break, the Oaks found the equalizer when Johan Mendoza Aguilar slotted home a goal in the 50th minute, assisted by Roy Rosenberg, igniting the Menlo offense. Rosenberg was served a long ball from across the field and masterfully headed it in the direction of the attacking third. His speed and ball skill got him past the defender and to the end line. A firm cross to Aguilar set him up for a technical finish to the low left corner to get past the Golden Eagle goalkeeper. The momentum swung firmly in Menlo's favor as the team pressed forward with increased intensity.
The defining moment came in the 83rd minute, when David Stuber stepped up to score the go-ahead goal for the Oaks, bringing the home crowd to its feet at Wunderlich field. Another chance for the Oaks broke out when Rosenberg and Haukefaer combined up the left field line and served the ball in the box. Concordia cleared the ball to the top of the box where Andres Maldonado was wide open. The Golden Eagle defender fouled hard from behind in an effort to stop the scoring opportunity, which drew the penalty play. Stuber's unassisted strike off of the penalty shot completed Menlo's comeback and left the Golden Eagles scrambling to respond.
Concordia pressed for an equalizer but was met with strong defensive efforts and crucial saves by goalkeeper Martin Fiala, who tallied four saves throughout the match. Menlo's defensive line, consisting of David Stuber, Ian Brusewitz, Luis Politron, Donald Holliday, and Roy Rosenberg each held firm, securing the hard-fought win and improving their season record to 3-3-1.
Team Statistics Comparison
The Golden Eagles were dominant in the first half as they fired off 6 shots in the first half compared to the Oaks 3. Concordia also consistently earned 3 corner kicks in each half which demanded a lot out of the Menlo defense. Menlo did a much better job of shutting down the Concordia Irvine offense in the 2nd half with only 3 shots faced. Menlo left it all out of the field in the second having made 14 attempts to shoot the ball in an effort to find the victory. The strong offensive push is what sealed the deal for Menlo and proved that the guys are capable of under high-pressure moments.
Up Next…..
Menlo Men's Soccer has a short week upcoming as they only have a single match in the future. Their next game will take place on Thursday, October 3rd at 2pm in Rocklin, CA as they look to face Jessup University. They will hope to continue the momentum deeper into the PacWest season!
