SOCCER (M)

10/24/09 - Mental Errors Cost Royals In A Huge Way

Fullerton, CA- Two mental errors by the Royals cost them the game against Westmont on Saturday as they fell 2-1.  Freshman Matt Howard scored for the Royals.

The first fifteen minutes of the game looked like the Warriors (6-6, 4-4 GSAC) were going to run away with it.  They had two shots (neither on goal) and two corners as well as an offside before the Royals (5-8-3, 0-7-1 GSAC) even had a team stat of any kind registered in the game log.

However, the Royals weathered the early storm and started to make noise offensively in next couple of minutes but just could not get a shot off.

That all change in the 22nd minute after a Westmont foul.  Freshman Edgar Bran drilled a line drive free kick that was barely off the ground toward the box.  With his back to the goal, Sophomore Jesus Ramos flicked the ball with his heal into the box right to the feet of Howard crashing the goal who redirected the ball into the net and gave the Royals a 1-0 lead.  For Howard it was his third goal of the season.

The celebration and lead were very short lived as the Warriors answered almost exactly two minutes later.  Dillon Barna, one of the Westmont central defenders, ran onto a loose ball just a stride on the Royals side of midfield and hit a booming “shot”.  The ball sailed almost as high as it did far and crossed up Royals Goalkeeper Matt Fike at the goal mouth and into the net it went for a 1-1 tie.

Seven minutes into the second half, a Warrior was virtually tackled in the box by a Royals defender though he did not even have the ball and penalty kick was called.  Barna converted the penalty kick for his second goal of the game and a 2-1 lead for the Warriors.

Aside from the penalty kick, there was only one other shot taken (a wide shot by Bran for the Royals) in the first 25 minutes of the second half.  That all changed in the final twenty minutes of the game as the teams combined for nine shots although only was on goal which saved by Fike for his only save of the game.

In the end, the Warriors out shot the Royals 11-6 but only put one more shot on goal than they actually scored.

For the Royals, they have just one more home game to impress their fans this season.  That game is Tuesday at 3:00 pm at Cal State Fullerton against Concordia.  That game will be the final time that Fike, the Royals’ lone senior, will suit up for the home faithful.

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