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September 15, 2008

Stags Show Improvement In Matches Against Linfield and UC Santa Cruz

The Wildcats of Linfield College defeated the CMS Stags 2-1 on Friday, September 12th in a hard-fought match at Pritzlaff Field, but the Stags rebounded to gain their first points of the season in a 2-2 double-overtime tie against UC Santa Cruz on Sunday.

In Friday's game, the Stags found themselves down 2-0 late in the second half after a well-deserved, scissor-kick goal in the 21st minute and later, a defensive lapse leading into a one-on-one with the CMS keeper. In the 78th minute, Lewis Corson (SO, Greenwich, CT) floated a far-post ball to meet the head of a diving Kevin Festini (SR, Fremont [pictured]), cutting the Wildcat lead in half. Despite dominating the final 12 minutes, the Stags were unable to equalize, giving them their third loss in as many games. Stefan Gonzalez (JR, San Gabriel) led the CMS attack, registering eight of CMS's 16 shots for the day.

In search of their first points of the season, CMS came out strong against UC Santa Cruz, a side that has qualified for the NCAA Division III tournament the past 5 consecutive seasons, on Sunday, September 14th. Tomislav Zbozinek (JR, Paradise Valley, AZ) was the story for the Stags in the first half, netting two free kicks within the first 34 minutes. In the ninth minute, he hit a stunning strike around the wall to the far post, leaving Slugs keeper Brandon Brooks no chance. Again in the 34th, Zbozinek showed his versatility by hitting a perfect ball over the wall and beating the keeper near post this time. The Slugs fought back, however, and capitalized on a corner kick in the 51st and a through ball past the CMS defense in the 70th. Devin Graber (SR, Morristown, NJ) came close to getting the winning goal in overtime for the Stags, but at full-time the scores were still even. CMS goalkeeper Alexander Price (SR, Denver, CO) had a standout performance making eight saves and anchoring the backline.

The Stags begin their league play on Wednesday at Caltech with kick-off scheduled for 4:00 PM.