The Sacramento State men’s soccer team was down 2-1 to UC Riverside on Sunday, September 16. The Hornets were 0-5, and the game was looking like a lost cause.

It was deep in the second half and Hornets goalkeeper Ryan Kenny received a red card for a hand ball outside the goalie area.

With the Hornets a man down, freshman defender Alex DeTorres head-butt the ball, trying to get it to the near post. Then freshman midfielder Fernando Cabadas raced to the ball and hit it in the air with a bicycle kick to tie the game with one second left.

“What an amazing play,” said Matt McDougall, assistant coach.

The whole team was amazed. The game ended with a tie, but the Hornets were glad to get out with a tie rather than a loss.

Cabadas, who was not even recruited, was born on Dec. 20, 1988 to parents Librado and Maria. His parents said soccer was “all around him” and compelled him to start playing at a young age.

He kept playing all the way to high school at Hiram Johnson, where he harnessed his mid-fielding skills.

Cabadas also enjoyed the prospect of turning the team around.

“We were garbage the first couple of years,” Cabadas said.

He kept getting better and in his final two years, the team made the playoffs.

Cabadas felt he had the talent to complete on the next level, but he had not been recruited by any schools. Cabadas was accepted to Sac State, but was not about to give up hope of playing.

He said a good friend convinced him to “go for it” and attend the Hornets tryouts.

“I was nervous man,” Cabadas said. “I was just a nobody trying to hold my own against all these guys that had been recruited from coach Mike himself.”

The Hornets coaches were impressed by the grit and grind of the tryout and gave him a roster spot.

“I was shocked. I was playing good, but I never expected to make it,” Cabadas said.

Cabadas made the team and instantly found himself on a bench filled with new players. With most of the new players being freshmen like him, Cabadas felt he could quickly stand out if he played hard enough.

“It’s about that extra percent of effort that separates you from the other guy,” Cabadas said.

He also said he had to earn the trust of his coaches.

“He’s going to be our guy down the road. He’s going to be a great player,” said Michael Linenberger, head coach. Linenberger made the decision to put Cabadas in the starting lineup because he knew his team needed the spark that Cabadas provides. That “spark” is scoring, he said.

“Our main problem is that we are hesitant to score,” Linenberger said.

While Cabadas has only made one goal off his bicycle kick, he has attempted 10 shots, which is more than anyone on the team.

“He’s trying to make himself known out there,” defender Adam Owens said.

“I feel that I add a little spice to this team,” Cabadas said.

Cabadas’ life has turned into a blur as he, like every freshman, is finding college life is “different than high school” and at times, tough.

“I chose Sac State because I liked the campus and it was a local and comfortable place,” he said. “School, soccer and work all the time – it’s tough.”

With his first month in school over, he has learned to get through his schedule by utilizing his tough work ethic.

“It’s about sacrificing and realizing that this is the life I want to lead,” Cabadas said.

The life that Cabadas wants to lead is a life of being the best soccer player and he feels he is already “on my way.”

Contact Lamont Weaver at [email protected]