Sacramento State men’s soccer (4-7-2, 2-2-0 Big West) were shutout by UC Irvine (10-1-2, 2-1-1 Big West) with the final score of 2-0 at Anteater Stadium.

Tonight’s loss was the Hornets second loss of conference play. 

After a scoreless first half of play, UC Irvine scored two goals in the second half. The first which came 55 minutes into play by Mario Ortiz via assists by Gerardo Gonzalez and Mitchell Alvarez. Ortiz scored the goal as the pass was slotted into the box. 

Despite the loss to the Anteaters on the road tonight, the Hornets went toe-to-toe with them throughout the match. It was a hard earned victory for the Anteaters as they outplayed the Hornets in the second half. 

In regards to the Hornets offense, they had opportunities to score as Sac State senior midfielder Andres Garcia’s shot was saved by the Anteater’s goalkeeper Michael Breslin 28 minutes into the game. 

Nearly 20 seconds after Garcia’s shot was saved, he took a yellow card as he fouled an Anteater defender early on in the first half. 

The Anteater’s offense put up a total of 17 shots on the night compared to six for the Hornets. The Hornets overall put up a tough fight against the No. 11 ranked Anteaters. 

The Anteaters have played extremely well at home so far into the 2014 season as they remain undefeated with a 4-0 record. 

At the 60-minute mark, the Hornet’s offense had a chance to tie the game, but senior forward Chimdum Mez’s shot was saved by Breslin. 

Anteaters Lester Hayes III broke the 1-0 game 63 minutes into the contest, when he scored a goal to put the team 2-0 late in the second half. 

Noah Gaines and Cameron Iwasa were credited with the assists for the goal by Hayes III.

Up next for the Hornets, they will battle against the Cal Poly Mustangs (7-3-3) at Hornet Field 3 p.m. Oct. 18.