The Sacramento State men’s soccer team took a 3-2 win over Gonzaga University at Hornet Soccer Field in the final match of a three-game home stand for the Hornets. 

The Hornets came into this match fresh off of a 2-1 win over Loyola Marymount University.

RELATED: Sac State men’s soccer wins 2-1 over LMU

“All the boys just put in so much work and effort,” sophomore midfielder Ali Sasankhah said. “We had moments where we kind of dropped off but at the end, we picked up and got our results.”

The Hornets shot five shots before the Bulldogs could take one; this much time on the ball allowed the Hornets to take a lead in the game. 

Junior forward Christo Cervantes sent a through ball to junior midfielder Francisco Magaña, who headed the ball into the back of the net to score the Hornets first goal. 

Sac State went into halftime up 1-0. 

Quickly into the second half, Hornets junior forward Austin Wehner got inside the box and assisted Magaña who scored, giving the Hornets a 2-0 lead over the Bulldogs. 

The Bulldogs answered with a goal of their own, taking advantage of the Hornets losing the ball on defense.  

Sasankhah was key in the Hornets midfield, being one of four players who played all 90 minutes of the match. 

The Hornets continued to put pressure on the Bulldogs as Wehner drove the ball forward and sent it to Magaña. Magaña headed the ball, but the Bulldogs goalkeeper made a block– leaving a rebound that Magaña used to kick the ball into the back of the net. 

This was Magaña’s third goal, making him the first Hornet since 2019 to score a hat trick. He is  the sixth Hornet to score a hat trick for the Division I men’s soccer team. 

Magaña said he was happy he was able to help the Hornets get their second win in a row. He said that he was at a loss for words because of all the emotions he was going through.

“The most important thing is that we came out with this win,” Magaña said, “[We] could have scored all the goals we wanted, but if we didn’t win, it wouldn’t be the same” 

Although the Hornets were up 3-1, the Bulldogs didn’t back down, scoring in the last five minutes of the match. 

The Bulldogs had the last play of the game after a foul on graduate student defender RJ Stretch. 

Freshman Hornet goalkeeper Edgar Guerra saved the shot, securing the Hornets a 3-2 win. 

“I feel good that we won; obviously every win is a good win,” head coach Michael Linenberger said, “But disappointed with some of the mistakes we made down the stretch that allowed Gonzaga to stay in the game and give them hope.” 

Sac State moved to 4-1-1, with a two game winning streak. Next, they will face Utah Tech on the road on Friday, Sept. 16.