Coming into the final game of the season, the Sacramento State men’s soccer team was in the midst of a 12-game winless streak and had nothing to play for.
They could’ve dropped their heads and decided to not take this game seriously, but they didn’t. The Hornets fought hard for a 1-0 win over their rivals, UC Davis. The win was Sac State’s first since their 5-2 win over Pacific on Sept. 7. It was also their first win in the Big West Conference.
Sac State had gone seven consecutive games without a win against Davis, with the last win in 2016. The Hornets also kept a clean sheet in this one, which was the first time they’ve done that in Davis since 2013.
Even though Davis had already clinched a playoff spot, this result had big implications for the playoff seeding. If Davis had beaten Sac State, they would have moved up to the second seed, which would’ve earned them a first-round bye.
“Feels amazing to score a goal, to get a win, to get a shutout, to get a win on the road over our rival, our first conference win, I mean all kinds of things there,” Sac State head coach Michael Linenberger said. “I give credit to the guys for going out tonight and playing well. Super happy for the players and especially for the nine seniors.”
Sac State hit the ground running, making the Davis defense work early. It looked as if the Hornets wanted to end the season on a high note, even though the result of the game would not have much significance on their season.
Sac State was rewarded for their strong start in the eighth minute when senior forward Michael Gonzalez was there to pounce on a rebound caused by a cross from junior midfielder, Axel Ramirez.
For Gonzalez, this was a special goal for him. It was his first and only goal of the 2023 season and it came in the final game of his collegiate career.
“I would say it was probably my favorite goal,” Gonzalez said. “I think it means the most to me because it’s against our biggest rival UC Davis and coming into the game we knew that we couldn’t make the playoffs, so this was the last good thing we can get from this season. It meant a lot to me and the seniors on the team.”
Thanks to a solid first-half performance, the Hornets managed to go into the half-time break with a 1-0 lead. This was the first time they’d gone into half-time with the lead in 12 consecutive games.
RELATED: UC Irvine puts an end to Sac State’s playoff hopes
An interesting storyline coming into this match was junior goalkeeper Mac Learned’s absence. Learned missed the game due to a suspension caused by the red card he received in the match against UC Irvine.
Replacing Learned was redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Edgar Guerra. This was Guerra’s second start of the season and his first start since the match against Gonzaga on Aug. 27.
Learned is one of the best college goalkeepers in the country this season, making it a challenge for Guerra to showcase his talent.
“Preparing for this game, I listened to a lot of motivational speeches,” Guerra said. “Those things have helped me out to stay mentally strong, having that beast mentality, becoming that person you want to be in life.”
It looked as if Guerra did the right thing to mentally prepare for the game against Davis because he was locked in. Guerra had several clutch close-distance saves along with a spectacular reflex save seconds before the half-time buzzer.
His 10-save performance played a big part in the Hornets keeping a clean sheet and winning the game.
“My performance on the field: phenomenal,” Guerra said. “Even if I haven’t gotten playing time throughout the season, I’ve always been locked in. Soccer is a mental game and if you keep your mind to something, when the opportunity comes, you just seize it.”
Guerra and the rest of the Hornets’ defense came under a lot of pressure toward the end of the game as Davis was pushing hard for an equalizer. But it never came, because Sac State stood tall and defended with everything they had left.
The season didn’t go the way the Hornets would’ve liked, but they managed to end it on a high note. One thing this Sac State team can take away from the season is that they never gave up when results weren’t going their way and Saturday’s win is a great representation of that.
