Sacramento State men’s soccer were on their last gasp against UC Davis on Saturday. The Hornets were down a goal with 10 minutes left in the final match of the season.
The Hornets’ sense of urgency circled the Davis air, as senior defender Leonardo Martinez prepared to take a corner kick in the 81st minute. Martinez sent the ball just outside of the box to freshman forward Allbranly Gue, who sent a bicycle kick into the top left corner of the goal.
Sac State seemed to have salvaged their last game of the season.
“Glory to God that I was able to score my third [goal of the season],” Gue said. “All I was thinking is to bike it and focus on connecting with my laces over the ball so I don’t hit it over. When I went down, I heard screaming, and I was happy to score.”
The Hornets just had to stave off the Mustangs for another eight minutes to secure the tie.
Looking to make a quick play with two minutes left in the match, senior goalkeeper Andres Rosales sent a goal kick up the field, only for it to be turned over right outside of the box. Mustang senior defender Zack Lillington jumped on the loose ball and sent a screamer off the hands of Rosales, only for the rebound to be sent into the back of the net.
This proved to be the last costly mistake of the match for the Hornets.
“It’s a critical error on our part. We never should have played a quick, short goal kick at that stage of the game,” head coach Michael Linenberger said. “So we put ourselves in a bad situation, and we got punished for it.”
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In the first half, UC Davis dominated the time of possession and finished with 11 shots compared to the Hornets’ four, forcing Rosales to make four key saves to keep the Hornets in the match.
“All I think about is staying calm, trusting my positioning and helping my team by making saves to keep us in the game,” Rosales said.
The Mustangs jumped out to a lead in the 53rd minute off the foot of Mustang senior forward Cason Goodman. The onslaught of pressure proved to be too much for the Hornets.
The 2-1 loss reflected a grueling season for the Hornets, as they finished with a record of 2-12-4.
“I love this team just as much as my teams that have won a championship. You become really close with your players; you’re with them six days a week for three and a half – four months straight,” Linenberger said. “You go through the ups and the downs together, so you get close with all your guys and at the end of every season. It is heartbreaking.”
