SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Senior
Zac Giles netted his 11th goal of the year to bring his team level in the first half, but a hat trick by Cal State Fullerton's Jose de la Torre was all the visiting Titans would need on Saturday afternoon as they posted a 3-1 victory over Sacramento State at Hornet Soccer Field.
The Hornets finished the season 5-10-2 overall and 1-3-2 in conference play, needing a victory on Saturday to keep their hopes alive for a berth in the four-team Big West Championship.
Cal State Fullerton finished its season 5-9-4 overall and 1-5 in The Big West.
Entering the day with four goals to his name on the year, de la Torre collected his first of the day in the 13th minute to stake his team to the early lead.
That set the stage for Giles' equalizer in the 28th minute as a collision by Sacramento State's
Ronan Rattigan and a Fullerton defender left a loose ball inside the box for
Sean Battistessa. Battistessa maneuvered around Rattigan and drew out the Titan goalkeeper before finding a wide-open Giles at the back post.
With only a defender standing on the line to beat, Giles one-touched a rocket past the defender to the left side for the tying goal, making it 1-1 in the 28th minute. It marked his fifth goal in the last two matches and he finished with a score in four of the team's final seven contests.
The 11 goals for Giles are tied for eighth on the school's single-season list, while his 27 points this season are tied for seventh — both matching the totals set by Chris Bettencourt during the 2010 season. With 72 shots on the season, Giles is also the new school single-season record holder in that category, passing Max Alvarez (66 in 2009), while his 39 shots on goal are the sixth-best single-season total in program history.
Two minutes later, de la Torre regained the lead for the Titans in the 30th and he finished off his hat trick with a third score in the 58th minute to give him seven scores on the year.
Sacramento State finished with a 16-9 advantage in shots, putting six on frame to four for Fullerton, while the Hornets attempted a match-high eight corners to five for the Titans.
Senior goalkeeper
Lucas Bost made five saves on the day while Giles attempted a match-high six shot attempts.
