Aug. 19, 2007
Contact: Elaina Matsko
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Sophomore Bryan Henson and freshman Jordan Zapotechne scored second half goals, the last coming on a penalty kick with 9:56 remaining as Cleveland State outlasted Bowling Green, 2-1 in a exhibition soccer match on Sunday afternoon at Krenzler Field.
"It was a good game for evaluation," said head coach Ali Kazemaini. "It was important to get game experience and walk away with no injuries, and it's always nice to get a win."
Playing in a steady rain that eventually waterlogged the Krenzler Field FieldTurf, both teams battled through the first 45 minutes with few offensive opportunities.
Played picked up midway through the second half with the Vikings opening the scoring in the 73rd minute when Henson scored from 10 yards out. The play started out front when Roshard Gilbert lofted a pass down the left side to freshman Jeff Baker, who made a move past a Falcon defender toward goal before stopping to pass the ball to Henson, who was open 10 yards out and even with the back post.
The lead didn't stand for long as Bowling Green evened the match at the 78:21 mark when Ryan Perea broke free on the right side of the box and found an open Jacob Lawrence for an easy marker from five yards out on the left side.
With the match appeared headed to overtime, the Vikings caught a break on a corner kick when a Bowling Green defender was called for holding within the box, giving Zapotechne, who transferred to CSU after attending Akron last year, a penalty kick. Zapotechne did not waste the opportunity, blasting the penalty shot into the right corner of the net to give CSU the game-winner.
The match was tight throughout with the majority of the play concentrated at midfield. Bowling Green held a 13-6 edge in shots with the Viking duo of Dan Duric (1 save) and Nick Harpel (5 saves) teaming up for the shutout.
The Vikings will play an Aug. 26 exhibition match at Akron before opening the regular season against St. Bonaventure on Friday, August 31 at 7:00 p.m.
