NORTHRIDGE, Calif. – Cal State Fullerton defeated CSUN on the road Wednesday night by a final score of 3-0 to stay top of the Big West table and clinch a berth in The Big West Tournament. The Titans are now 8-4-5 on the year and 5-1-1 in conference play with 16 points.
With the win head coach George Kuntz records his 100th victory while at the helm of Titans soccer.
The Titans dominated the first half, scoring two goals in the first 45 minutes to take a 2-0 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Ulises Grado put the Titans on the board in the 25th minute of play for his third goal of the season. Grado made a great hesitation move to throw off the defender before finding a lane to shoot through.
Fullerton took a 2-0 advantage in the 33rd minute after Avery Huggins scored from a deflected ball off a Titans corner kick. Huggins was in a perfect spot to clean up the loose ball inside the six-yard box for his first collegiate goal.
The match turned chaotic late in the first half as a CSUN player was sent off with a red card, followed by the CSUN head coach being sent off for arguing the call and being shown two yellow cards.
The card giveaway continued in the second half as Mario Carlos was shown a red card in the 52nd minute, leaving both sides with 10 men for the remainder of the game.
Fullerton was unfazed as it continued to play with the same intensity and focus on both ends of the field.
The Titans all but sealed the game in the 61st minute as Grado scored the brace to extend the lead to 3-0. Grado now has three goals in the last four matches.
Jose de la Torre controlled a 50/50 ball at midfield and found Grado for the breakaway goal. De la Torre has a tied for team-high 14 points on four goals and six assists.
Fullerton recorded its second shutout in Big West play and first since Oct. 8 at Cal Poly. Asger Hemmer recorded five saves in the win and his second shutout of the year.
The Titans are back at home Saturday night for their final regular season home game and senior night. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
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