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Nov. 1, 2009

Box Score

SPOKANE, Wash. - Three Gonzaga University players scored their first career goals, the keeper had an assist and a couple of veterans even got into the fun as the Bulldogs scored five second-half goals and blanked Saint Mary's College 5-0 Sunday in a West Coast Conference men's soccer match at sunny Gonzaga Soccer Field.

The Bulldogs (6-7-3; 3-5-1) snapped a two-match losing streak to the Gaels (10-3-3; 6-2-1) that included a 2-0 setback in Moraga, Calif., to open this year's WCC schedule. The loss kept the Gaels from moving into first place in the WCC ahead of idle University of San Diego. The Toreros (7-1-0) sit atop the standings with 21 points while SMC is second with 19 points. The Zags jumped ahead of Loyola Marymount University and into fourth place with 10 points, LMU losing 3-1 at the University of San Francisco Sunday to hold at 7 points. The University of Portland is third with 12 points after playing to a 1-1 home tie with Santa Clara University.

Gonzaga, coming off a disappointing 1-0 setback to SCU Friday when a turnover in overtime in front of the net resulted in the match-winning goal, was facing the surprise team of the 2009 WCC season and one that entered Sunday's match off an important 1-0 win at Portland on Friday.

But the Bulldogs didn't let the disappointment of Friday carry over into Sunday.

The Gaels carried the territorial edge through the first 10 minutes, getting three of their seven first-half shots in the first 8:48 but none challenging Gonzaga keeper Scott Barnum, who picked up his fourth shutout of the season and sixth in his GU career. Barnum's lone save of the match came in the final minute of the first half when he made a chest-high save on a shot from the top of the 18.

In contrast, the Bulldogs had a couple of solid scoring chances. The first came in the 24th minute when Nick Love's shot from the top of the six off a corner kick was blocked by the defense, and the second came in the 36th minute when Philippe Garre dribbled down the left wing and drilled a shot that SMC keeper Doug Herrick made a hand save on and deflected the ball past the left post.

Freshman Stefan Eysteinsson was pulled down in the box at 56:32 and senior defender Nick Barclay drilled the penalty kick high to the right side for his second goal of the season and the only one the Bulldogs would need. Gonzaga is a perfect 2-for-2 in penalty kicks this season.

With the Gonzaga defense thwarting the Gaels and the Bulldogs showing good ball control and movement, a six-minute stretch mid-way through the half all but put the match away.

Eysteinsson, who hails from Neskaupstadur, Iceland, got his first goal in a Bulldog uniform when he took Tye Perdido's rebound deep on the right baseline and found the left side of the net on a nearly impossible angle at 71:46. Perdido just missed the goal when Herrick made a diving fingertip save to his left on the initial shot, but the ball went to Eysteinsson who took the right-to-left kick for the goal.

Less than six minutes later Spokane freshman James Matern, who returned to action Friday after being out of the lineup nearly two weeks with an illness, scored a pretty goal at 77:21. Eysteinsson started the play deep on the right wing, fed a pass to Garre who found Matern from 10 yards straightaway for the uncontested shot into the upper right side.

Another freshman, Anchorage, Alaska, product Colin Flynn collected his first goal at 83:04, taking a right-to-left cross from Garre and found himself wide open at the top of the six for the point blank shot and score.

Perdido, who took 17 shots in the two weekend matches, finally found the net at 88:54. Barnum started the play with a long clearing kick that Perdido took and banged the initial shot off the left post. But the rebound came to Perdido who made no mistake about the second shot for the easy goal on the wide-open net. Barnum got the assist, his first in six years since his days in U-17 action.

"We possessed the ball better today, and the defense did an excellent job of denying them and clearing the ball," head coach Einar Thorarinsson said. "I thought Matern showed he is back today, doing a good job of controlling the ball. Stefan also is starting to get more involved in the play and set up the penalty kick. Tye had a goal and an assist and Philippe came off the bench and set up a couple of goals."

Thorarinsson was impressed with the second-half outburst.

"I thought we controlled play for most of the first half. You could tell Saint Mary's was playing with confidence and they had a big road win Friday. But I think our team always comes out ready regardless of what happened in the last match," Thorarinsson said. "I wasn't worried about a letdown from Friday. We did a good job of coming out ready for the second half."

Gonzaga outshot the Gaels 21-7 and SMC didn't have a shot the second half.

The five goals are the most for the Bulldogs since a 5-1 victory over Montana State University-Billings in 2004, and the most against a NCAA Division I opponent since a 5-3 win over Air Force to open the 2003 season at the Parents Weekend Invite hosted by the Falcons. Gonzaga had downed the University of Detroit Mercy 4-0 earlier this year, one of five 4-goal matches since the win over Air Force.

Barnum, who already ranked fourth in career shutouts, moved into a tie for fifth with current Gonzaga assistant Vito Higgins (2006) and Mike McCarthy (2000) on the single-season shutout list with four. Higgins also holds the fourth spot with six.

Perdido's team-leading sixth goal of the season gives him 21 career tallies. He already ranked fifth in career goals heading into the match. His 12th career assist moved him into a tie for eighth with Jeff McAllister (1994-97) on the all-time list, and his three-point afternoon give him 54 career points to move him into fifth ahead of current Gonzaga assistant coach Mike Thompson who had 52 from 1996-99.

Gonzaga makes its final road trip of the regular season next weekend with a Friday match at LMU and a Sunday contest at San Diego. The Bulldogs end the regular season at home Friday the 13th against USF at 1 p.m.