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SEASIDE, Calif. - For the second consecutive match in the 2025 CCAA Men's Soccer Tournament presented by FloCollege, Cal State San Marcos overcame a second-half deficit to advance to the next round.
In the semifinals against the No. 1 seed, Cal State Dominguez Hills, the No. 5-seeded Cougars overcame two deficits to force overtime, where
Efren Nunez Dominguez delivered the game-winner in the 95th minute to lift CSUSM to a 3-2 win.
Cal State Dominguez Hills controlled the match early, and
Ramiro Rosas gave the Toros the lead in the seventh minute on his second goal of the year. CSUSM would have to withstand multiple attacks on goal over the next 20 minutes to keep the match at a one-goal deficit.
Cougars' goalkeeper
Tony Reyes made multiple diving saves in the sequence to keep the Toros out of the net, and this brought some momentum back to the Cougars' sideline.
Andrew Valencia delivered the equalizer in the 31st minute. CSUSM had a corner kick where
Brando Oros' header hit the crossbar and went down right in front of the goal line. Valencia was on the spot and headed the ball in to tie the match at 1-1.
Cal State Dominguez Hills took the lead back 10 minutes into the second half when
Lucas Galarza found
Aldair Marta open for his first goal of the season.
Cisco Avila would come through with the second equalizer of the match for CSUSM in the 74th minute when he got free behind the defense and headed in a pass from
Efren Nunez Dominguez.
The match would remain tied at 2-2 the rest of regulation and halfway through the first overtime when Nunez Dominguez would get a goal of his CCAA-leading 10th goal of the season off an assist from Avila to lift Cal State San Marcos to the win.
This is only the third CCAA Tournament win in CSUSM program history, two of which have come in 2025.
The Cougars will advance to the CCAA Men's Soccer Tournament finals to face the No. 2 seed Stanislaus State on Sunday, Nov. 16, at 11:30 a.m.