Riverside, Calif. - With just seconds remaining in regulation, and the match tied 1-1, Mingyu Wee scored his second goal of the match, to give La Sierra the 2-1 win. With the win, the Golden Eagles improved to 3-0 in Cal Pac play (4-2 overall). They also pushed their winning streak to four matches in a row.
It was the Bobcats who jumped out to an early 1-0 lead, in the opening minutes of the match, when Artemio Contreras scored an unassisted goal in the 3rd minute. Merced held the one goal advantage through the remainder of the first half and the majority of the second half.
Wee tied the score with a goal in the 73rd minute on an assist by Yungbae Kweon. It was Wee's fifth goal of the season and Kweon's second assist on the year, both leading their team in the two respective categories.
But Wee wasn't done yet, his game-tying goal set up the dramatics that followed. With the final seconds of the match being counted down over the public address system, freshmen Sergio Redondo connected with Wee for his sixth goal and his third game-winning goal over the last three matches.
While La Sierra held a clear advantage in total shots (23-10), the two teams finished relatively even in shots on goal. The Golden Eagles finished with slight advantage with eight shots on goal to Merced's seven shots on goal.
It was the Cal Pac opener for the Bobcats who fell to 4-2-1 on the season. Merced was coming into today's match with La Sierra with momentum coming from a 2-1 overtime win over Biola University. But the Golden Eagles defense, including goalkeeper, Robert Rodriquez (6 saves) did enough to keep La Sierra close and allow Wee to work his magic in the final minutes.
Just this week alone, the Golden Eagles finished a perfect 3-0. Through those three matches, Wee scored a total of five goals (three game-winning goals as previously mentioned).
The Golden Eagles squad will look to keep their focus, carry the momentum and continue to look to improve their game. After three straight home matches, the team will head up north for two conference matches. On Wednesday, the Golden Eagles will face Pacific Union College, at 4pm. They will close the trip out with a Friday afternoon match at California State University – Maritime.
