With less than 14 minutes remaining in regulation, Will Banchero (West Seattle, Wash.) sent a forward pass to VanHooser, who drove up the field before making a cross to Sean Morris (Bothell, Wash.). Morris beat his defender and sent a shot from close range past Roadrunner goalie Eric Shannon into the net for his third goal of the season.
Both teams took some time adjusting to the conditions, as the field was filled with moisture after it had rained over the past few days. With six and a half minutes left before halftime, Ed Walugembe (Renton, Wash.) rushed in on net and found Walsh making a run down the right side. Drawing goalie Shane Ascheri away from the net, Walugembe fed Walsh, who chipped the ball into the net for his third tally of the season.
Walsh's day on the field would soon come to an end, as he was one of three players to receive a red card within a span of 1:36. In the 40th minute, Kyle Peterman (Boise, Idaho) picked up a red card for a hard tackle on CSUB's Javier Barba, and when Walsh started talking to the referee about the call, he received a red card for abusive language. Oscar Coppieters made a similar tackle on Demaci Roussos (Sacramento, Calif.) in the 42nd minute and was sent off with a red card, bringing the Roadrunners' advantage down to one man for the rest of the match.
Almost six minutes into the second half, Walugembe earned another assist, this time finding Elliot Richards (Seattle, Wash.) making a run towards goal. Running past the Cal State Bakersfield defense, Richards found himself one-on-one with Shannon, who had come in to start the second half, and converted on a shot from ten yards out for his first goal of the season.
Cal State Bakersfield (8-7-2, 3-4 MPSF) started its comeback in the 58th minute as Evan Fassler, from Carnation, Wash., made his family and friends in attendance happy, taking a pass from Jesus Sanchez and sending a shot from the right side of the field into the left corner of the net for his sixth goal of the season.
Just over six minutes later, Seattle University was attempting to clear the ball away from its net, but it found Sanchez's foot. The freshman midfielder blasted a live drive into the net to tie the match at 2-2. Cal State Bakersfield had a golden chance to take the lead off a corner kick by Matt Shaxton in the 70th minute, but a header by Justin Finch hit the post and bounced away.
Making the first start of his collegiate career, Walker collected four saves in picking up the victory. Ascheri made one save during the first half for Cal State Bakersfield, while Shannon finished with six saves in the second half. Richards led all players with five shots, including four on goal, and Sanchez led the Roadrunners with four total shots, including two shots on goal.
The victory moved SeattleU, picked to finish sixth in the conference in the preseason coaches poll, into a tie for fourth place with Cal State Bakersfield. Before the match, Rogalsky, VanHooser, Walker, Walsh, and manager Sara Leady were honored by their coaches and teammates as well as assembled family members and alumni of the Seattle University men's soccer program.
Seattle University (4-11-1, 3-4 MPSF) will conclude the 2009 season with a trip south to face the University of Portland Thursday, Nov. 12, beginning at 7 p.m.