As time was winding down, Troy Bratten (Gresham, Ore.) controlled the ball on the right side of the field and sent a crossing pass into the middle. De la Cruz gathered the ball, made a couple of moves to avoid the Sacramento State defense, and sent a shot past Hornet goalie Cesar Castillo into the lower left corner of the net to give the Redhawks their first conference victory of the season.
The other story of the match was the play of freshman goalkeeper Jake Feener (Rocklin, Calif.), who picked up his second shutout in as many matches and earned his first collegiate victory. Among his five saves was a flying tip over the crossbar off the foot of Chris Bettencourt in the 60th minute as well as another stop on a shot from Kasey Cox in the 70th minute during a flurry in front of the goal mouth.
"I am really proud of the guys today. The defense was strong, as we were able to earn our second shutout in a row. Sacramento State is a very good team, and they challenged us throughout the match. But we kept our heads on straight, and we found a way to win it at the end," head coach Brad Agoos said.
Seattle University controlled the play in the first half, outshooting Sacramento State 7-5 in the first 45 minutes. The Sacramento State defense was strong in front of Castillo, blocking six of the seven shots to prevent them from threatening the goal.
Sacramento State (5-3-3, 0-1-2 MPSF) picked up the offensive pressure in the second half, earning 11 total shots while holding the Redhawks to six shots after halftime. The Hornets also had six corner kick opportunities in the second half, but could only manage one header that went wide of the net on those chances, keeping Seattle U into the match to set up the final rally.
Ed Walugembe (Kampala, Uganda) led Seattle U with four shots, including a bicycle kick in the 88th minute that sailed just above the crossbar. Fernando Cabadas led Sacramento State with five total shots, and Castillo was credited with one save for the Hornets.
Seattle University (3-5-3, 1-1-1 MPSF) begins a four-match road swing with a rematch against the Hornets in Sacramento, Calif., Friday, Oct. 15, beginning at 4 p.m. After road contests at San Jose State (Oct. 17), New Mexico (Oct. 22), and UNLV (Oct. 24), the Redhawks will return to Championship Field for the final two home matches of the season against Air Force (Oct. 29, 2:30 p.m.) and Denver (Oct. 31, 1:30 p.m.).