"We give Bakersfield a lot of credit, they were very good today," said head coach Brad Agoos. "I am very proud of the guys. We had a lot less to play for to play, since we didn't qualify for the conference tournament. We played a very good team and the guys showed a lot of character. We will build on today's win heading into next season."
Bakersfield's offense took control of the ball immediately. Ten seconds into the contest Gyasi Zardes sent in a shot on frame, but senior goalkeeper Ivan Dizdar (Croatia) was able to get his gloves on it and make the save, which foreshadowed how the remainder of the game would play out.
In the first half, the Roadrunners outshot SU 8-2, with both sides seeing a pair of shots on target. CSUB also had four corner kicks in the first period, but the Redhawk backline showed a lot of composure despite Bakersfield controlling the ball outside their goal for much of the half.
Things did not change following the defensive dominated opening period. The Roadrunners became even more offensively charged in the second half, but SU continued to play strong defense. Bakersfield worked to put the Redhawks on their heels, but the Seattle U backline read the CSUB offensive plays on point. Dizdar continued to make key saves to prevent the Roadrunners from getting on the board. SU was outshot 11-2 in the final half of regulation, but their solid backline sent the game into extra minutes.
After 90 scoreless minutes, it was the fighting Redhawks who were successfully able to strike first. Kevin Cook (Gresham, Ore.) and Kosaka took on two Bakersfield players in a two-versus-two into the Roadrunner box. Cook sent in a pass to Kosaka, who shot in the game-winner into the lower left corner to cap off the Redhawk season.
CSUB outshot SU 19-5, with a 6-4 on goal advantage, in the game.
In the contest, Dizdar displayed his veteran experience in the match. He tallied six saves, including several clutch stops, and guided the Redhawks to his third shutout in goal and the team's sixth of the season.
"Ivan was definitely our player of the game. He made several great saves for us and was integral in helping us get the shutout," concluded Agoos.
Seattle U concludes the season with a 5-10-3 overall, 3-6-1 MPSF record.