BY KYLE TREMBLEY

CSUSM Men’s Soccer came within inches of its 2010 season coming to an end on Tuesday, but the resilient Cougars battled back, defeating Thomas University (GA) 3-2 in overtime to advance to the A.I.I. Tournament Semifinals.
Fifth-seeded CSUSM improves to 12-3-2 on the season. Fourth-seeded Thomas’s season ends with a 9-6-3 record.
Whether it was the long bus ride to Arizona or the team’s general youth and inexperience, CSUSM did not come out playing their best soccer on Tuesday. The Cougars conceded a goal in the second minute, getting into an early 1-0 hole.
CSUSM would equalize about halfway through the first half, as Jake Kaiser corner found Erik Mueller, who converted the opportunity to make it 1-1.
The Cougars would take their first lead in the second half, thanks to one of Alex Rodriguez’s trademark throw-ins. He’s created numerous dangerous chances throughout the season with his long throw-ins from deep in opponents’ territory, and struck again, as his throw-in was inadvertently headed into the net by a Thomas player.
That 2-1 score held for most of the second half, but Thomas equalized with seven minutes left to play, sending the contest into overtime.
A minute and a half into overtime, a Thomas player found himself alone in the box with a near sure-thing chance to end the Cougars’ season. However, he drove his shot into the bottom of the crossbar, and it bounced on the goal line before being cleared off.
Finally, CSUSM captain Bradley Seidenglanz would take matters into his own hands and end the game. In the 107th minute, Seidenglanz received the ball on the right side of the box, dribbled across the top of the box, and drove a left-footed shot past the very strong Thomas goalkeeper and into the back of the net, giving Coach Ron Pulvers’ squad the 3-2 win and advancing them to the semifinals.
“We were not the better team today, but our guys willed their way to win,” noted Pulvers following the match.