By Kyle Trembley

Photos by Aaron Jaffe–http://www.jafferino.com/

The men’s soccer team took a big step defensively on Wednesday night, holding #22 The Master’s College to a 0-0 draw in double overtime.

But they sure could have used Brandon Zuniga.

Last year’s team MVP and star forward ran out of eligibility after the 2009 season, and Ron Pulvers knows it won’t be easy to replace him. “Players like him really come around once in awhile,” the Head Coach told The Pride. “We’ll miss him.”

The young Cougars (2-2-1) sorely missed his presence at Mangrum Field on Wednesday, failing to mount any offensive momentum and managing just two shots on goal. After a late foul in overtime, Cougar Captain Bradley Seidenglanz had the game’s best chance on the ensuing free kick, but sent it sailing inches over the crossbar.

Andrew Bussell made two key saves for CSUSM. Master’s Defender Brian Gardner nearly put the game away in overtime, but his long attempt from the left side bounced harmlessly off the right post.

The Master’s College began the season ranked second in the NAIA, but fell to #22 after going 0-1-1 in their first two games.

Coach Pulvers enjoyed the performance of his young defense. “At the spine of our team, we play freshman, sophomore, freshman, sophomore,” he said after the game. “[The Team’s] work ethic …has been awesome all season long. We’ve just showed some real inexperience in the games we’ve lost. Today, they showed a lot of maturity in being able to close the defending national runner-up to a draw.”