bootwright iso upj
Tim Cotter
Freshman Russell Bootwright scored his second career goal against UPJ.

Men's Soccer Matthew Kifer, Sports Information Director

Men's Soccer holds off UPJ, 4-2

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CALIFORNIA (Sept. 21) – The California University of Pennsylvania men's soccer team used four goals from four different players on Tuesday afternoon to claim a 4-2 non-conference win against Pitt-Johnstown at Roadman Park.

With the victory, the Vulcans improve to 3-1-1 overall and remain undefeated at home this year at 2-0-1. Meanwhile, the Mountain Cats drop to 3-3 this year after winning a pair of games last week.

After 40-plus minutes of scoreless play, Cal U took a 1-0 lead in the 43rd minute when sophomore Ryan Grindle (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) scored off an assists from classmate Nemanja Visekruna (Hamilton, Ontario/St. Thomas More) and freshman Russell Bootwright (Richmond, Va./Mills E. Godwin). A little over a minute later, Bootwright registered his second goal of the year with a feed from fellow freshman Gaby Deller-Borgono (Toronto, Ontario/Oakwood C.I.) to give the Vulcans a 2-0 advantage. In the closing seconds of the first period, Pitt-Johnstown cut the deficit in half when sophomore Derik Swope tallied his third goal of the season at the 49:54-mark.

In the second half, junior Brady Sanders (Level Green, Pa./Penn-Trafford) made it a 3-1 contest in the 60th minute after scoring off a pass from Deller-Borgono, his second assist of the day. The Mountain Cats again cut into the lead in the 84th minute before junior Ervin Gosto (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shaler) recorded his first career goal at the 88:38-mark off a rebound shot from freshman James DelGreco (Pittsburgh, Pa./Seton LaSalle) and pass from sophomore Chris Moehler (Centreville, Va./Paul VI Catholic).

Behind 13 second-half shots, the Vulcans finished with a 19-6 advantage in shots while each team took three corner kicks.

Senior goalkeeper Derek Yobbi (South Park, Pa./South Park) earned his third win of the season despite not recording a save in 90 minutes of action. UPJ's Michael Cuccaro made eight saves in his first start of the year.

Cal U returns to conference play with a two-game road trip this weekend, beginning on Friday, Sept. 24, when it faces defending-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) champion Slippery Rock at 4 p.m. Live stats for the game will be available by clicking here.

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