Sept. 30, 2007

Box Score

FULLERTON, CA - Cal State Fullerton senior Lauren Cram netted the eventual game-winning goal in the 78th minute to help lift the visiting Titans to a 3-2 victory over host Fresno State on Sunday afternoon in front of 775 fans at Bulldog Stadium in Fresno, Calif.

The win was Fullerton's third-straight and the sixth in the last seven matches as the Titans improved to 6-3-1 overall on the year. The Bulldogs fell to 4-5 overall on the season.

For the second consecutive match, Fullerton poured on the offense, unleashing 22 shots against the Fresno State defense - marking the second straight match with 20-or-more shots for the Titans.

However, it was the Bulldogs who got on the board first as Amanda Reyes took a cross from Ali Sill in the sixth minute and punched it home from right in front of the goal for her third tally of the year and the 1-0 advantage.

With a 13-9 advantage in shots in the opening period, Fullerton rallied for the equalizer in the 40th minute as freshman Christina Murillo scored for the second straight match, following a shot by Candice Byler for her second score of the season.

The score remained that way until the third minute of the second half when Jenae Gibbens put the Titans ahead for good. A corner kick by Geminesse Martinez found the head of Gibbens in the box, who put it away for her third goal of the year and the 2-1 lead.

It was the third goal of the year for Gibbens, but her first since a 2-1 loss to top-ranked Portland on Sept. 7.

Cram, who finished with a match-high five shots on the day, then added an important insurance goal in the 79th minute as she followed a missed attempt for her team-best fifth goal of the season and a 3-1 advantage.

Fresno State made it interesting in the 86th minute as the Bulldogs drew to within a goal on a strike by Nicole Guttierrez, who dribbled past her defender and unleashed a shot from 25 yards out to make it 3-2.

However, that would be as close as the Bulldogs would come as the Fullerton defense held FSU without a shot for the final four minutes to secure the win.

The Titans outshot the Bulldogs, 22-11, for the match and had seven corner kicks to three for FSU.

Cal State Fullerton closes out its five-match road swing with a pair of Big West Conference games next weekend. The Titans travel to UC Santa Barbara for a Friday night (Oct. 5) battle with the Gauchos at 7 p.m. before heading to Cal Poly on Sunday (Oct. 7) for a 1 p.m. kickoff.