MERCED, Calif. - Marcos Ceballos scored two goals and the University of California, Merced men's soccer team earned their fourth consecutive home shutout with a 3-0 win over Sierra Nevada College on Sunday afternoon.
The Bobcats (10-2-1, 5-1) outshot Sierra Nevada 35-4, 18-3 on goal and had an upper-hand in the corner kick category 11-2.
Overall, the shutout marks the seventh of the year for UC Merced. Five of the seven have been earned by Marco Sobrevilla and his latest shutout ties the program's single-season record set by David Hernandez in 2017. Sobrevilla made three saves in Sunday afternoon's win.
Ceballos' first goal came in the tenth minute. The sophomore, who scored multiple goals in two of the three games on the road trip, took two touches around his defender before using his left foot to score the eventual game-winning goal. Juan Flores earned his first assist of the year on the score.
Ceballos' goal was the Bobcats fourth shot on target, the first three were all saved by the Eagles keeper Kevin Knight. The Bobcats also had two corner kicks during the first ten minutes of action.
Agustin Guerrero had a solid attempt to double the Bobcats lead in the 13th minute as a result of a Flores corner kick but the header was saved by Knight. Knight added another save to his name 60 seconds later on a Rosas shot. Rosas' shot was the Bobcats ninth in the first 15 minutes and nine different Bobcats combined to pepper Sierra Nevada with 19 shots before the first half came to a close.
Sierra Nevada failed to get a shot off in the same 45 minutes.
The matches second goal was scored by M. Ceballos in the 48th minute, who gained possession roughly 35 yards out and weaved through three defenders before firing a shot from the top of the 18-yard box. Ceballos' shot beat the diving keeper to his left and marked his eighth goal in the past four games. The sophomores ten goals on the year make him the fourth player in program history to record double-figure goals in a season. Ceballos joins All-Americans Cody Golbad, Artemio Contreras and Marcus DeCouto.
Sierra Nevada responded to the 2-0 deficit with its best offensive stretch of the afternoon. The Eagles first shot was taken by Victor Herrera in the 52nd minute. The Eagles Zachary Compton and Lucas Dehmer also forced Sobrevilla into a pair of saves two minutes later. Compton's shot attempt resulted in Sobrevilla's most memorable save of the day as he had to dive to his left to keep the shutout alive.
Sobrevilla's save on Dehmar's shot 20 seconds later was the final save the sophomore was tasked with.
The Bobcats picked their offensive attack back up in the 57th minute with three shots in a three minute span and added three more shots and a corner kick in the 67th and 68th minute.
Still 2-0 in the 87th minute, Hugo Soto buried the dagger with a one-timer off a through ball from Miguel Coronado. Soto's goal to make it 3-0 marked his first shot of the season. The junior, now with ten career goals, missed the last eight games with an injury. Soto joins current Bobcats Juan Flores and Ricky Rosas on the program's top-10 all-time goals list.
Coronado's assist was his fifth of the season, 12th of his career. The senior making his 33rd consecutive start also had three shots, two on goal to his name on Sunday.
Andres Lua held match-high with six shots, three on goal.
Up next, UC Merced hosts La Sierra University at 1:30pm on Friday, October 13. The match on Bobcat Field is the first of two Homecoming soccer games head coach Albert Martins' squad will compete in.
