The rain came down in buckets, but the goals have dried up for Gator men's soccer.

The Gators tied the Cal Poly Pomona Broncos 0-0 in a non-overtime conference game at Cox Stadium Friday — a score that won't help them as they chase the Broncos for a California Collegiate Athletic Association playoff berth.

To their credit, the Gators worked hard under near-impossible weather conditions. But as both teams struggled to stay upright, it became less a game of soccer than a slapstick comedy routine.

"I've never seen a game like this, in the pouring, pouring rain where you could barely string a pass together," Gator assistant coach Kelley Coffey said. "I've never been a part of something like this."

The storm turned most the field into a lake, and what grass remained became a syrup-like sludge, causing the ball to stick and bounce awkwardly.

This made for some wild, unpredictable tackling, and reduced the game's final minute into a mud-wrestling scrum as tempers flared. Both teams finished with a player ejected.

"It was emotional at the end because it was such a big game," Coffey said. "There were some fouls that maybe wouldn't have been otherwise because of the wetness, and that kind of escalated. In a tight game like this, at 0-0 in the final minute, it's going to get touchy."

But somehow, someway, some soccer was played.

The visiting Broncos created pressure early, with Tyler Reinhart twice shooting wide before forcing a save from Gator 'keeper Israel Cisneros. Overall the Broncos out-shot the Gators 11-8.

The Gators had their fun, too. Shawn Granger's shot from distance was tipped over by visiting 'keeper Brian Catalano, and Granger was in a good scoring position minutes later but a giant puddle squelched the move.

The waterlogged surface likely contributed Gator Luke Terry's ejection in the 29th minute — just moments after coming on.

Terry came gliding in on a wave down the flank, his cleats raised dangerously as he made contact with the Bronco player. Referee Ab Brody didn't hesitate to eject the Gator.

Controversially, Brody ended the game after the regulation 90 minutes with the game tied because of the soaked surface. Usually, two periods of overtime would be played to decide the winner.

According to Tarek Khan, a former professional referee assessing today's game officials, unless there is lightning or poor light, there really is no precedent for ending a game for bad weather.

"This is borderline," Khan said of the playing surface. "Less than half of the field has to be unplayable, but it's not written down. It's up to the referee."

Bizarrely, Brody had first ended the game with 20 minutes remaining, but then resumed play after both teams protested.

"Technically it was in his rights to stop the game, but we made a deal that if we went to ninety minutes that we be enough," Coffey said. "We [the SF State and Cal Poly Pomona coaches] wanted to finish because it was a big match and we both needed the points."

Team captain Matt Pedersen said the tie was a fair result.

"[The Broncos] are still four points ahead so nothing's changed," he said. "It's unfortunate we couldn't play overtime, but it's probably best for the field and the safety of the players."

But the decision — and the condition of SF State's playing surface at Cox Stadium —left senior Benno Nagel frustrated.

"We needed to win this, as [the Broncos] are four points ahead of us, and now we have to settle for a tie because of the quality of the field," he said. "It's just ridiculous. [The problem is] the type of grass they have. It's seasonal grass and during soccer season it's just no good."