Two games played, two games won.
The San Diego State Women’s Soccer team has started their 2022 season in perfect form.
The Aztecs opened their season in Lincoln, Nebraska with a matchup against the University of Nebraska Huskers on Aug. 18. The game was full of surprises as the Aztecs left the result hanging in the balance until the very last minute.
Sophomore Denise Castro scored about halfway through the first half to give the Aztecs the lead. Nebraska then tied up the game in the 73rd minute. As the match neared towards the final whistle, it looked as if both teams were going to come out with a tie, but with less than 30 seconds left, senior Lauren Dicus floated a cross into Castro who towered over her defender and headed the ball into the back of the net to win the match.
After Castro’s heroic two-goal performance, the Aztecs returned to San Diego for their second game of the season, a home opener against the University of Idaho Vandals on Aug. 21.
The stands at the SDSU Sports Deck were packed out as the Aztecs stepped onto their freshly resurfaced field for the first time this season. Adding to the already special occasion, the Aztecs put on a spectacle for the home crowd to marvel at.
For the first time since 2008, the Aztecs managed to put up seven goals in a single match as they destroyed the Vandals 7-2.
Despite the final scoreline, it was the Vandals who opened the match firing as they took a 1-0 lead 11 minutes in. But in between the 23rd and 45th minute, the Aztecs ran rampant and took a 5-2 lead going into halftime.
“We mentally did a really good job of giving up a goal and then responding permanently. I was really proud of the way they responded to that adversity,” Head Coach Mike Friesen said. “It seemed like we needed to get our legs underneath us after traveling to Nebraska but once we got there I thought we were very good.”
Dicus was the first Aztec to get on the scoresheet when she equalized the match in the 23rd minute. Four minutes later, junior Olivia Sekimoto scored her first-ever Aztec goal and gave the team a 2-1 lead just minutes after being substituted onto the match.
Castro was next on the scoresheet, getting her third goal of the season in two matches played.
Junior Emma Gaines-Ramos added two more goals in the last four minutes of the half. First, she earned a penalty and calmly slotted it into the bottom left corner of the goal. A few moments later she latched onto the end of a pass from senior Keira Utush and slotted the ball into the other side of the goal, putting the Aztecs up 5-2 at half time. Gaines-Ramos finished the game with two goals and an assist.
Following the match, Gaines-Ramos was sure to credit her team for being a key motivating factor during her stellar performance.
“We all back each other up,” Gaines-Ramos said. “I feel like when I go, everybody goes and when I have energy everybody has energy. We all work together as a team and that’s what motivates me the most.”
The second half was more of the same for the Aztecs.
Freshman Logan Nidy managed to open up her scoring account for the Aztecs, and then senior Rachelle Elve sealed the deal becoming the Aztecs’ sixth goal-scorer on the night.
A total of six different goal scorers and five different players picking up assists capitalized a special night for the Aztecs in front of their home crowd.
“It was fun,” Utush said. “It was a fun environment. Just coming out there and showing that this is our home field and proving that we can win.
“Especially for our first game back in the 2022 season,” Gaines-Ramos said. “It felt great to produce a lot for our fans and hear our fans cheering, it was a special one.”
“And more to come,” Utush added.
Aztec fans left the SDSU Sports Deck with the hope that there will be more games like these to come as the Aztecs look to remain undefeated as they head out to Long Beach State University next for a matchup on Aug. 25.
The next time the Aztecs return home will be on Sept. 1 when cross-town rivals at the University of San Diego make the trip to the SDSU Sports Deck for a 7 p.m. matchup.
