The San Diego State women’s soccer team spent all night rallying neck and neck with Pepperdine in order to keep their unbeaten streak alive, earning a 1-1 draw on Thursday night at the SDSU Sports Deck.
With less than a minute remaining, forward Dori Savage found her way through the crowded box to drive home the tying goal off a pass from midfielder Alexys Ocampo.
“We were just trying to keep up what we were doing — just keep fighting, digging in and being willing to keep pushing and get a goal,” Savage said.
It was the second straight game with a goal for Savage, and her third goal so far this season to lead the Aztecs (2-0-1).
“To see (Savage) get rewarded with goals last weekend…the goal tonight, what a fantastic finish,” said SDSU head coach Mike Friesen. “And (Ocampo), the same thing. Just the grit and resilience those kids have shown in terms of their personal battle to put themselves in this position — I can’t say enough about them.”
Both teams exchanged a variety of back-and-forth chances, which kept the tempo high and promoted an aggressive environment. The Waves (0-0-3) outshot the Aztecs 20-16, including a 10-7 advantage in shots on goal.
Goalkeeper Alexa Madueno made a spectacular save in the 25th minute, leaping to tip a Pepperdine shot off the goalpost to set the tone. She finished with nine saves in the match, with another key diving stop in the first half, plus one more in the second.
“I think we just stayed composed, played our game and stuck to the game plan,” Madueno said.
After a scoreless first half, Pepperdine scored in the 60th minute when forward Julia Quinozez was successful in her strike attempt from the top far corner of the box. The shot hit the top corner of the net to the opposite side.
On the following kickoff, SDSU raised the game’s intensity by immediately creating a chance for forward Emma Gaines-Ramos, who narrowly missed to the right. The chance sparked the team, who created most of the chances the rest of the game and outshot the Waves 13-9 in the second half.
It was the second straight game the Aztecs had to rally after beating UTEP 2-1 on Sunday, Aug. 20. It was also the first time that SDSU has earned a point against Pepperdine since 2012, and the first draw in the 13 games between the programs all time.
“It shows how down our team is for each other,” Savage said. “Our chemistry has been really good and we’ve been focusing on just working hard and not giving up, just being willing to do it and put everything out on the field.”
The Aztecs will play Long Beach State on Sunday, Aug. 27 at 7 p.m. at the Sports Deck to finish the four-game home game stretch.
