August days in San Diego tend to be scorching. Combine the blistering heat with 90 minutes of running and that creates a recipe for fatigue and sloppy play.
On a day in which the temperature reached 94 degrees, the San Diego State men’s soccer team overcame a less-than-stellar second half and captured a 2-1 victory in its season opener against Canisius at the SDSU Sports Deck.
Led by sophomore forward Miles Byass and redshirt sophomore Jordan Ongaro, who each had a goal and assist, SDSU (1-0) was able to win its season opener for the first time since 2006.
Canisius (0-2) grabbed the early 1-0 lead in the 20th minute on a counterattack when defender Will Hudson collected a through pass from Sam Zarka and put the ball in the back of the net.
The Aztecs were able to answer back in the 37th minute when Ongaro settled Byass’ corner kick, turned and scored from 13 yards out.
Minutes later, SDSU took the lead on a 25-yard strike from Byass that deflected off the hands of the Canisius goalkeeper and into the lower-left corner of the net. Ongaro and sophomore Sean Zaher were both credited with assists on the game-clinching goal.
“When I took a touch, I saw the defender was a few yards off of me,” Byass said. “I thought it was worth a try, so I took a shot. Luckily, it dipped and took a weird bounce, and went in.”
The Aztecs, who were without head coach Lev Kirshner following a suspension stemming from a red card received in the final game of last season, outshot Canisius 20-9, including a 9-4 advantage on net. SDSU also had more corner kicks, leading that category 10-6.
Despite controlling possession and setting the pace from the opening kickoff, the Aztecs know they must continue to improve day in and day out.
“It’s always nice to get that win to open the season, but we know we can play a lot better than we did today,” senior co-captain Daniel Steres said. “We just need to make sure we keep the pace up all game long. But a win’s a win.”
The next home game will be at 1:30 p.m on Friday at the SDSU Sports Deck against Long Island, followed by its annual alumni game at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
