The San Diego State women’s soccer team will be coming home empty-handed after a heartbreaking loss to Colorado State [in penalty kicks] in the Mountain West Championship semifinal at the Louis S. Madrid Sports Complex.
The match was played on neutral ground in Laramie, Wyoming. However, Colorado State (12-5-4, 6-3-2 Mountain West Conference) played as if they were at home, a reversal of the regular season meeting when SDSU won 3-2. The Aztecs (14-3-3, 9-1-1) spent much of the match defending and fighting for possession in the midfield.
The first half ended with lopsided statistics in favor of the Rams, as they registered seven shots and six corners while the Aztecs had zero shots and three corners. However, the Aztecs’ defense was on full display, as they were able to disperse all the Rams’ offense and held the score to 0-0 at halftime.
The Rams were still in control of the midfield early in the second half. The Aztecs didn’t get their first shot until the 60th minute. As the match progressed, they gained more possession and rhythm.
It was a tug of war for the last 15 minutes as both teams had their chances at getting on the scoreboard. But even with their effort, neither team can get one through the goalkeepers.
With a score of 0-0 in regulation, the teams played two 10-minute halves of extra time.
The roles of the teams swapped in extra time. SDSU came out in attacking mode, being aggressive offensively and defensively. They outshot the Rams 4-2 in extra time. Still, it was a 0-0 tie by the end of extra time, so the match resorted to penalty kicks.
Midfielder Kiera Utush and forward Kali Trevithick scored the two out of five from the penalty spots for the Aztecs, while the Rams scored three of four.
Despite existing early in the semifinal, there is still a lot to cheer for this season for the Aztecs. Their season record of 14-3-3 was the best-winning record since the 2015 season as they captured the seventh Mountain West regular season title.
Individually, midfielder Denise Castro was named the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year. Five players – Utush, Castro, goalkeeper Alexa Madueno, and midfielders Alexys Ocampo and Olivia Sekimoto were named First-Team All-Mountain West. Forward Emma Gaines-Ramos and defender Grace Goins were named Second-Team All-Mountain West.
Colorado State will face Utah State for the Mountain West Championship on Saturday, Nov. 4 at 11 a.m. The NCAA Women’s Soccer Championship bracket will be announced on Monday, Nov. 6.
Winning the Mountain West Championship tournament would have been the icing on the cake. The team’s 14 wins this season are the eighth-most in program history, while winning their first Mountain West regular season title since 2019. They will be remembered as champions regardless.