No warm-up needed- the opening minutes were pure adrenaline, with both teams going full throttle
San Diego State men’s soccer played Santa Clara in a tough match that ended in a 2-0 loss on Friday, Sept. 5, at the SDSU Sports Deck. The Aztecs (2-3-0) held an advantage in shots, shots on goal and corner kicks, but couldn’t find the back of the net.
The Aztecs opened with energy, applying pressure and connecting well offensively, using give-and-goes and passing sequences to create dangerous formations. Their early effort produced two attempts from defender Christian Engmann, but neither found the target.
The Broncos struck first in the 20th minute when Diego Diaz’s shot was blocked by a quick reflex kick save from senior goalkeeper Eddy Vargas, only to bounce directly to Niv Berkovitz, who slotted home the rebound.
“Go back, watch film, look internally—each and every one of us—and see how we can better support the group on the field,” Vargas said after the match.
Coming out of halftime, the Aztecs carried momentum and created several of their best chances. In the 51st minute, a cross into a crowded box landed at the feet of junior defender Lorenzo Hernandez just six feet from goal, but the Broncos’ keeper came up with the save. Four minutes later, Hernandez fired again, but was denied once more.
Santa Clara doubled its lead in the 57th minute when Berkovitz found the net for his second goal of the night. The Aztecs nearly responded in the 71st minute when sophomore midfielder Tristan Viviani appeared to score the equalizer, but the goal was waved off for contact with the keeper. Berkovitz then secured the victory with his second tally in the 82nd minute.
SDSU pushed hard in the closing stages, finishing with a 13-8 shot advantage and dominating time of possession, but they could not break through.
Head coach Ryan Hopkins said the result reflected an ongoing struggle to put together a complete performance.
“This group has not been able to put a complete performance in,” Hopkins said. “Some phases on some nights have been good, some phases have not. I think this group just has to figure out how to put those phases together in order to work it out.”
The loss marked just the third time in Hopkins’ six seasons that the Aztecs have dropped a non-conference match at the SDSU Sports Deck (18-3-0).
San Diego State looks to bounce back when they travel to face UC Riverside on Sept. 8.
