The Aztecs couldn’t find offensive momentum from kickoff, leading to challenges on the other side of the ball. The Beavers took advantage of the opportunity, outshooting the Aztecs 18-7 to hand them their fourth straight loss.
San Diego State men’s soccer(2-5) faced off against Oregon State(4-2) at the SDSU Sports Deck on Sep. 12. The Beavers came into the match looking for their first road win as they started the season with two straight losses on the road.
The Aztecs looked for their first win in three games after being shut out in two of their last three, in hopes of getting something rolling as non-league play slowly starts to wind down. The Aztecs applied pressure defensively throughout the entire match, but foul play and a lack of pressure offensively found themselves in another loss column once again.
The first 20 minutes of the match were lackluster offensively for the Aztecs and the Beavers. The Beavers held possession for the majority, but only managed to put up two shots in that time span. The rest of the first half showed the same story as the Beavers controlled the ball 61% of the time, putting eight shots up but not being able to score.
The Aztec defense, led by great saves by star sophomore defender Cianole Nguepissi, held strong despite their offensive struggles and foul play, totaling seven fouls in the half. The defensive masterclass for both sides continued until the end of the first half with the score knotted up at 0-0.
About five minutes out of halftime, All-American and reigning West Coast Conference Midfielder of the Year Arnau Farnos drilled a free kick in the top right quadrant of the net to put the Beavers up 1-0, and the score would stay that way until the final buzzer sounded.
“Yeah, I mean, we just got to limit fouls,” senior midfielder Beto Apolinar said. “Limit fouls, limit set pieces because they obviously scored one today.”
Their foul play did not lead to any more scores, but the Aztecs were penalized with two yellow cards in the second half, committed by freshman midfielder Beckett Miller and Nguepissi.
Frustration and lack of trust seem to be the key themes for this Aztec team at the moment. After being shut out in their third straight game for the first time since the finale of the 2023 season, Coach Ryan Hopkins expressed his disappointment at the beginning of his team’s season.
“Yeah, we just got to execute what we are trying to do out there,” Hopkins said. “I think we carelessly turn the ball over way too easily, especially in our opponent’s half.”
Coach Hopkins has desperately tried countless ways to win matches, implementing different starting lineups in every game this year.
“It’s been a bit challenging,” Hopkins said, “Because I wouldn’t have wanted to make as many changes as I wanted, but I just don’t think it’s been guys who have really performed up to their standards.”
The Aztecs will attempt to break their losing streak at the SDSU Sports Deck on Sept. 15 in another non-conference matchup against the struggling 0-3-1 Yale Bulldogs.
