Composed, calm and comfortable. Winning by the same scoreline the second time in the same week, San Diego State women’s soccer cruised past the Nevada Wolf Pack 4-0 at the Sports Deck.
Sophomore forward Victoria Miller started the SDSU Goalfest. Miller was named Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week for her three goals in two victories over Pepperdine and UC Riverside. The Ohio State transfer not only began the scoring against the Wolf Pack, but also found the back of the net in the eighth minute of play.
“Over the summer, I really went to work. This is everything I wanted to do for this team. I think that my work that I have been putting in since I decided to transfer is showing through,” Miller said in a postgame interview. “Not only that, but like I said, I feel like I have to just give a lot of the credit to my teammates, just the environment they’ve put me in. They make me a better person, they make me a better player and that’s why I think I’m finding the net so much,” Miller added.
As reflected by the scoreline, head coach Mike Friesen’s side commanded the momentum and tempo from the start of the match and did not let go until the final whistle.
“One of the things we wanted to come into tonight [with] was to be in control the whole time, which most of it was. I thought after we went up 2-0, we allowed the game to get a little too open and chaotic, which suits [Nevada] a bit more, but I thought we got it back under control,” Friesen said, explaining what contributed to a team victory.
The night was capped off and sealed by redshirt freshman forward Alexis Leath, who scored the final goal in the 82nd minute. The forward only saw 38 minutes of action in the 2024 season due to a torn ACL. This goal was the first of her collegiate career.
“I just saw my teammates pulling into the inside, so I just knew if I wanted to create shape and get the ball, I had to pull outside,” Leath said.“I’m a left-footed player, so why not just go with my left and I kick it as hard to the front post and it just went in. It was a beautiful goal, I was so excited to be able to score it in front of my family and my family’s friends too.”
Leath is a hometown local out of West Hills High School. This meant that those closest to her saw the net ripple for the first time while she was wearing the Scarlet and Black.
“It means so much to me. Especially because I’m from San Diego, so my parents are able to come to every single one of my games as much as they can,” Leath said. “To be able to score in front of them just meant a lot to me. They even came to my games last year, too, when I was [injured] sitting on the bench, they just wanted to come to support me and my team.”
The front three were not the only stars that shone Thursday night. The Aztec defense entered the match having conceded five goals in their last five games. Three of the five were given in a defeat against nationally ranked No. 2 Stanford at Palo Alto. The back line carried its form into the Sports Deck against Nevada, earning the shutout.
“I think [SDSU defenders] have a really good understanding of what we’re asking them to do. One thing we try to be really good [at)] is just being simple and clear of what’s expected and what are the tactical things we’re asking of them,” Friesen said. “We’re doing a really good job just keeping the ball and not getting rattled when teams are pressing us,” Friesen added.
Friesen had nothing but praise for his defenders on the night.
“All of them had really good nights. Mia Hambro Svedsen only played the first half and I thought she was quite good. Grace [Goins] just covers so much ground. Charlie [Gerson], it probably wasn’t her best night in terms of on the ball. Typically, she’s very good on the ball, but she is just a consistent player. Sofia Bacsafra came in the game and gave us great minutes, which we needed from her,” Friesen said, commending the contributors who put up the clean sheet.
The Aztecs have one more game before conference action. This year’s team is fielding a young squad as it is thin on seniors, with only one on the roster, Grace Goins. Despite being a young team, they are more than ready to take on the Mountain West.
“I just think every single day we come out here to work. I don’t think anyone comes out here with any type of entitlement or any type of complacency,” Miller said. “I think that our drive and our competitiveness in practice is non-stop, and that’s what we’re going to bring to Mountain West play. Racking up these scores, we’re trying to prove a message to the rest of the Mountain West that that’s what we’re going to do to everyone,” Miller said.
Women’s Soccer will take on Hawaii at the Sports Deck on Sunday at 12 p.m., as it is the last game of non-conference action.
