With one quick strike in the 89th minute, senior defender Tristan Viviani turned a tense night into a victory for San Diego State men’s soccer. His late goal sealed a 2-1 win for the Aztecs (6-7-1, 2-1-1) over Utah Tech (3-6-4, 2-1-1) on Saturday night at the SDSU Sports Deck, keeping the Aztecs hopes alive and lifting them into a four-way tie in the Western Athletic Conference standings.
SDSU’s second to last home game of the season highlighted the team’s persistence, a theme head coach Ryan Hopkins has hoped to demonstrate throughout the season.
“Our guys just gutted it out,” Hopkins said. “They never quit.”
The opening minutes saw the Trailblazers test SDSU senior goalkeeper Eddy Vargas, who made a crucial save in the sixth minute to keep the game scoreless. Utah Tech fired 16 total shots, only six on target, but Vargas’ saves and presence kept the defense composed.
The Aztecs maintained more possession (54%) but the first half ended without a breakthrough. Hopkins mentioned halftime adjustments were key to the turnaround.
“We were too spread apart and couldn’t find each other,” Hopkins explained. “Stay in the moment. Play together. The guys did it. All credit to them.”
The adjustments paid off. In the 64th minute, senior defender Baptiste Boit finished off a sequence built by senior midfielder Lleyton Imparato and senior defender Christian Engmann to give San Diego State Aztecs a 1-0 lead.
Utah Tech equalized in the 71st minute through Tanner Dutra, swinging momentum back their way. Even after, the Aztecs’ bench stayed loud and motivated, fueling till the end.
The end came to life in the 89th minute, when Viviani, who entered the match as an injury concern, found himself at the right place at the right time to score the winning goal.
“It felt great,” Viviani said. “I haven’t had a lot of those moments in my career being a defensive player, but it’s fun. The mindset is to finish strong and push ourselves all the way.”
Hopkins praised his team’s determination despite the constant lineup changes and challenges of the season.
“It’s been a weird season with so many injuries,” he said. “Almost every guy on the roster has started at some point. They keep grinding and finding different ways to win. That’s what makes up a championship team.”
With three regular season games remaining and one final home match ahead, the Aztecs look to carry their momentum into the home stretch.
“We keep believing, we keep chipping away,” Hopkins said. “They’re going to have to rip that trophy out of our hands.”
The Aztecs’ next game is at San Jose State on Thursday, Oct. 23, at 4:30 p.m.
