Sunday’s home game could not have gone much better for San Diego State redshirt sophomore forward Jordan Ongaro.
“This is one he’ll sit in a rocking chair for generations to come and remember,” SDSU men’s soccer head coach Lev Kirshner said.
Ongaro single-handedly defeated the UC Berkley Golden Bears (3-4-2) 2-1, scoring both goals, including the game-winner in the 85th minute.
The Aztecs (7-1-2) extended their unbeaten streak to seven games and improved to 2-0 in Pacific-12 conference play.
The 2-0 conference record is the best start since a 3-0 mark in 2007 and ties SDSU for first place in the Pac-12 standings with UCLA.
“I just had a lot of confidence coming in (to the game),” Ongaro said. “I had to prove a point that I can score goals and just took every shot I could make. At this point, we feel we can beat anyone if we continue to work hard and keep playing like we are.”
The Aztecs outshot Cal 20-7, including 13-4 in the second half, and held an 8-3 advantage in shots on goal. SDSU had all eight corner kicks in the match.
Junior midfielder Jose Altamirano led all shooters with six shots, while Ongaro, sophomore forward Miles Byass and redshirt sophomore midfielder John Pegg contributed three shots each.
Senior defender Daniel Steres, freshman midfielder Tyler Smith and junior midfielder Abraham Villon were all credited with assists.
Yet, despite the impressive statistics from the entire SDSU team, the day belonged to Ongaro.
With his two-goal performance on Sunday, Ongaro now leads the team with four goals scored and is tied with Byass in points with 10.
“Basically with Jordan, the timing of his runs were excellent, and he just finished,” Kirshner said. “Jordan has had a lot of chances this year, as well as our forwards in general. The difference today was his finishing was impeccable. Both were fantastic goals.”
The Aztecs hope to continue their unbeaten streak and stay undefeated in conference play at 7 p.m. on Friday when they travel to Corvallis, Ore. to take on the Oregon State Beavers.