On Aug. 15 the San Diego State women’s soccer team was picked by the league’s 11 head coaches to win the Mountain West Conference. They were the 2012 regular-season and tournament-defending champions.
They definitely looked like that team this weekend as SDSU defeated both Fresno State University 2-1 and San Jose State University 2-0 at home to begin MWC play.
On Friday, Sept. 27, the Lady Aztecs played host to the Fresno State Bulldogs. Looking to set the tone early in this conference matchup, the Aztecs jumped ahead 1-0 in the 27th minute on a goal by junior forward Hannah Keane. Senior defender Haley Palmer kicked the ball ahead to junior forward Haley Locker, who then set up a header to Keane for the score. Both Palmer and Locker were credited with the assist.
However, with just over four minutes before the end of the first half, the Bulldogs were able to tie the game up with a goal by senior midfielder Morgan Castain, a five-yard shot in front of the net.
The Aztecs kept the contest tight in the second half, and with less than 14 minutes left to go in the game, Keane scored again on a seven-yard shot, assisted by Locker. The Aztecs held on to win this contest 2-1 over the Bulldogs.
Two days later on Sunday, Sept. 29, SDSU faced off against new MWC opponent SJSU. Wasting no time, Keane put the Aztecs on the board in the 11th minute of this contest scoring on a six-yard shot in front of the net. The shot marks her sixth goal in her last four games, and her seventh of the season. Junior midfielder Kelsey Booth was credited with the assist.
The Aztecs dominated the Spartans 19-3 in shots at halftime. This game didn’t get any better for SJSU in the second half as the Aztecs continued to apply pressure, holding the Spartans without a shot attempt in the entire second half. Sophomore midfielder Victoria Barba scored her first goal of the season on a penalty kick at the 58:03 mark in the game. SDSU went on to win this one 2-0, bringing their conference record to a 2-0 start.
Next up, SDSU will look to improve to 3-0 in conference play as they get ready to square off against the Colorado State University Rams on Friday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. at the SDSU Sports Deck.
Photo by Kelly Smiley, Contributing Photographer
