How did it happen?
On Oct. 27, Cal came to the SDSU Sports Deck as the No. 6 men’s soccer team in the nation.
The Golden Bears were coming off a five-game winning streak.
But San Diego State had upset them in Berkeley earlier in the season – handing Cal its only Pac-10 Conference loss up to that point.
The Golden Bears had the momentum. They had the talent. They had the motivation.
But after 90 minutes of play, Cal didn’t have the goals. Instead, unranked SDSU came away with the upset for a second time, 3-1.
“(Cal is) such a good team and the individual talent they have is ridiculous,” Aztec junior midfielder Kraig Chiles said following the game. “You can tell why they’re sixth in the country.
“But for some reason, there’s some teams we play well against and Cal is one of them.”
One reason for the Aztecs’ dominance over the Golden Bears in 2006 could have been desperation. Going into its game against Cal, SDSU needed as many wins as it could get to earn an NCAA Tournament bid.
“We were with our backs up against the wall, as far as trying to get into (the NCAA Tournament),” head coach Lev Kirshner said. “And our guys came out with fantastic focus and preparation.
“Every single player, including the ones that came off the bench, all had (great games). That’s what it’s going to take to beat a team like Cal.”
Another reason for the Aztecs’ upset over the Golden Bears was because they caught them in hibernation.
Having played the team last season, Kirshner planned to exploit a Cal team using essentially the same techniques and players as the season before.
“They hadn’t had a lot of change from the prior years from when we played them last year,” Kirshner said. “They attack in a way, in a certain manner.
“Their two central midfielders really create the rhythm of the play for them. Match-ups were very good for that game.”
And maybe yet another reason SDSU played so well was because it couldn’t do any wrong. The Aztecs’ two first goals couldn’t have played out any better than if they came up in a dream.
SDSU’s first goal came from a header by Pac-10 Freshman of the Year Nick Cardenas. After a well-executed throw-in, sophomore Dennis Sanchez placed a perfect cross to the awaiting Aztec by the net. Cardenas outjumped the keeper and put the ball in the upper-right corner of the goal.
SDSU’s next goal was from 25 yards out on a free kick. Chiles arched his shot around the Golden Bears’ defensive wall, and the ball found the upper-right corner once more.
“Kraig baited the goalkeeper, acting like he was going to serve it and just stuck one that really put us in a favorable position,” Kirshner said after the game.
Somehow, against Cal, SDSU always winds up in a favorable position.
