The San Diego State men’s club soccer team continued its winningways this past weekend, but tragically fell short of the top prize.
Two weeks after taking the Western Regional Championship crown,the Aztecs journeyed to Tuscaloosa, Ala. to attend the NationalIntramural and Recreational Sports Association’s (NIRSA) NationalSoccer Championship Tournament. Twenty-four championship-caliberteams attended the three-day tournament starting last Thursday andending Saturday.
SDSU split its first two contests on Thursday starting off with a1-0 victory against Michigan and falling to Clemson 2-1 later thatday. Senior Chris Giudicelli scored the lone goal for the Aztecs inthe win against Michigan.
Having lost to Clemson, the Aztecs were immediately entered intothe consolation tournament. Friday, SDSU took on a strong OklahomaState team and pulled off a close 1-0 victory.
Saturday, the final day of the tournament, the Aztecs won theirfinal two contests against Naval Academy, 4-1, and University ofVirginia, 3-2, to take the top spot in the consolation bracket.Senior forward Hanz Heinrichs had an outstanding day for SDSU,contributing four goals and an assist between both victories.
Standout performances came from both senior goalkeepers Dave Jenksand Tim Edwards, who held opposing teams to a one-goal average amongall five games. Both goalkeepers not only contributed time defendingthe goal, but also spent significant time on the field for theAztecs.
Giudicelli and senior Elliot Jones pitched in valuable work atcenter midfield for SDSU. Junior sweeper Chase Conrad helped aid theAztecs as he played every minute of every game.
“We took a few knocks and had a lot of injuries, but we came outand played hard and won four out of five games,” coach Chris Silsbeesaid. “We’ll be losing quite a few players next year and I think withthe experience the younger players have, we’ll still be prettystrong.”
Women’s Club Soccer
Although not coming home with the title of National Champion, theSan Diego State women’s club soccer team contributed a fantasticperformance in the NIRSA National Soccer Championship Tournament,coming home with the No. 5 ranking in the nation.
SDSU began the tournament Thursday with a game against theUniversity of Miami (OH), losing 1-0. Later that day, the Aztecs tookon Texas A & M, coming out with a 2-1 victory.
On Friday, SDSU entered its third contest of the tournamentagainst James Madison University with the season on the brink.
The Aztecs needed a tie at the very least to advance to thequarterfinals. With James Madison leading 1-0, it seemed highlyunlikely. However, junior sweeper Avy Austria scored the game-tyinggoal with 29 seconds left on the clock, knotting the game 1-1 toadvance the Aztecs.
In the quarterfinal game, SDSU faced off against Colorado State.The Rams ended the Aztecs’ championship run 2-1. Sophomore forwardKathy Minkel scored the lone goal in the game – the only goalCSU would have scored against them in the entire tournament.
Colorado State continued on to win the championship against Miami(OH) in the final game.
A standout performance for the weekend came from junior AmberBontempi, who had an excellent outing at goalkeeper. Austria was thelone member of the Aztecs to make the All-Tournament Team.
“We would have liked to win the whole tournament, but we workedhard,” captain Annie Pendergast said. “It was nice to know the twoteams we lost to were the two teams in the finals.”
Ice Hockey Scores
Friday: Aztecs 4, CSU Northridge 1
Saturday: West L.A. 7, Aztecs 2
