Steady rain and a sloppy start were not enough to slow down a red-hot San Diego State women’s soccer team on Saturday night in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Behind two first-half goals, SDSU defeated Cal State Northridge 3-0 to advance to the round of 32.
With the win, the Aztecs broke a single-season record with 20 wins and tied the team-record with 13 shutouts.
SDSU struggled out of the gate, unable to string passes together and allowing the Matadors to control possession.
That all changed in the 10th minute, when junior defender Kory Spotts cleared the ball toward CSUN’s box. The ball took a high bounce above a Matador defender, allowing sophomore forward Han- nah Keane to come down with the ball and chip it over the goalie to give SDSU the 1-0 lead. The goal was Keane’s sixth of the season.
In the 25th minute, Keane found senior forward Megan Jurado just outside the box. Jurado received the pass, took a dribble and bent the ball into the upper right corner of the net from 22 yards out to give SDSU a 2-0 lead. The goal was Jurado’s team- leading 15th of the season.
Senior forward Sarah Halverson added an insurance goal in the 80th minute, when she connected with the ball as she slid and deposited it in the back of the net from 10 yards out.
“I just remembered it popped up and it was in the right spot … No one was going for it, so I came and slid in and put it in the side netting,” Hal- verson said. “We’re focusing on our next game, which is Cal, so we’re going to get prepared for them this week and just focus on one game at a time.”
Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Rachel Boaz recorded her 11th shutout of the season, matching a school record. The Aztecs are now 13-0 with 11 shutouts at home this season. In the 13 wins, SDSU only allowed three goals. The Aztecs are ranked No. 4 in the country and are seeded No. 2 in the NCAA tournament.
With this win, the Aztecs advance to host California, Berkeley, a team that just defeated Pepperdine 1-0 on Saturday. The game is set for Friday at the SDSU Sports Deck.
“We’re excited about the win,” SDSU head coach Mike Friesen said. “It was a great game for us. Northridge was a very good opponent that pressured us and really gave us a good test. That’s what we needed.”
