On what was a beautiful night to play soccer, the weather forecast for the San Diego State women’s soccer team simply read “dark.” The Aztecs were stunned this past Friday at the hands of cross-town foe University of San Diego, 2-0, before a roaring crowd of more than 1,400 at Torero Stadium.
This loss snapped SDSU’s three-game winning streak and five-game unbeaten streak. Furthermore, Friday marked their first loss since dropping its season opener to Michigan State University.
SDSU (4-2-1) began the game flat-footed, uninspired and played down to its level of competition, which allowed USD (2-4-2) to control the tempo of the game. It was rare in the first half to see the ball leave SDSU’s half, as USD controlled possession with crisp passing in the midfield and picking the Aztecs’ defense apart.
The Toreros netted their first goal of the half in the 17th minute off a corner kick, as USD senior midfielder Mariah Butera delivered a shot inside the box that the towering six-foot Julia Sherwood was able to head in past junior goalkeeper Melanie Vaughn. Fortunately, for the Aztecs this was the lone goal of the half.
After 45 minutes of play, USD led in total shots (4-2), shots on goal (3-1), corner kicks (5-3) along with the lead of 1-0 against SDSU.
The Aztecs come out of the intermission with urgency and dominated the rest of the game in terms of possession and shots. The Aztecs’ offense was clearly pressing on the gas pedal, as they were the one’s constantly on the attack throughout the second half.
The equalizer for San Diego State appeared to come in the 72nd minute off Jen Rupey’s perfectly timed header off a corner kick. However, as they were celebrating, referee Ashbir Singh waved off the goal due to what he signaled to be a shove by Rupey of a USD player.
The call demoralized the red and black and swung the momentum back to the home team. The Toreros capitalized on the lapse in SDSU’s defense and were able to score the final goal of the game in the 77th minute. The two new transfers from University of Denver orchestrated the goal, as Jacey Birtcher sent a low cross from the left side to Nikki Pappalardo, who took the shot from 12 yards out.
Even though the Aztecs did lose a game that had all the makings to be an easy victory, they showed in the second half that they are able to make the proper adjustments and turn the tide of the game in their favor. In the second half San Diego State outshot San Diego 12-3, held the advantage in shots on goal (5-2) and denied the Toreros to even record a corner kick.
The loss won’t ruin the morale the Aztecs have built this season, head coach Mike Friesen said.
“We don’t fold after one game, no matter who it is,” Friesen told Mark Zeigler of U-T San Diego. “We know this game doesn’t make or break our season. Our season is still in a good spot.”
