The last homestand of the year ended with two more close losses for San Diego State’s men’s soccer team. SDSU lost 2-1 on Thursday to No. 17 University of California, Berkeley, then fell 1-0 to No. 8 Stanford University on Sunday.
The Golden Bears’ senior forward Omid Jalali stole the ball from SDSU’s freshman midfielder Ozzie Ramos and crossed to sophomore forward Christian Thierjung who swept in for the first score of the game.
Minutes later, Jalali wasted an attack that had 2-0 written all over it when he skied a wide-open shot from six yards out.
Aztecs’ redshirt freshman keeper Adam Allmaras was called into action multiple times, saving sophomore defender Trevor Haberkorn’s free kick in the first half and tipping Thierjung’s thunderous strike onto the crossbar.
Sophomore forward Forrayah Bass had a good look at the goal, but he hit a tame shot similar to many other SDSU chances.
“We get up there, we get crosses, we get the chances, but we just can’t finish the shots on target and get that last goal,” junior forward Rene Reyes said.
The Aztecs were rewarded in the 70th minute when Reyes scored his second goal of the year, a low shot off freshman defender Sergio Enriquez’s cross.
SDSU piled on the pressure the next 10 minutes, dominating possession and forcing the Bears into hectic defending.
With just eight minutes left, Cal stole the game with a blistering counterattack. Senior midfielder Connor Hallisey’s shot was well-saved by Allmaras, but the rebound fell to freshman forward Paul Salcedo who netted his second game-winner against SDSU this year.
It was an unjust end to a game where the Aztecs defended well.
“You’re playing good teams and it just takes a moment for you to break down and then they’re in on breakaways and bam, it’s 2-1,” Kirshner said.
On Sunday, which was Senior Day, fortune didn’t favor the Aztecs again as Stanford snatched a 1-0 overtime win on a deflected shot.
Despite being disappointed, Kirshner called it his team’s best defensive performance, as it appeared to many that SDSU had luck on its side for most of the match.
“I’ve watched Stanford half-a-dozen to 10 games,” he said. “Nobody has played them that tough, nobody has frustrated them like that.”
Allmaras kept the game scoreless in the first half with a good reflex save from senior forward Zach Batteer who was clean through on goal.
Similar to Thursday, SDSU had many chances it couldn’t convert.
“You’ve got to find a goal on a dead ball when you have that many (chances) today against this type of a team,” Kirshner said.
Freshman forward Donald Benamna had a solid chance when he started a counterattack and found some space, but his low shot missed by inches.
Allmaras was at his best again, tipping Batteer’s second-half header onto the crossbar and saving freshman midfielder Corey Baird’s low drive.
The Aztecs nearly caught a break in the 72nd minute. The Cardinal defense tried to clear the ball, but it careened off freshman midfielder Brady Blackwell’s head and over to Bass, whose shot was palmed away by Stanford sophomore keeper Andrew Epstein.
The match went to overtime tied at 0-0 and in the 98th minute, Cardinal redshirt senior midfielder Austin Meyer cut in from the left and drove a low shot that took a deflection past Allmaras.
