On a windy San Diego night, the San Diego State women’s soccer regained its magic, defeating the University of Nevada, 3-0, in its Mountain West Conference opener.
Coming off of two consecutive losses, the aggressive SDSU defense held the Wolfpack down and produced the team’s second shutout of the season, and the efficient offense, which put up three goals and struck swiftly, complimented each other in the victory.
The pressure the Aztecs applied defensively on the Wolfpack opened the door for the offense to shine, which it did quickly.
SDSU freshman forward Mia Root found the back of the net in the 20th minute, off a pass from freshman midfielder Chloe Frisch. The goal was Root’s team-leading fourth of the season.
As the defense applied persistent pressure on Nevada for the remainder of the first half, the offense continued to strike.
Freshman defender Sarah Broacha aced a shot from 20 yards out that snuck past Wolfpack junior goalkeeper Lauryn Horstdaniel in the 43rd minute for Broacha’s first goal of the season and of her career.
The goal gave the Aztecs a 2-0 lead at halftime.
The offense continued to attack and strike the Wolfpack defense coming out of the locker room, and the relentless effort resulted in a goal by SDSU sophomore forward Darcy Weiser.
However, Weiser was called offside and the goal was taken off the scoreboard.
Weiser would get her revenge in the 82nd minute, when senior defender Hailey Balma connected on a pass to Weiser, who found the net to seal the victory for the Aztecs.
The goal was Weiser’s first of the season.
Head coach Mike Friesen said the offense played well, but a few mistakes hindered an otherwise good showing.
“We scored a few goals, but it would have been nice to get a few more,” Friesen said. “We scored five, but only three of them counted due to a couple of offsides on our part.”
SDSU sophomore goalkeeper Gabby English made two saves for the Scarlet and Black, recording her 10th career shutout in the process.
English moved into a seventh-place tie in SDSU program history in shutouts with Elizabeth Judkins, who played in 1994 and 1995.
But despite the occasional offensive miscues, the Friesen was pleased with the win.
“We’re just excited to get the conference season started in the right way,” Friesen said.
SDSU returns to conference play on Sunday, Sept. 24, when it plays host to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
