Aug. 31, 2001
San Diego - The San Diego State men's soccer team (0-1) took 13th-ranked Santa Clara to overtime Friday before losing, 1-0, on a fluke goal in the 101st minute. The match was the season opener for both teams.
Santa Clara forward Matt Upton was credited with the unassisted goal at 101:38 after finishing a ball that had ricocheted off the back of an SDSU defender.
"That's the game of soccer," said SDSU second-year head coach Lev Kirshner. "It's tough to lose that way, but this is the kind of loss that is easy to come back from. We played a very good team very close and I'm proud of my guys. If we can continue to play the way we did today we will have a successful season."
Play between the teams remained even throughout the match with Santa Clara taking only three more shots (13) than the Aztecs (10). SDSU had two shots on goal and SCU three.
SDSU junior goalkeeper Brian Barnes spent all 101:38 minutes in goal, recording three saves and the loss. SCU's Rusty Johnson also spent the entire match defending goal and was credited with the win.
With five of the Aztecs' returning starters sidelined for Friday's match the team called on several of its new players. Forwards Patrick Strait and Mauricio Soler both recorded shots and helped the Aztecs apply pressure late in regulation.
"With several of our veterans out of the lineup today we were forced to go with some of our new guys," said Kirshner. "These guys came off the bench and made an impact. This is another good sign at the start of a new season."
SDSU midfielder Kevin Sapanli, back for his sophomore season, led all players with five shots
State returns to the field Sunday when its faces Notre Dame-Belmont at 3 p.m. at the Sports Deck.
1 2 OT TOTSanta Clara 0 0 1 1SDSU 0 0 0 0
Scoring: SCU-Matt Upton (unassisted), 101:38
Shots: SCU 13, SDSU 10Corners: SCU 5, SDSU 3Fouls: SDSU 19, SCU 18Offsides: SCU 2, SDSU 1Cautions: SDSU-Chris Novak (3:16) SCU -Scott McLain (67:46),Matt Upton (93:00), Justin Canel (100:05)