Oct. 3, 2003
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - San Diego State fell to No. 11 Rutgers, 4-1, in the homecoming of Aztec head coach Lev Kirshner. The two squads battled to a 0-0 tie at halftime but Rutgers tallied the first three goals of the game to secure the victory, snapping SDSU's five-match unbeaten streak in front of 2,032 fans at Yurcak Field. Kirshner returned to Rutgers as a former player and assistant coach to see his mentor Bob Reasso earn his 300th career victory with the Scarlet Knights. SDSU, who is ranked #8 in the Far West Regional rankings, falls to 6-2-1 while Rutgers is 6-2 on the year.
The first half of the match was evenly matched as Rutgers held a 5-3 shot advantage, but SDSU posted a 4-0 edge in corner kicks. However, after the intermission the Scarlet Knights picked up the intensity and tallied a goal just 3:27 into the second period when Ricardo Arenas scored on a rocket from 10-yards out. The Aztecs were unable to counter as Rutgers posted back-to-back goals at 71:42 and 75:50 to seal the victory.
SDSU scored its goal at the 84:01 mark as Raul Bautista created his own shot and put it past RU goalkeeper Scott Conway. The Scarlet Knights added a tally just over a minute later to end the scoring and give Reasso his milestone win. Reasso has led Rutgers to a No. 11 ranking in the NSCAA/adidas coaches poll this season, and three Final Four appearances in his 23 years at the helm, including the 1989 team that featured Kirshner on defense.
The Aztecs will finish the Phillips/adidas Classic on Sunday against No. 14 St. John's at 11:00 am PT.