Sept. 3, 2004
SAN DIEGO -
Game Stats
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In the season-opener for both teams, San Diego State fell to No. 13 UC Santa Barbara on Wednesday, 1-0. The Aztecs dominated much of the play in the game but were unable to cash in on their opportunities, while the Gauchos found a way to score on an own-goal deflection off a SDSU defender. The win moves UCSB to 1-0 on the year, while SDSU drops to 0-1. The Aztec defense was stifling for most of the game, keeping the Gauchos from registering their first shot attempt for nearly 30 minutes of the game. But the big blow would come with 5:43 remaining in the first half, as a ball deflected off of an Aztec defender just past the hands of SDSU keeper Tally Hall. The Gauchos then held on despite numerous attacks by the Aztecs. "I was very pleased with the match overall," SDSU head coach Lev Kirshner said. "When you look at the performance, I thought 75 minutes was all Aztecs. The main reason we lost today was the experience of UCSB." The play of three Aztecs caught the eye of Kirshner, including defenders Matt Couch and Freddy McDonald, along with forward Andrew DiCicco. "Freshman Freddy McDonald played tremendously well today and showed great composure," said Kirshner. "Matt Couch dominated UCSB in the air today, which allowed us to stay in the game. I thought Andrew DiCicco in the second half was a tremendous asset to our attack." For the game SDSU out-shot UCSB 16-11, including a 7-3 advantage in shots-on-goal. In the second half alone, the Aztecs held a 9-4 advantage in shots. The Aztecs play again this Saturday as they travel to Berkeley, Calif. to take on California in a game scheduled for 2 p.m.