Oct. 17, 2004
SAN DIEGO - Sophomore Jen Klunder tallied her second game-winning goal in as many games at the 93:08 mark of the first overtime to lead the San Diego State women's soccer team to a 1-0 triumph over New Mexico at the SDSU Sports Deck on Sunday afternoon. With the victory, the Aztecs (5-6-5, 2-0-2 Mountain West Conference) moved into a first-place tie with UNLV (3-1 MWC) for the conference lead.
Early in the first overtime, freshman Lisa Nielsen slid a through ball to a streaking Ashley Cooper. Cooper, a junior, calmly collected the ball and fed it to a wide-open Klunder who put the ball in the back of the net from five yards out. The goal, Klunder's third of the season, came two days after she scored off a header in the 77th minute to lift SDSU to a 1-0 win over Wyoming.
"I am proud of how Ashley (Cooper) stayed composed in the (penalty) box," said first-year head coach Mike Giuliano. "Instead of shooting it, she had the presence of mind to slide the ball to Jen (Klunder) who did what she was suppose to and finished strong."
The Aztec defensive backfield of senior Noelle Jouglet and juniors Erica Lopez, Alexis Solovij and Amanda Swiader played stifling defense throughout, limiting the Lobos to six shots (three on goal). The SDSU defense has now gone 477:52 without allowing a goal, its longest streak in the program's 16-year history. The Aztecs haven't allowed a goal since Oct. 3, when the fell to No. 3 Washington, 1-0.
"Our defense was fantastic once again," added Giuliano. "We were organized, played intelligently and went after every ball."
Senior goalkeeper Sophia Perez, who was named MWC Co-Defensive Player of the Week on Monday, made three stops to earn her fourth consecutive and eighth shutout of the season. On the season, Perez is 5-5-5 with a 0.62 goals against average. Katherine Judkins is the SDSU single-season leader in GAA at 0.61 (1998).
The Aztecs turned up the pressure late in the second half when Solovij, a 2003 All-MWC first team selection, switched from a defender position to a forward spot. She made an immediate impact, sliding a through ball to Klunder who took a shot that just missed the net from 10 yards out with 12 seconds remaining in the second half.
Solovij had a chance to give SDSU the lead 1:29 into the first overtime, but her shot attempt from 14 yards away narrowly missed the far post.
Klunder led the Aztec offense with four shots, while Nielsen added two shots. Seniors Jessica Korpela and Gina Salinas, juniors Cooper and Swiader, and freshman Tiphanie Elliott each had one shot on goal.
SDSU will play host to a MWC match against Air Force on the SDSU Sports Deck at 3 p.m. Friday.