Oct. 9, 2004
SALT LAKE CITY - The San Diego State women's soccer team and Utah played to a double overtime, 0-0 tie, on Saturday afternoon in Salt Lake City, Utah. The match was close throughout, with the Aztecs (3-6-5, 0-0-2 Mountain West Conference) and the Utes (7-4-2, 0-1-1 MWC) each registering nine shots for the game and Utah holding a slight edge in corner kicks, 6-5.
"We had tons of chances," first-year head coach Mike Giuliano said. "It was two tired teams out there giving everything they had. I'm very proud of the way we (SDSU) played."
Senior goalkeeper Sophia Perez and the Aztec defense earned their second consecutive shutout, sixth of the season, and held a Ute team, who had 18 goals in its previous 12 games, scoreless throughout the 110-minute match. Juniors Alexis Solovij and Amanda Swiader, both 2003 all-MWC selections, and senior Noelle Jouglet limited Utah to only four shots on goal (all saved by Perez).
"Our defense played excellent once again," added Giuliano. "We just need to score some goals."
SDSU has now gone 296:44 without allowing a goal, its longest such streak since 2003 when they made it 299:54 before giving up a goal in a 1-0 loss to UNLV in the quarterfinals of the MWC tournament.
The Aztecs best chance to score came late in the second overtime, when senior Gina Salinas had her shot deflect off the post and knocked out of danger by an Ute defender.
"Gina (Salinas) played her best game of the year, both on offense and defense," Giuliano said.
Salinas led SDSU with three shots, while junior Ashley Cooper added two shots (both on goal) to pace the offense. Jouglet, Swiader, senior Jessica Korpela and freshman Lisa Nielsen contributed one shot apiece.
The Aztecs will continue their MWC schedule next weekend when they play host to Wyoming at 3 p.m. Friday.