Sept. 6, 2005
LINCOLN, Neb. - The 16th-ranked Nebraska women's soccer team scored twice in the final 7:03 of the second half, and overcame two goals by San Diego State sophomore midfielder Jessica Girdner, to down the Aztecs, 3-2, in Lincoln, Neb., on Tuesday. SDSU (3-2), which started eight underclassmen, including six freshmen, was playing its third road contest against a 2004 NCAA tournament team in five days.
After trailing, 1-0, on a first half goal by the Cornhuskers' (3-1) Aysha Jamani (29:09), the Aztecs came out firing in the second session. Their persistence was rewarded when Girdner collected freshman Alicia Piz's original shot in the 63rd minute, knocked down by Nebraska goalkeeper Katie Wright, and pushed it in the net for her first goal of the season. Piz earned the assist on the play.
Just 3:06 later, Girdner took a quick throw-in from classmate Tiphanie Elliott and beat Wright on a breakaway chance at the 65:46 mark for her second tally of the game.
SDSU, ranked (14th) in the region for the first time since 2000, held the Cornhuskers in check until freshman Christi Yount's save on Nikki Baker was put in by Brittany Timko, knotting the score at two apiece in the 83rd minute. Minutes later, Nebraska's Sasha Andrews raced in during a scramble in front of the net and tallied the game's final goal at 84:53.
"It's frustrating," second-year head coach Mike Giuliano said. "We played great until the last seven minutes, we just couldn't finish (the game). But this was our third game on the road in five days against three very good teams. To be down by a goal on the road at halftime and to come back showed a lot of character."
Yount (3-2) played all 90 minutes for the Aztecs and made a career-high nine saves in the losing effort.
Senior Alexis Solovij, the 2004 Mountain West Conference Defender of the Year, played very well for SDSU and led a defense that held Nebraska to only six shots in the second half.
The Aztecs will have a few days off from competition before traveling to Irvine, Calif., for a match against UC Riverside at 5:30 p.m. Friday.