Sept. 9, 2005
IRVINE, Calif. - Freshman Jen Mello scored her third game-winning goal of the season late in the second half to lead the San Diego State women's soccer team to a 1-0 victory over UC Riverside in the UC Irvine Nike/Holiday Inn Invitational in Irvine, Calif., on Friday. The Aztecs (4-2) outshot the Highlanders (2-1-1), 12-3, for the match.
Mello tallied the goal at the 84:56 mark when classmate Mariko Strickland sent in a cross from the left side of the field to fellow freshman Erika Sutton. Sutton headed the ball to Mello's feet where she pushed it into the lower-right side of the net for her team-leading third goal of the season.
Freshman Christi Yount (4-2) played all 90 minutes for SDSU and made two saves for her third shutout of the year.
The Aztecs had numerous scoring opportunities to score early in the second half, but were unable to find the net until Mello's tally. Sutton's shot from just outside the penalty area was deflected out of bounds by the diving UC Riverside goalkeeper Tawny Paggio in the 53rd minute and her blast from 20 yards out hit the right post a short time later (53:37). Sophomore Jessica Girdner also had chance in the last 10 minutes of the second session, but Paggio once again made a diving save.
Sutton and Girdner each finished with four shots (two on goal) and four others had one shot apiece. The Aztecs, who started eight underclassmen, including six freshmen, led the corner kick battle, 4-0, and had seven shots on goal to the Highlanders' two.
SDSU wraps up its five-game road trip with a match against the host Anteaters at 1 p.m. Sunday in final game of the UC Irvine Nike/Holiday Inn Invitational.