Oct. 30, 2005
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State exacted a measure of payback Sunday afternoon as it defeated Oregon State, 2-1, in a Pac-10 match at the SDSU Sports Deck. It was the Beavers who inflicted the Aztecs' lone defeat of the 2005 campaign in early October by the same score line. SDSU senior forward Heath Creager scored a pair of goals in the first half to send the Aztecs on their way to victory.
The win improved San Diego State's record to 9-1-5 overall and 2-1-4 in the Pac-10. Oregon State, which dropped its fourth straight match, fell to 8-7-4 (4-5 Pac-10).
After getting off the mark slowly in their last few matches, San Diego State came out and struck in the second minute on Sunday to take an early lead. Eric Santiago's throw-in from the left side found the feet of Creager who redirected the ball into the lower right side of the net at the 1:24 mark.
The same pair hooked up later in the half as Santiago sent a long cross in from the right touch line that Creager headed past OSU goalie Packy Deenihan at 25:49.
Oregon State came back to grab a goal in the 62nd minute as forward Robbie Findlay was fouled just outside the top of the box directly in front of goal. His ensuing free kick found its way past the Aztec wall and into the lower right corner.
The goal ended SDSU goalkeeper Tally Hall's string of four straight shutouts and was the first score against him in 490 minutes. Ironically, the last goal he gave up was at Oregon State on Oct. 7 in the loss to the Beavers. Hall finished the afternoon with four saves while OSU's Deenihan had a pair.
"In the first half, they (Oregon State) were very direct and we tried to hit them on the counter attack, noted head coach Lev Kirshner. "In the second half, we got the game under control and they never had any really good chances other than the free kick on which they scored.
"We played well all over the field and I thought our victory was a deserved one. It was a well-played game by both sides today in a match that was decided between the lines."
Up next for San Diego State is a trip to northern California for two-match Pac-10 road trip that begins on Friday, Nov. 4, with a game at Cal at 2:00 p.m.
MAN OF THE MATCH
Senior forward Heath Creager was named SDSU's Man of the Match for his effort in Sunday's win over Oregon State. Creager's two goals, his fourth and fifth of the season, proved to be the difference in the Aztecs' win over the Beavers.
2005 Man of the Match Honorees
8/18 vs. UCSD......................Kraig Chiles, MF
8/27 vs. Alumni.....................Nick Collins, MF
8/30 vs. NJIT.........................Luis Trejo, GK
9/2 vs. Rutgers.....................Heath Creager, F
9/3 vs. St. John's..................Tally Hall, GK
9/10 vs. UC Riverside...........Johann Helgason, MF
9/15 vs. Pt. Loma...................Raul Bautista, F
9/18 vs. UMKC.......................Kraig Chiles, MF
9/22 vs. Alabama A&M..........Matt Couch, D
9/25 vs. Duquesne................Kraig Chiles, MF
9/30 vs. Stanford..................Matt Couch, D
10/2 vs. California.................Dennis Sanchez, MF
10/7 vs. Oregon State...........Eric Santiago, D
10/9 vs. Washington.............Nick Clemens, D
10/16 vs. UCLA.....................Tally Hall, GK
10/24 vs. San Diego..............Omar Persad, F
10/28 vs. Washington............Matt Couch, D
10/30 vs. Oregon State.........Heath Creager, F