Aug. 25, 2006
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Sophomore Erika Sutton (Arvada, Colo./Ralston Valley HS) and freshman Cat Walker (Folsom, Calif./St. Francis HS) each scored a goal, and junior goalkeeper Cat Burson (Poway, Calif./UC Santa Barbara) made three saves to lead the San Diego State women's soccer team to a 2-0 triumph over Butler in the Purdue Boilermaker Challenge Cup on Friday in West Lafayette, Ind. With the victory, the Aztecs (1-0) will meet tournament host and 24th-ranked Purdue at 1 p.m. Sunday.
Sutton got SDSU's first goal of the game in the 19th minute after beating a defender and touching the ball by the Bulldogs' (0-1) goalkeeper Kirby Zwickel from six yards out.
At the 52:38 mark, Walker fired a shot which was deflected down by Zwickel. Walker gathered the rebound and struck it home for the Aztecs' final score of the match.
SDSU outshot the Bulldogs, 24-9, for the game and 15-6 in the second half.
"(A victory) was nice way to start out the season," head coach Mike Giuliano said. "We were a bit nervous in the beginning, but we settled down, kept our composure and finished strong."
Sophomore Mariko Strickland (Kaua'i, Hawaii/Mid-Pacific Institute) had a team-high five shot attempts to lead the Aztecs' offensive pressure. Sophomore Jen Mello (Pleasanton, Calif./Amador Valley HS) took four shots, while Sutton and freshman Heather Vandevanter (Alamo, Calif./San Ramon Valley HS) each had three shot attempts.
SDSU owned a 7-3 advantage on corner kicks for the game and drew 20 Butler fouls.
Burson picked up her fifth career shutout after making three stops.