Aug. 27, 2006
SAN DIEGO - Senior Andrew DiCicco took a pass from sophomore Omar Persad 1:12 into the first overtime and tucked the ball into the lower-right corner of the net to give the No. 24 San Diego State men's soccer team a 1-0 win over Rutgers in the final game of The Soccer Post/Aztec Classic on Sunday. SDSU (2-0) and San Diego each went 2-0 in the tournament, but the Toreros were declared the winners because of goal differential.
DiCicco's goal came after the Aztecs outshot the Scarlet Knights (0-2), 15-3, over the second half and first overtime, while owning a 2-0 edge in corner kicks over the same duration.
SDSU head coach Lev Kirshner, a four-year letterwinner at Rutgers from 1987-90 who led the Scarlet Knights to a NCAA runner-up finish in 1990, has now won two straight games against his alma mater.
"This was a big win for us," Kirshner said. "To win against a national power like Rutgers without two or three of our starters is tremendous. We're very excited."
The Aztecs had many chances to put the game away in the second half, including near misses by DiCicco, juniors Kraig Chiles and Freddy McDonald, and freshman Daniel Ortega.
Chiles and DiCicco led the offense with three shots apiece, while four others - DiCicco, junior Matt Lemire, Persad and freshman Nick Cardenas - contributed two shot attempts.
SDSU's defense - Cardenas, senior Ryan Reott, and sophomores Danny Ortiz and Dennis Sanchez, played well once again, limiting Rutgers to just seven shots for the match. Only one Scarlet Knight had more than one shot attempt.
Senior All-American goalkeeper Tally Hall made four saves and was named the tournament's Co-Most Valuable Player. Cardenas, Chiles and McDonald joined Hall on the all-tournament team.
The Aztecs will travel to UC Santa Barbara for a match at 7 p.m. Saturday. The Gauchos defeated SDSU last year, 2-0, in the NCAA tournament.
2006 The Soccer Post/Aztec Classic
Champion: University of San Diego (Goal Differential)
Runner-Up: San Diego State University
Co-Most Valuable Player: Kevin Meissner (USD) and Tally Hall (SDSU)
All-Tournament Team
Michael Caso--University of San Diego
Lance Friesz--University of San Diego
Ryan Guy--University of San Diego
Ciaran O'Brien--University of San Diego
Nick Cardenas--San Diego State University
Kraig Chiles--San Diego State University
Freddy McDonald--San Diego State University
Nick LaBrocca--Rutgers University
Brinker Dailey--Rutgers University
Gabriel Seguin-Gauthier--University at Albany
Mikel McNamara--University at Albany