Sept. 12, 2006
SAN DIEGO - Cal State Fullerton scored three goals in the second half en route to a 3-0 victory over the San Diego State women's soccer team at SDSU Sports Deck on Tuesday. The Aztecs, playing in their third game in five days, fell to 3-4 with the loss, while the Titans improved to 3-1-1 on the season.
SDSU, which started eight underclassmen for the seventh consecutive game, controlled play for much of the first half and held the ball in Cal State Fullerton's side of the field. The Titans, however, had the best chance to score in the first period in the 10th minute but Nicole Scheid's shot from just inside the penalty box deflected off the crossbar and out of harm's way.
At intermission, SDSU led, 9-6, in shots and had a 1-0 edge in corner kicks.
The second half started out much like the first as the Aztecs kept their offensive pressure up, pushing Cal State Fullerton to its back 1/3 of the field. Off a corner kick at the 53:00 mark, sophomore Erika Sutton took a pass from classmate Jen Mello and crossed the ball from the left side to the front of the net. San Diego State, however, was unable to get a foot on the ball and the ball trickled out of bounds. Less than two minute later, freshman Cat Walker had her shot from about 20 yards out barely clear the crossbar.
The Titans took advantage of the Aztecs' constant shots and offensive pressure with three effective counterattacks. They got on the scoreboard first in the 58th minute when Kristen Boujos took a cross from Lauren Cram and one-touched the ball into the back of the net right in front of the goalmouth.
At 66:10, Danica Ramirez blasted a shot from the left side. SDSU goalkeeper Cat Burson (3-4) deflected the ball off the crossbar, but Stacey Thompson was there for the easy tap-in and a 2-0 lead.
Courtney Heinen gave the Titans their final score just 3:30 later when she took a through ball from Scheid and beat Burson to the left side from 13 yards out.
The Aztecs outshot Cal State Fullerton, 18-16, for the match but only three of their 18 shots found the net, while the Titans had seven shots on goal. SDSU won the corner kick battle, 6-1, including an impressive 5-1 advantage in the second half.
Sutton had a game-high four shot attempts for the Aztecs, while Mello, Walker and sophomore Mariko Strickland had three shots apiece. Burson played all 90 minutes and made four saves for SDSU.
The Aztecs will play their third consecutive game against a 2005 NCAA tournament team with a home match against Creighton at 4 p.m. Friday.