Sept. 21, 2008
SAN DIEGO - Despite being outshot, 24-10, for the match, including a 14-2 advantage in the second half, the 23rd-ranked UC Davis men's soccer team escaped with a 2-1 victory over San Diego State Sunday afternoon at SDSU Sports Deck. The Aggies improved to 6-1-0 with the win, while the Aztecs dropped to 2-4-0.
Freshman Daniel Steres (Calabasas, Calif.) brought SDSU within a goal at the 80:14 mark when he headed in cross by senior Dennis Sanchez (Redmond, Wash.). Sanchez and freshman Joe Corona (San Diego, Calif./Sweetwater HS) went back and forth on the left sideline before Sanchez sent in a cross to the box. Steres timed the ball perfectly and headed the ball cleanly into the right corner for this team-leading third goal of the season.
The play was one of many scoring opportunities for San Diego State in the second half.
Junior Evan Toft (Aurora, Colo.) led the charge with two near goals less than one minute apart. At the 50:02 mark, Toft had his shot stopped by a diving UC Davis goalkeeper Ryan McCowan (6-1-0). Fifty seconds later, Toft had a hard shot from just outside the box that was knocked down by an Aggie defender.
In the 52nd minute, sophomore Khadim Diouf (Dakar, Senegal) nearly missed the far post from just inside the box.
The ball continued to be in the UC Davis' side of the field until a counterattack play led to its second goal of the game. Dylan Curtis came down the left side of the field against the run of the play and sent in a cross to penalty area where Quincy Amarikwa jumped up and headed it into the right corner.
The shot attempt was the Aggies last of the half as the Aztecs continued to apply the pressure. In the 72nd minute, Toft had his low line drive shot from 25 yards out knocked down by McCowan and cleared away by a UC Davis defender. Then, at the 73:23 mark, junior Nick Cardenas (Thornton, Colo.) headed a cross right at McCowan.
After Steres' goal in the 81st minute, SDSU had another good scoring chance with a flurry in front of the Aggie net. Corona finally ended up with the ball on the left side but had his shot saved by McCowan, one of his seven saves in the match.
Besides the lopsided shot count, San Diego State also owned a 6-2 advantage in corner kicks, including a 5-1 edge in the second half.
UC Davis' first goal came 4:55 into the match when Sule Anibaba headed in a cross by Curtis.
The Aztecs also had their chances in the first half. At the 17:45 mark, Diouf dribbled into the box on the left side and had his shot go just wide of the right corner from about 14 yards. In the 45th minute, sophomore Raymundo Reza (Denver, Colo.) had his dipping blast from 25 yards out stopped by McCowan.
Diouf and Reza each had four shots apiece to lead the San Diego State attack. Cardenas, Corona and Toft had three attempts apiece, while Steres and redshirt senior Nick Collins (Paso Robles, Calif.) each contributed two shots.
Redshirt freshman Morgan Maestas (Littleton, Colo.) (1-1-0) played all 90 minutes in net and tied his season high with five saves.
The Aggies and UC Irvine each went 2-0 in the tournament, but the Anteaters were declared the champion because of goal differential. UC Irvine outscored its opponents, 3-0, while UC Davis won both of its games by 2-1 margins. San Diego wound up third with SDSU finishing fourth.
Cardenas and Steres were each named to the all-tournament team for San Diego State.
The Aztecs will begin a tough four-game road trip Sunday when they travel to Hanover, N.H., for a match against Dartmouth at noon ET. All of San Diego State's next four opponents - Dartmouth, UCLA, Stanford and California - are either currently nationally ranked or have been ranked sometime this season.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Freshman Daniel Steres earned Man of the Match honors after scoring SDSU's goal in its 2-1 loss. Steres' goal came in the 81st minute to bring the Aztecs within one goal. Steres did a good job of controlling the middle of the field and was one of the main reasons San Diego State owned a 14-2 advantage in the second half. He had two shots and played all 90 minutes.
The SDSU/USD Soccer Tournament
San Diego, Calif.
SDSU Sports Deck
Final Tournament Results
1. UC Irvine - 2-0 (UCI earns title because of goal differential)
2. UC Davis - 2-0
3. San Diego - 0-2 (San Diego earns third place because of goal differential)
4. SDSU - 0-2
All-Tourney Team
Spencer Thompson, UC Irvine
Andrew Fontein, UC Irvine
Irving Garcia, UC Irvine
Michael Willrich, UC Irvine
Sule Anibaba, UC Davis
Quincy Amarikwa, UC Davis
Dylan Curtis, UC Davis
Ryan Peterman, San Diego
Kelin Briones, San Diego
Nick Cardenas, San Diego State
Daniel Steres, San Diego State