Nov. 9, 2008
SAN DIEGO -
Sophomore Raymundo Reza (Denver, Colo.) scored three goals and assisted on another to lead the San Diego State men's soccer team to a 4-0 victory over Cal State Bakersfield Sunday afternoon at SDSU Sports Deck. The Aztecs won their third consecutive match to improve to 6-8-3, while the Roadrunners dropped to 4-13-0.
Reza connected on goals in the 17th, 47th and 80th minute, respectively, and assisted on sophomore Khadim Diouf's (Dakar, Senegal) tally in the 58th minute. He became the first SDSU player to record a hat trick since Tyler Tinling scored four times in San Diego State's 7-0 win over Christian Heritage on Oct. 4, 2001. His seven points are the most in a single-game by any player in the Pac-10 this season.
Reza's first tally came at the 16:47 mark on a give-and-go play with senior co-captain Danny Ortiz (Palmdale, Calif.). Reza passed the ball to Ortiz on the right side and broke toward the 18-yard box where he received Ortiz's pass and blasted a shot into the right corner from 12 yards.
The Aztecs had two more good chances in the first half but failed to connect. The first came just a few minutes after Reza's goal when redshirt junior Matt McManus (Santa Clarita, Calif.) ripped a shot off the left post. Diouf had a chance in the 42nd minute but Cal State Bakersfield goalkeeper Steve Trojanowski came up with a save.
SDSU went into halftime intermission with a 9-1 lead in shots and 3-1 advantage in corner kicks.
Reza scored for the second time just 1:48 into the second half when he took advantage of a misclear by a Roadrunner defender and beat Trojanowski on a breakaway.
Reza's persistence in the 58th minute led to Diouf's third goal of the season. Reza took a through pass and ripped a shot that was saved by Trojanowski. Reza followed with another shot that was saved by Trojanowski. Diouf got the rebound this time and tucked it into the net to put San Diego State up by three goals.
Reza completed his hat trick at the 79:57 mark. Redshirt senior Nick Collins (Paso Robles, Calif.) touched a cross from the left side to sophomore Michio Akazawa (Bellevue, Wash.). Akazawa then calmly send a cross to the far post where Reza poked a shot in for his eighth goal of the season.
The Aztecs, who are now unbeaten in their last four matches, dominated on both sides of the ball, outshooting Cal State Bakersfield, 17-2. Eleven of SDSU's 17 shots were on net, while its defense, consisting mainly of junior M.A.C. Hermann Award candidate Nick Cardenas (Thornton, Colo.), Ortiz, redshirt freshman Justin Davies (San Diego, Calif./Brooks School (Mass.)) and freshman Daniel Steres (Calabasas, Calif.), limited the Roadrunners to just one shot on net.
Reza had a career-high six shots, including five on goal, to pace the San Diego State offense. Diouf and redshirt junior Jamel Wallace (San Diego, Calif./Oceanside HS) each added two attempts.
Senior Jorge Rosales (Redwood City, Calif.) played the first half and made one save. Redshirt freshman R.J. Smith (San Diego, Calif./Granite Hills HS/UC Davis) played the final 45 minutes without having to make a stop.
The Aztecs wrap up their season Saturday against nationally ranked UCLA at 1 p.m. It will be the final home match for five seniors - Collins, Ortiz, Rosales, Myles Davis (Delta, British Columbia) and co-captain Dennis Sanchez (Redmond, Wash.).
MAN OF THE MATCH: Sophomore Raymundo Reza (Denver, Colo.) earned Man of the Match honors after scoring three goals and adding an assist. He became the first Aztec to record a hat trick since 2001, while his seven points are the most in a game by a Pac-10 player this season. Reza had a game and career-high six shots, including five on goal, in 80 minutes.