Sept. 20, 2009
SAN DIEGO -
Long Beach State-San Diego State Final Box in PDF Format 
Behind goals from Hillary Harvey and Cat Walker, San Diego State extended its unbeaten streak to three matches and won its second straight with its 2-1 decision over Long Beach State Sunday afternoon at SDSU Sports Deck. The Aztecs improve to 5-3-2 on the year, while the 49ers, the West Region's fifth-ranked squad, fall to 4-4-0.
The first half was a possession battle with both teams spending the majority of the time in the middle of the field. In the first nine minutes, a total of three shots were taken, including attempts by Niki Fernandes (7:29) and Jessica Gordon (8:50), which were stopped by Long Beach State goalkeeper Nicoline Jorgensen.
The stalemate continued for the next 28 minutes before a series of events, spurred by a 49er yellow card, changed the course of the match. At 37:37, Long Beach State's Jenn Brooks was issued a yellow card, which gave way to a free kick by Hayley Marsh. The boot was blocked by a wall, Michaela DeJesus picked up the rebound and found Harvey, who notched her first career goal after she found an opening on the bottom left side.
Owning a 1-0 lead after halftime, the Aztecs' defense remained strong despite the physical play and the offense showed no signs of letting up early on. SDSU outshot the 49ers, 5-1, in the early going and found gold in the 71st minute when Marisa Fraticelli on the right side connected with Walker, who finished the play with her fourth goal of the year after she put it in the upper left corner.
Long Beach State, down by two, responded quickly when Nicole Hubbard scored from 18 yards out after she got past the defense and was one-on-one with Aztec goalkeeper Aubree Southwick (72:38).
With San Diego State holding a 2-1 lead, the 49ers created a handful of goal-scoring chances down the stretch and in the final six minutes, but were turned away each time by the Aztecs as the home team earned a hard-fought win.
With the victory, SDSU improves to 7-1-1 in its last nine non-conference home games, a streak that dates back to the 2007 season. In 2009, San Diego State is 3-1 at home and will play its next five games at SDSU Sports Deck.
The Aztecs will return to the pitch on Sunday, Sept. 27, as they play host to the West Region's sixth-ranked team in UC Irvine. The match is slated for a 2:30 p.m. PT start.