Oct. 17, 2009
USAF ACADEMY, Colo. -
San Diego State-Air Force Final Box in PDF Format
Behind Michaela DeJesus' goal in the fourth minute and an impressive defensive showing, San Diego State defeated Air Force, 1-0, Saturday evening at Cadet Soccer Stadium. With the victory, the Aztecs extend their unbeaten streak to 10 games and improve their record to 9-3-5 overall and 2-0-2 within the Mountain West Conference. The Falcons, meanwhile, fall to 2-13-1 and remain winless in five attempts in Mountain West play.
From the opening tap, SDSU was aggressive offensively. In the second minute, the Aztecs got behind the Air Force backline, but was called for offsides. Not two minutes later, DeJesus was on the receiving end of a deflection and the junior knocked in her second goal of the season from 10 yards out to give the visitors a 1-0 lead at 3:36.
The Aztecs dominated the rest of the first half with an array of shots and corner kicks, but were unable to find the back of the net. The defense was stellar in posting its second consecutive shutout as it allowed the first Falcon shot in the 37th minute. After the first 45 minutes, San Diego State owned a 6-2 advantage in shots and a 3-0 edge in corner kicks.
The second half was much like the first in that the Aztecs controlled the tempo. SDSU enjoyed the first two offensive opportunities as evidenced by a Cat Walker shot and a Jessica Gordon corner kick. Air Force, meanwhile, had its top scoring chance in the 56th minute when Bridgett Murphy was stopped by Aubree Southwick and then attempted to tie the score 30 seconds later, but had her shot go wide. Not 40 seconds later, the Falcons' Krystin Shanklin took her best shot, but it, too, went wide as San Diego State escaped unscathed. After a frantic 1:14, the Aztecs regained their form and outshot the Falcons, 6-4, the rest of the way to secure their ninth win of the year.
As a team, SDSU finished the game with an advantage in shots (13-9), shots on goal (5-3) and corner kicks (4-0). Individually, Niki Fernandes took a team-high three shots, while Walker, Gordon and Gretel Amman each attempted a pair. Southwick, meanwhile, was stellar again as she stopped all three shots on goal, recorded her seventh shutout of the season and lowered her goals-against average to 0.99. In her last three outings, the junior has allowed just one goal while logging every minute in net.
San Diego State, which is 6-0-4 during its 10-game unbeaten run, returns to the pitch on Friday, Oct. 23, when it plays host to New Mexico on Senior Day. Prior to the contest, seniors Millie Allen, Allie Crowson, Heather Vandevanter and Gordon will be honored. Game time is scheduled for 4 p.m. PT at SDSU Sports Deck.