Nov. 1, 2009
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
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The 24th-ranked San Diego State men's soccer team stretched its unbeaten streak to four games with 1-1, double-overtime tie against Michigan State in East Lansing, Mich., on Sunday. Junior Khadim Diouf (Dakar, Senegal) scored for the Aztecs (6-4-5), who outshot the host Spartans (10-4-2), 18-5, including a 6-3 advantage on net.
Riding the emotions of Senior Day, MSU came into the weekend with a four-game winning streak, including a 1-0, double-overtime victory at seven-time NCAA champion Indiana. With the draw against Michigan State, the Big Ten regular season and conference tournament champion a year ago, SDSU has now gotten results in six of its nine matches against top-40 RPI teams (3-3-3). San Diego State came into the contest at No. 11 in the latest RPI, while the Spartans were 23rd.
Diouf's goal was one of many quality chances for the Aztecs as they threatened after a first half that saw them lead in shots, 6-3. SDSU's aggressive attack in the second 45 began when freshman Morgan Sacco (Greeley, Colo.) reamed a shot off the post in the 54th minute. Freshman Jose Altamirano (San Diego/Southwest HS) corralled the rebound but his shot was stopped by Avery Steinlage's desperate save.
Not even a minute later, junior Raymundo Reza (Denver, Colo.), the reigning Pac-10 Player of the Week, had a great chance that was saved by Steinlage's fingertips. Diouf and Reza each had attempts over the next three minutes, giving San Diego State the first five shots of the second half.
After the Spartans finally got a break, they didn't waste it. Following a foul and yellow card on an Aztec player in the 61st minute, Rubin Bega took Spencer Thompson's free kick and finished to put the home team on the board.
SDSU almost tied it in the 68th minute but sophomore Daniel Steres (Calabasas, Calif.) missed an open header that slid by the post. After senior Daniel Ortega's (San Diego/Eastlake HS) shot early in the 77th minute was saved once again by Steinlage, it appeared a San Diego State goal was just around the corner.
Diouf answered the call at 76:43 when he took a pass from Reza down the left side, and beat the MSU defense and Steinlage with a goal from eight yards out. Ortega was also credited with the assist on the equalizer, his team-leading seventh helper of the season and most by an Aztec since Kenny Fechner had 10 in 2003.
The score would remain at 1-1 the rest of the game, but not because of a lack of effort on the SDSU's part. San Diego State continued its onslaught of quality shot attempts, outshooting Michigan State, 6-0, over the final 39:49 of the match. The visitor's best chance after the Diouf goal arguably came from freshman Devon Sandoval (Albuquerque, N.M.), but his left-footed shot from 20 yards went just wide in the 97th minute.
The overtime game was the Aztecs' 10th of the season, one shy of St. Louis's NCAA record of 11, set in 2003 (according to the NCAA record book).
Reza had a game-high four shots for SDSU, while Diouf chipped in with three. Ortega and preseason All-American Nick Cardenas (Thornton, Colo.) added two attempts each as 11 different players had at least on shot.
Redshirt junior Brad Byrns (Alamo, Calif.) made two stops in 90 minutes, while the Spartans' Steinlage had five.
After playing three consecutive road games, San Diego State returns to America's Finest City for a Pac-10 match against Washington at 3 p.m. Friday.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Junior Khadim Diouf (Dakar, Senegal) earned Man of the Match honors after scoring the equalizer in the 77th minute. It was his third goal of the season as he moved into third on the team with eight points. Diouf finished off a pass from classmate Raymundo Reza in one of his three shot attempts. The three shots were the second-most in the game as he played all 110 minutes in the midfield and up front.