Nov. 6, 2009
SAN DIEGO -
The 25th-ranked San Diego State men's soccer team recorded a season-high 11 shots on goal and tied its high with 21 shot attempts, but couldn't get one into the net in a 2-0 loss to Washington Friday afternoon at SDSU Sports Deck. The loss snapped the Aztecs' (6-5-5, 3-3-2 Pac-10) four-game unbeaten streak and dropped the team into a third-place tie in league play with the Huskies (5-5-6, 2-1-5 Pac-10).
Brent Richards got UW on the board just 3 minutes, 8 seconds into the match when he stole a pass in the back, beat an SDSU defender and drilled a left-footed shot into the lower-right corner from 15 yards.
The rest of the half, save one or two plays, was controlled by San Diego State. At the 4:22 mark, junior Raymundo Reza (Denver, Colo.) and senior Nick Cardenas (Thornton, Colo.) went back and forth until Reza's shot was stopped by Washington goalkeeper Rylan Hawkins, one of many Aztec attempts that were right at Hawkins.
Minutes later, the Huskies had another good chance but Taylor Mueller's header was tipped over the crossbar by SDSU redshirt junior goalkeeper Brad Byrns (Alamo, Calif.).
After a UW foul in the 20th minute, San Diego State senior Daniel Ortega (San Diego/Eastlake HS) laid a free kick back to Reza, who ripped a low, hard shot from roughly 27 yards that was knocked down inside the box. Junior Khadim Diouf (Dakar, Senegal) was there for the rebound but his attempt was directly at a Washington defender and cleared out of harm's way.
At the 24:00 mark, redshirt senior Matt McManus (Santa Clarita, Calif.) got free on the right side and slid a shot that was saved by Hawkins and cleared out on the goal line by Husky defender Tyler Klein.
In the 30th minute, redshirt sophomore Justin Davies (San Diego/Brooks School (Mass.)) finished a good Aztec offensive attack but pushed it high from close range on the right side with a tough angle.
Down, 1-0, SDSU would go into halftime with a 10-8 advantage in shots with each team recording four corner kicks apiece.
Early in the second half, UW's Jamie Finch beat a few San Diego State players before redshirt sophomore Pedro Adan (San Diego/Preuss HS) was able to get back and clear the ball out of the box.
At the 55:17 mark, Cardenas headed a cross at Hawkins. On the ensuing counterattack, Washington's Matt Van Houten dribbled down the right side and sent in a cross to Casey Cunningham, who headed his shot left of the net.
In the 60th minute, Reza ripped a half-volley from 15 yards into Hawkins stomach. Minutes later, Reza received Ortega's corner kick and bended a one-timer inches off the near (right) post.
Sophomore Daniel Steres (Calabasas, Calif.) tried to tie the match up in the 76th minute when he made a great individual effort to get free and head a shot that was stopped by Hawkins.
In the 82nd minute, Adan had a good look at the frame after pushing the ball to his right, but his shot went a few feet over the crossbar from just outside the 18-yard box.
Ryan Moore had a good chance for the Huskies in the 83rd minute after the Aztecs were pressing for the equalizer. Moore found himself free on the right side and, after Cardenas slipped, broke toward the net. Byrns cut off Moore's angle, however, forcing him to clear the frame by five or six feet inside 10 yards.
SDSU kept up its offensive possession until UW got the ball on a counterattack. Van Houten fired a shot from the right side that was stopped nicely by Byrns. Van Houten, however, finished the rebound attempt into the left corner, putting Washington up for good at 2-0.
Cardenas' last ditch header in the waning moments was, once again, right at Hawkins.
For the match, San Diego State outshot the Huskies, 21-16, including an 11-9 advantage on net. The Aztecs also won the corner kick battle, 6-4.
Reza had a game-high five shots (three on net) to lead the SDSU offense, while McManus added four attempts (two on net). Diouf (three), Cardenas (two) and freshman Devon Sandoval (two) each had multi-shot matches. Senior Evan Toft (Aurora, Colo.) returned after missing the past eight games (seven Pac-10 contests) and had one shot in 18 minutes.
Byrns made seven saves in 90 minutes to move past Curtis McAlister (1988-90) into sixth-place in program history with 107 career stops. He is now four short of tying Brett Weaver (1993-94) for fifth on the all-time charts. Hawkins made 11 saves for UW.
San Diego State will look to get back to its winning ways Sunday when it plays host to Oregon State at noon. It will be the final home match for six seniors - Steve Beitashour (San Jose, Calif.), Cardenas, McManus, Ortega, Toft and Jamel Wallace (San Diego/Oceanside HS) - who will be honored in a special pregame ceremony.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Redshirt sophomore Pedro Adan (San Diego/Preuss HS) earned Man of the Match honors for his all-around play in the midfield. Offensively, Adan recorded one shot in 90 minutes while controlling the middle. Defensively, Adan made at least two plays in the back to thwart Washington scoring chances.