Aug. 27, 2010
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. - The San Diego State men's soccer team held Cal State Northridge to just one shot on goal, but settled for a scoreless draw Friday night at Matador Soccer Field. The friendly is the one and only tune-up for the Aztecs, who open their season Sept. 1 at Loyola Marymount.
Both teams were on their defensive game in the first half as only one shot on goal was recorded. More than 31 minutes had passed before Northridge's Gustavo Villalobos had his shot denied by Aztec goalkeeper Brad Byrns. In the first 45 minutes, the Matadors posted a total of five shots, while SDSU was credited with three of its own.
San Diego State turned the tables on CSUN by outshooting the home team, 5-3, in the second half, while denying the Matadors a shot on goal. The Aztecs, however, failed to get a quality shot on net for most of the period until they had four attempts in the final 4:50 of regulation.
Raymundo Reza notched SDSU first shot on goal with a header, but was stopped by Matador keeper Joe Scachetti. Not a minute later, Miles Byass had a quality attempt, but suffered the same fate at Reza. Then in the final 1:06, San Diego State received shots by Daniel Steres and Byass, but both were off the mark as the game moved into extra time.
In the first overtime session, SDSU kept the pressure on Cal State Northridge by putting three of its four shots on goal. Byass continued his assault on Scachetti by blasting a pair of shots in the first 4:32, but one was stopped and the other was blocked. Then in the final four minutes of the third stanza, Reza and Andre Acevedo forced the Matador keeper to make a pair of saves and the game was extended another five minutes. The San Diego State defense, meanwhile, maintained its stellar effort by limiting CSUN to just one shot.
With the decision hanging in the balance, both teams managed a single shot with none coming on goal. Cal State Northridge's Camilo Rojas had his shot go high at the 107:16 mark and Khadim Diouf pushed his shot wide 57 seconds later as the two Cal State universities settled for the scoreless tie.
The Aztecs outshot the Matadors, 13-10, and owned a 5-1 advantage in shots on goal. Corner kicks, meanwhile, were even at five apiece. Individually for San Diego State, Byass led the team with four shots and shared the team lead with Reza as both had two shots on goal. Byrns played all 110 minutes and made one save.
SDSU opens its regular season on the road at LMU on Wednesday, Sept. 1. The match is set for a 4 p.m. PT start.