Sept. 12, 2010
SAN DIEGO -
North Carolina-San Diego State Final Box in PDF Format | Video Recap
The San Diego State women's soccer team played host to top-ranked North Carolina and were edged by the Tar Heels, 1-0, on a sunny Sunday afternoon at SDSU Sports Deck. The loss drops SDSU, which started four freshmen and three sophomores, to 2-4-2 on the season, while the defending national champions improve to 6-0-1.
North Carolina logged the only goal of the game in the 10th minute when Crystal Dunn controlled the ball in the midfield and found Alyssa Rich on the right side of the pitch. Rich then sent a cross to the far post and Kealia Ohai calmly put her shot by SDSU goalkeeper Aubree Southwick.
The rest of the first half was evenly played as both teams' defensive units swarmed the ball. At the end of 45 minutes, the Tar Heels accumulated three shots, with two on goal, while the Aztecs attempted two. UNC, meanwhile, attempted the lone corner kick of the first half.
After halftime, the match maintained its defensive theme as both teams did a solid job of thwarting each others' scoring opportunities. San Diego State, however, had its top opportunity in the 54th minute. Sophomore Rachael McGlinchy, who had the ball on the right side of the field, found Michaela DeJesus on the left side and had a clear shot with only the keeper standing in her way. The senior blasted her shot, but was stopped by Anna Sieloff.
"Michaela finds the back of the net 19 times out of 20," head coach Mike Friesen said of DeJesus' scoring opportunity. "I wouldn't rather have anyone else take that shot in that situation."
The Aztecs had another quality chance to level the score with 15 seconds left in regulation, but freshman Haley Palmer's attempt from the left side was saved by Sieloff.
San Diego State, which had five shots for the game, limited North Carolina to just seven for the game, including three on goal. The seven shot attempts were the Tar Heels' fewest since Oct. 14, 2007, when they had 10 in a 1-0 win over Wake Forest. UNC came into the weekend averaging 22.8 shots per contest and the one goal ties for the fewest goals scored in a game this season.
The decision marked the third 1-0 defeat of the season to a top-10 ballclub for San Diego State. Earlier this year, the Aztecs lost at No. 9 Santa Clara and No. 9 Florida the following weekend.
In other news, North Carolina and San Diego State attracted a women's soccer SDSU Sports Deck record 717 fans. The previous high to see a women's soccer game at the facility was 571 against UNLV on Oct. 30, 2004.
The Aztecs return to action on Friday when they play at the Oregon State Nike Invitational. SDSU will take on Oregon at 4:30 p.m. PT in Corvallis, Ore.