Sept. 17, 2010
MADISON, Wis -
Junior Daniel Steres (Calabasas, Calif.) knocked in senior Raymundo Reza's (Denver, Colo.) initial shot in the 37th minute to give the San Diego State men's soccer team a 1-0 victory over Wisconsin Friday night in Madison, Wis. It was the fourth consecutive victory for the Aztecs (4-1-0), their longest streak since the beginning of the 2007 season. Dayton defeated Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2-0, in the first game of the Middleton Sports and Fitness Invitational.
The SDSU goal came when Reza blasted a free kick from 20 yards to the far post, where Badger (1-4-0) goalkeeper Ryan Vint made the save. Steres, who was battling injuries in both feet, was there to pounce on the rebound and one-touch it inside the left post. It was Steres' first goal of the season and Reza's third assist in 2010.
San Diego State finished the first half with a 3-2 edge in shots, including a 2-0 advantage in shots on net.
In the second half, Reza had two early hard-pace attempts blocked by a UW defender, before freshman Casey Meuser's (Granite Bay, Calif.) shot went well above the crossbar.
Reza later had his attempt saved by Vint once again, before senior Khadim Diouf's (Dakar, Senegal) shot went wide at the 74:02 mark.
Wisconsin tried to answer in the 76th minute, but Aaron Nichols' shot was saved by Aztec goalkeeper Brad Byrns (Alamo, Calif.) and cleared out by a defender.
SDSU gained possession back at the end of the game to hold onto the 1-0 win, extending its best start to a season since 2005 (4-0-1).
San Diego State outshot the hosts, 8-7, for the match and held a 4-3 edge in corner kicks. Reza led the way with a game-high four shots, including two on net. Diouf, Meuser, Steres and redshirt junior Pedro Adan (San Diego/Preuss HS) each added one attempt apiece.
Byrns (4-1-0) made two saves for his second shutout of the season to lower his goals against average to 1.00. He is now 17-8-7 as a starter over his Aztec career.
The defensive quartet of Steres, Meuser, redshirt freshman Robbie Freise (Canyon Country, Calif.) and true freshman Tyrone Martin (Indianapolis, Ind.) limited the Badgers to just two shots on net and seven overall.
SDSU wraps up its play in the Middleton Sports and Fitness Invitational Sunday with a match against Wisconsin-Milwaukee at 12:30 p.m. CT.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Sophomore Jose Altamirano (San Diego/Southwest HS) earned Man of the Match honors after logging 74 valuable minutes in the midfield. Altamirano stood out for his service skills and his possession in the midfield.