Oct. 12, 2012
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SAN DIEGO -
UCLA-San Diego State Final Box
The San Diego State men's soccer team dropped a 4-3 decision to No. 5/4/5 UCLA at Montezuma Road Friday night. The loss dips the Aztecs' record to 4-6-2 (0-4-1 Pac-12), while the Bruins improve to 9-2-2 (4-1-0 Pac-12).
SDSU controlled the first half outshooting the Bruins, 12-3, but UCLA made the most of its opportunities starting with its first shot attempt. Leo Stolz sent a well-placed cross to Joe Sofia, who was on the left side of the box and the defender headed the ball into the right side of the net from three yards out in the sixth minute.
The Aztecs continued to dominate possession and they found the equalizer in the 26th minute when Robbie Freise sent a long cross into the box from the left side and found Jordan Ongaro. SDSU's leading scorer then headed the ball past Bruins goalkeeper Earl Edwards from four yards. The goal was Ongaro's seventh of the year.
San Diego State held the UCLA offense in check, but the Bruins were opportunistic in the 40th minute. On the counterattack, Ryan Hollingshead crossed a pass to the right side where Reed Williams knocked in his attempt from five yards out as the visitors took a 2-1 lead and carried the advantage into halftime. The goal was UCLA's second in as many shot attempts.
The Aztecs picked up where they left off as far as controlling the tempo and in the 51st minute they were rewarded for their efforts. An Aztec player was taken down just outside the box, which gave SDSU a free kick. Captain Ata Ozbay took the shot and the ball found the upper left corner of the net. Ozbay's first of the season leveled the score at 2-2.
Less than eight minutes later in the 59th minute, a bouncing ball entered the box and SDSU goalkeeper Blake Hylen came out to greet it. Williams, however, got to the ball first and lofted the ball toward the net. Hylen leaped and tipped the ball, but the ball trickled into the net and Williams had his second goal of the night, which gave UCLA a 3-2 lead. The assist was credited to Hollingshead.
SDSU continued to create opportunities for itself, but could not find the back of the net. After 23 minutes of scoreless action, the Aztecs tied the score at 3-3 in the 82nd minute. Ozbay chipped a beautiful ball over the defense and Blake Wise was the beneficiary as he headed the ball in from three yards.
Then just over two minutes later in the 84th minute, Ryan Hollingshead fired a shot that ricocheted of the post and Victor Chavez battled through the scrum in the front of the net and knocked in the go-ahead goal for UCLA. The Aztecs were relentless in the final minutes, but were unable to come up with the game-tying goal.
For the fourth time in five Pac-12 games, San Diego State outshot its opponent and on this night, finished with a 27-11 advantage. The Aztecs also totaled 11 shots on goal compared to the Bruins' six. SDSU also ended the game with a 6-4 cushion in corner kicks.
Individually, Ozbay and Kody Duff led all players with five shots, while Wise and Ongaro had four and three shots, respectively. Ongaro recorded a game-high three shots on net. Defensively, Hylen finished with two saves.
San Diego State returns to action on Monday when it plays host to Point Loma Nazarene at Montezuma Road. First tap is set for 7 p.m. PT.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Ata Ozbay is the Man of the Match after scoring one goal and adding one assist. The co-captain tied the game at 2-2 on a free kick and assisted on the game-tying third goal, which was credited to Blake Wise. Ozbay put numerous quality shots on net while finishing with a game-high-tying five for the game. The senior played the entire 90 minutes at the forward position.