Oct. 26, 2012
Highlights | Postgame Interview: Mike Friesen | Postgame Interview: Rachael McGlinchy
SAN DIEGO -- The No. 6/11/6 San Diego State women's soccer team finished the 2012 Mountain West regular season with an unblemished record after recording a 1-0 Senior Day victory against New Mexico (10-6-2, 4-2-1 MW) on Friday evening in front of a record-breaking crowd of 1,122 at SDSU Sports Deck. The Aztecs are now 17-1-1 and 7-0 in MW play, marking just the second time in program history SDSU has finished undefeated in league play (6-0 in the WAC during the 1998 season).
"The Aztec women's soccer team would like to dedicate tonight's win to Scott Burns," head coach Mike Friesen said. "We are truly appreciative of everything he has done for our university and specifically our team. He will be missed."
Burns, who was the San Diego State Associate Vice President for Financial Operations, passed away unexpectedly on Thursday morning. Burns was an avid fan of both soccer programs and a positive influence on decisions relative to the Athletics Operating Budget. Most recently, Burns was instrumental in the addition of lights to the SDSU Sports Deck, setting the stage for this year's Women's Soccer team to Light the Deck.
Prior to the contest, the Aztecs honored their seven seniors in Megan Allaire, Kim Carcich, Marisa Fraticelli, Sarah Halverson, Tiffany Hurst, Megan Jurado and Rachael McGlinchy. Following that ceremony, the Aztecs took time to honor Burns with a moment of silence.
Once the contest was underway, neither team was able to gain the upper hand as the first shot was taken in the 11th minute on a header from sophomore Haley Locker.
Both teams would continue to battle back-and-forth down the stretch, but the Aztecs gained control as they produced a number of great scoring opportunities. At the 18:13 mark, Halverson had a tremendous shot just miss to the right. Jurado then found herself in a terrific spot being one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but she was unable to fire an attempt towards the net.
In the second half, SDSU picked up the offensive intensity right off the bat and found success. Less than three minutes in, sophomore Kelsey Booth took a pass from Jurado and fired a shot from 18 yards out that connected to give the Aztecs a 1-0 advantage.
The game then shifted back to a defensive battle, but SDSU remained in control as time ticked off the clock. The Lobos, however, kept the Aztec defense busy and managed to fire some shots on goal. Redshirt sophomore Rachel Boaz hung in there though and didn't allow any to get past her as SDSU picked up the win.
When it was all said and done, the Aztecs outshot New Mexico by a 12-7 margin (4-3 in shots on goal). Boaz, meanwhile, played all 90 minutes in goal and picked up her 17th win of 2012.
SDSU now prepares to play host to the 2012 Mountain West Tournament at SDSU Sports Deck from Oct. 31-Nov. 4. The Aztecs have already clinched the No. 1 seed and a bye to Friday's semifinals, where they will face the winner of the No. 4 vs. No. 5 matchup.