Nov. 8, 2013
FINAL STATS | FINAL BOX SCORE | PHOTO GALLERY
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State men's soccer team's furious second-half rally fell short on Friday night, as the Aztecs ran out of time in a loss to Wright State, 3-2, at SDSU Sports Deck.
With the fog billowing over the field, SDSU got on the scoreboard with senior forward Jordan Ongaro's team-leading ninth goal of the season in the 87th minute to cut the Aztecs' deficit to 3-1. The assist came from Abraham Villon, which was his team-high seventh of the season.
Following a foul in the box just two minutes later, senior midfielder Morgan Sacco knocked in a penalty kick in the 89th minute to pull San Diego State within 3-2. But with only 111 seconds remaining on the clock, the Aztecs never got off another good shot attempt and lost in their first-ever meeting with Wright State.
SDSU outshot the Raiders by an incredible 30-11 margin, including a 15-3 advantage in the first half, as Ongaro recorded a team-high seven shots and Villon finished with six (four on target). The Aztecs had a 10-5 edge in corner kicks, as San Diego State pressured Wright State offensively throughout the night.
Senior Casey Meuser had a shot saved by WSU goalkeeper Tyler Blackmer in just the third minute of the match, as the Aztecs came out aggressively from the start. A shot from Villon sailed wide later in the third minute, and senior Kevin Bick's shot in the seventh minute was once again saved by Blackmer.
Only moments later, Wright State broke the scoreless tie as Bryce Rockwell-Ashton found the back of the net from 10 yards out off of assists from both Sam DeRoy and Eric Lynch to make it 1-0. However, SDSU kept up its intensity and had one of its best scoring opportunities of the first half in the 23rd minute when Ongaro gathered a pass in the box from Villon, but the senior's left-footed shot from the left side of the net went wide left.
Holding onto a slim one-goal advantage at halftime, Wright State quickly added onto its lead early in the second half. Zach Zwiesler passed ahead to Wesley Cain streaking down the middle of the field, and his shot into the bottom left side of the net past redshirt freshman Keenan Townsend put the Raiders in front, 2-0, in the 46th minute. WSU added one more score on Lynch's diagonal shot from the left side to make it 3-0 in the 79th minute.
San Diego State returns to the pitch on Tuesday, Nov. 12, when it plays host to Grand Canyon, beginning at 7 p.m. PT at SDSU Sports Deck.
Man of the Match: Senior midfield Abraham Villon (Garden Grove, Calif.) was named Man of the Match on Friday, as he recorded his team-leading seventh assist of the season on Jordan Ongaro's goal in the 87th minute. Villon also had a team-high four shots on goal and played all 90 minutes. The senior's 19 points this season leads SDSU, and he entered the week ranked second in the Pac-12 Conference in points and points per match (1.20).