Aug. 29, 2014
SAN DIEGO - Video Replay | UC Riverside-San Diego State Final Box
San Diego State and UC Riverside played to a 2-2 double-overtime draw Friday afternoon at SDSU Sports Deck. With the decision, the Aztecs watched their record move to 1-1-1, while the Highlanders leave San Diego with a 2-0-1 mark.
UCR got on the board first in the ninth minute when Blanca Barrio found Tyler Cunningham, who touched it twice and knocked in her shot from 15 yards out.
The Aztecs had their chances to level the score in the minutes that followed, but were unable to tickle the twine. It was not until SDSU earned a corner kick that it finally broke through in the 35th minute. Katie Perry sent in her corner attempt from the right side and Hannah Keane headed it to the near post where Kelsey Booth clanged her shot into the net.
The game remained tied at the half and into the second half. San Diego State, however, nearly moved ahead with their second attempt of the period when Haley Locker came streaking down the left and touched it to Keane, who passed it to Aliyah Utush. The freshman's blast was headed for the upper left corner, but was stopped by Highlander goalkeeper Elizabeth Silas.
The action moved back and forth with Angela Mitchell moving quickly down the pitch in the 63rd minute when she was taken down in the box for the second time in three games. As a result, the Aztecs drew a penalty kick, one in which Mariah Helmer calmly tucked away.
SDSU looked to be in control until UC Riverside possessed the ball in the 71st minute and was swinging the ball around. Amanda Apelian was 25 yards out and locked in on Celina Valencia to her left. The forward then corralled the pass and sent in an arching shot into the upper left corner past the leaping Melanie Vaughn to tie the score.
The non-conference tilt remained tied at the end of 90 minutes and the Aztecs dominated the two 10-minute overtime sessions, outshooting UCR, 7-0. San Diego State, unfortunately, could not find the goal it needed to pull out the victory.
For the Aztecs, Helmer and Keane led all players with five shots apiece. Utush, meanwhile, had four attempts with two coming on net tying her with Keane for the team lead. Booth and Helmer's goals were their first of the season. Sophia Trujillo started the game in net and played the first half before giving way to Vaughn who played the duration. Each tallied three saves.
As a team, San Diego State attempted 25 shots compared to UCR's 12, marking the third time this year that SDSU has outshot its opponent. The Aztecs also enjoyed a 9-8 edge in shots on goal and an 8-2 advantage in corner kicks. In fact, SDSU did not allow a corner kick in the final 67 minutes, 13 seconds.
San Diego State concludes its season-opening four-game homestand on Sunday, Aug. 31, when it plays host to No. 10/24 Michigan at 7 p.m. PT. Admission is free and the game will stream live online at GoAztecs.com and the Mountain West Network.