Sept. 26, 2014
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The No. 27th-ranked San Diego State men's soccer team came up short on the road Friday night, as the Aztecs fell to UC Santa Barbara, 1-0, at Harder Stadium.
SDSU (5-3) got six saves from redshirt freshman goalkeeper Adam Allmaras, but couldn't overcome UCSB's goal in the 21st minute. Sophomore Nick Depuy knocked in his second goal of the season after Allmaras deflected a cross from sophomore Drew Murphy, only to set up Depuy with a clear shot off the rebound.
The goal came just moments after freshman Jeff Rhodes' shot was slightly deflected and hit the crossbar in the 8th minute of the match.
San Diego State had chances to knot the score afterward, but was unable to convert. Just prior to intermission, senior Pablo Vasquez got off a good shot in the 45th minute, but UCSB goalkeeper Brandon Berke was able to make the save and preserve the Gauchos' 1-0 halftime advantage. Freshman Donald Benamna's header in the 67th minute went wide, and the forward later had a shot blocked in the 88th minute.
Fellow freshman Ozzie Ramos got a shot off a Thom Van den Berg corner kick in the 89th minute, but it was also blocked before it could get near the net to end the Aztecs' chance of a late rally.
Benamna, Vasquez, redshirt freshman Julio Alarcon and freshman Jeff Rhodes finished with two shots apiece, while Rhodes, Vasquez and sophomore Casey Macias each recorded a shot on target.
Friday's defeat marks the Aztecs' first losing streak of the season, as the Men of Montezuma are now 1-1 this season in matches following a loss. It's also San Diego State's first loss to UCSB since falling to the Gauchos in the first round of the 2006 NCAA Tournament. Since 2010, SDSU is now 9-7-2 in non-conference road or neutral-site matches.
The Aztecs return to action on Tuesday, Sept. 30, when they play host to Point Loma beginning at 7 p.m. PT at SDSU Sports Deck.
Man of the Match: Redshirt freshman defender Julio Alarcon (El Paso, Texas) was named Man of the Match on Friday night, after playing all 90 minutes on the back line and recording two shots. Alarcon was a member of the U.S. U-17 National Team and was selected to the U.S. Soccer Development Academy (USSDA) "Starting XI" in both 2011 and 2012. He was also named one of the Top 10 Freshmen to Watch by Top Drawer Soccer coming out of Bel Air High School.