Oct. 18, 2015
SAN DIEGO, Calif. - The San Diego State men's soccer team scored a goal just over a minute into its match against No. 3 Stanford, but fell to the Cardinal, 3-1, in a Pac-12 matinee at SDSU Sports Deck on Sunday.
San Diego State, who out-shot Stanford 14-10 in the match, falls to 6-5-2 overall and 1-4-0 in Pac-12 play. The Cardinal move to 11-1-1 and is now 4-0-1 against Pac-12 teams.
"Knowing that we can play with and beat teams of such high quality is a positive for us," head coach Lev Kirshner said. "As we progress, there will continue to be learning moments for us."
The match got off to a fast start, with three goals scored in the opening 11 minutes, precipitated by an Aztecs goal just 1:18 in. Dallin Cutler took an initial left-footed shot, on which Andrew Epstein made the stop, and Jeroen Meefout was able to cash in on the rebound for the early 1-0 lead.
Ten minutes later, the Cardinal knotted the score at 1-1 when U.S. Men's National Team member Jordan Morris knocked in the ball from inside the box at a low angle.
Just 45 seconds later, Stanford took its first lead of the match when an Aztec defender blocked a cross attempt by the Cardinal, but Corey Baird was able to pick up the ball and score the 2-1 tally from the front of the net.
The Cardinal would get their insurance goal at the 55-minute mark. Eric Verso sent a cross from the right side to Baird, who fired in a quick shot for the final 3-1 marker.
The Aztecs wouldn't go down without a fight, however. In the 63rd minute, Kyle Adams took a shot from the left side of the box after an Ozzie Ramos free kick. The shot was blocked but Adams promptly collected the rebound, sending the ball sailing high and wide.
Another opportunity came for San Diego State at 81:39 when Winston Sorhaitz took a shot from close range and forced a diving stop by Andrew Epstein.
"The attack we used against Stanford was effective," Meefout said. "It was a good effort. We worked hard and we played well."
San Diego State out-shot Stanford, 14-10, putting seven shots on goal, and were led by Meefout's four shots. The Aztecs last took more shots than an opponent ranked in the top three was against then-No. 2 UCLA on Nov. 16, 2013 in a 3-0 loss. The last time San Diego State out-shot the Cardinal was Oct. 13, 2013, when San Diego State out-shot Stanford, 16-13, in a 3-3 tie at home.
Adam Allmaras made three saves in the match, as his record moved to 4-5-2. Epstein stopped six Aztec shots, with his mark improving to 11-1-1.
Said Kirshner, "We have a very good team that's looking to learn and get better. Every day, I'm proud of their effort."
The Aztecs rematch with the Pac-12's Bay Area teams next weekend, visiting California on Fri., Oct. 23 at 2 p.m. and Stanford on Mon., Oct. 26 at 7 p.m. Both matches will be broadcast live on the Pac-12 Networks.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Jeroen Meefout is the Aztecs' Man of the Match against Stanford. With his parents in the stands visiting from Houten, Netherlands, the sophomore scored San Diego State's lone goal of the match just 1:18 in off of the rebound of a Dalin Cutler shot. He took four shots to lead the team.