Sept. 11, 2016
ITHACA, N.Y. -
San Diego State-Cornell Final Box
San Diego State picked up its first win of the season on a Victoria Barba penalty kick as the Aztecs defeated Cornell on the road, 1-0. The Aztecs move to 1-4 on the year, while the Big Red fall to 2-3.
"We played well on a very tough trip," head coach Mike Friesen said. "This was a great team effort and I'm proud of the fight in this team, which will carry us far this season."
SDSU was able to record its elusive goal and victory in the moments just before the end of the first half. Aliyah Utush sent a nice through-ball to Dani DeRosa, who was taken down in the box with 48 seconds left. As a result, Barba scored on a PK, which put an end to the Aztecs' scoreless streak to begin the year.
The senior's goal was a long-time coming for San Diego State, which had played better over the last few games, but with nothing to show for. In the first 45 minutes, the Aztecs resembled the team that has won seven of the last eight Mountain West trophies the league has handed out. SDSU outshot the Big Red, 8-4, and spent a majority of its time in the attacking third as evidenced by its 5-1 advantage in corner kicks.
Even with the stats leaning heavily in the visitors' favor, San Diego State still only owned a 1-0 lead as the second half started. The Aztecs, however, continued their recent strong defensive effort in the second half, excluding their most recent outing at Penn State, and pitched a shutout in the final 45.
On the other half of the field, San Diego State closed the game by keeping the pressure on the home team. The Aztecs took 11 shots and had six corner kicks. Cornell, meanwhile, was limited to six attempts and was held without a corner.
All told, SDSU held a 19-10 advantage in shots and enjoyed a 9-5 cushion in shots on goal. Corner kicks were 11-1 in favor of the Scarlet and Black.
Utush and Angela Mitchell led San Diego State with four shots apiece, while Barba, Milan Moses, Stacie Moran and Rachel Speros each attempted two shots. Three of Utush's attempts were on target with Speros putting both of her shots on net. Defensively, Hailey Balma made her first start of the season in her second game of the year and goalkeeper Gabby English made five stops after a career-high 10 at PSU.
The Aztecs return to SDSU Sports Deck on Thursday, Sept. 15, to begin a four-game homestand. The schedule brings Weber State to Montezuma Mesa for a 7 p.m. PT game that will be streamed live on GoAztecs.com via the Mountain West Network. Admission is free.