Sept. 9, 2016
SAN DIEGO -- Junior Jeroen Meefout scored two goals on Friday to lift the No. 13/9 San Diego State men's soccer team to a 3-0 triumph over UT Rio Grande Valley in the Courtyard Marriott San Diego Central Tournament at SDSU Sports Deck.
With the win, the Aztecs completed their third straight shutout, remaining unbeaten on the year at 3-0-1, while the Vaqueros slip to 2-1-1 overall.
"Our team did an exceptional job keeping their discipline against a well-coached compact team," said SDSU head coach Lev Kirshner. "It was nice to see us score some goals and I continue to be impressed with our team defensively."
The Aztecs have not allowed a goal in their last 377 minutes and 41 seconds of game action as redshirt junior goalkeeper Adam Allmaras made four saves on the night to complete his third straight clean sheet and 13th of his career.
SDSU opened the scoring in the 24th minute when Meefout drilled a free kick from 18 yards out into the left side of the net after UTRGV was whistled for a foul. The Aztecs had a chance to add to their lead later in the 37th minute, but redshirt senior Travis Nicklaw was unable to sneak a shot past Vaquero goalkeeper Esa Aalto from close range by the near post.
After intermission, SDSU also had an opportunity to double its total in the 48th minute, but a blast by redshirt freshman Pablo Pelaez sailed high. The Aztecs persisted, however, drawing another foul near the UTRGV box in the 66th minute to set up a penalty shot by senior Michael Sauers. The Aztec forward promptly delivered, giving the host school a commanding 2-0 advantage.
With less than four minutes remaining in the contest, Meefout put an exclamation point on the victory with a dazzling display of athleticism and ball-control from inside the midfield stripe, weaving his way through at least four defenders before finishing his mini-highlight reel with a shot into the back left post from 10 yards away, which cemented the 3-0 outcome.
Allmaras preserved the shutout by extinguishing three Vaquero threats in the second half, including attempts by Frederik Frankman and Damian Roszczky that came 46 seconds apart near the 78-minute mark.
As a team, SDSU maintained a 5-4 edge in shots on goal and a 4-3 margin in corner kicks.
The Aztecs will close out the tournament on Sunday when they play host to Memphis, starting at 1 p.m. PT. The Tigers (3-2) dropped a 4-1 decision to Cal State Fullerton in the opening match of the event Friday at the Sports Deck.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Jeroen Meefout was tabbed Man of the Match on Friday after scoring two goals, including one in the 87th minute on an outstanding individual effort to help the Aztecs complete their third consecutive shutout. The Houten, Netherlands, native also added a tally on a free kick in the first half, finishing with a game-high three shots despite playing just 41 minutes.