Oct. 13, 2016
STANFORD, Calif. -- The No. 25/17 San Diego State men's soccer team gave a surging Stanford club all it could handle on Thursday, but ultimately dropped a 3-1 decision to the No. 16/19 Cardinal in a Pac-12 showdown on the road at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium.
With the setback, the Aztecs were dealt consecutive defeats for the first time this season, falling to 6-3-3 overall and 1-2-1 in conference play, while the Cardinal won their fourth straight to open Pac-12 competition, moving to 7-2-3 on the year.
Despite outshooting the host school 4-3 in the first half, SDSU found itself on the wrong side of the scoreboard in the seventh minute after Stanford's Foster Langsdorf curled a shot from the top of the box into the right side of the goal following a short pass from Corey Baird.
The Aztecs had a chance for the equalizer in the 11th minute, but a header by redshirt senior Travis Nicklaw on a cross from co-captain Matt Callahan hit the crossbar and bounced straight down just in front of the goal line. The Scarlet and Black also threatened in the 30th minute, but Kyle Adams' attempt was saved by goalkeeper Andrew Epstein.
After intermission, the Cardinal increased their lead to 2-0 in the second half when Tomas Hilliard-Arce scored on a header that found the far left post following a corner kick by Baird in the 65th minute.
San Diego State looked to make a match of it the 76th minute when redshirt freshman Pablo Pelaez one-timed a high arcing shot from 25 yards away for his first goal in an Aztec uniform after the Stanford defense failed to clear a headed ball, which trimmed the deficit to 2-1.
However, the Cardinal quickly regained the moment just over a minute later when Derek Waldeck found the back of the net off a give-and-go from Amir Bashti, who tracked down the ball in the right corner and kept it in play along the end line.
For the contest, Stanford maintained a 14-12 advantage in shots, including an 8-4 spread in those on target, to go with a 9-6 edge in corner kicks.
Individually, the Aztecs were led by junior Jeroen Meefout, who recorded a season-high five shots, including a header that was denied in the 61st minute, while Pelaez and Nicklaw finished with two attempts apiece. In addition, goalkeeper Adam Allmaras made four saves on the night for SDSU, while his counterpart Epstein made three stops of his own.
San Diego State will remain in the Bay Area for its next match when it faces California on Sunday, Oct. 16, at Edwards Stadium in Berkeley, Calif. First tap is set for 2 p.m. PT.
MAN OF THE MATCH: San Diego native Pablo Pelaez was selected Man of the Match on Thursday after netting his first collegiate goal in the 76th minute. The Aztec redshirt freshman played a sparkling 83 minutes at midfield, finishing with two shots on the night.