Nov. 3, 2016
CORVALLIS, Ore. -- After a furious rally late in the second half, the No. 21/15 San Diego State men's soccer team suffered a heartbreaking 3-2 defeat in overtime Thursday at the hands of host Oregon State in a Pac-12 match at Lorenz Field.
With the loss, the Aztecs slip to 8-4-4 overall and 3-3-2 in conference play, while the Beavers move to 6-7-2 on the season and 2-4-2 in the Pac-12.
"Our team displayed amazing character and determination to come back from two goals down," said SDSU head coach Lev Kirshner. "We felt very comfortable and in control of this game as we were on the front foot for most of it, leading in shots and corner kicks. In the end, however, it was hats off to (OSU forward) Jordan Jones' performance. He single-handedly gave our back four fits today and scored a game-winning wonder goal for his efforts."
Trailing 2-0, the Scarlet and Black broke its scoring drought in the 77th minute when redshirt senior Travis Nicklaw headed a shot past Oregon State keeper Ryan Vincent into the right side of the net for his team-leading fifth goal of the season following a corner kick by redshirt junior Dallin Cutler.
A similar scenario unfolded shortly thereafter as Cutler once again lined up for a corner kick. This time, however, it was redshirt sophomore Greg Norris who came up with the clutch tally, battling through heavy traffic to knock another header past Vincent for the equalizer in the 85th minute.
With momentum on their side, the Aztecs looked to complete the comeback in overtime. However, Vincent made two saves on a pair of blasts by Norris in the first four minutes of the extra period.
Nearly four minutes later, the Beavers stunned the visitors with the game-winner as Eric Diaz delivered a cross from the right side to the aforementioned Jordan Jones, who managed to punch the ball just inside the right post on a remarkable bicycle kick from 15 yards out for his second goal of the afternoon.
After a scoreless first half, OSU got on the board first when Matt Arbogast one-timed a shot from just inside the box after a couple of short feeds by Nathan Braaten and Jaime Miralles in the 50th minute.
The Beavers then extended their advantage to 2-0 in the 56th minute after Diaz threaded a long pass to Jones, who dribbled once before curling in a ball from the near right wing.
For the match, SDSU maintained a 17-13 shot advantage, including an 8-5 spread in those directed on goal. In addition, the Aztecs owned a 9-5 edge on corner kicks.
Individually, nine players attempted at least one shot for SDSU, including three apiece by Norris, Nicklaw and redshirt freshman Pablo Pelaez. Aztec goalkeeper Adam Allmaras finished with two saves on the day, while his counterpart Vincent came up with six stops overall.
San Diego State continues its road swing on Sunday, Nov. 6, when it faces No. 11/10 Washington at Husky Soccer Field in Seattle, Wash. Match time is set for 5 p.m. PT.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Greg Norris was selected as Man of the Match on Thursday after scoring his first goal in an Aztec uniform to level the contest at 2-2 in the 85th minute. The redshirt sophomore midfielder checked in for the final 14 minutes of the match, but still led the team with three shots on goal.