Nov. 6, 2016
SEATTLE -- Redshirt freshman Pablo Pelaez (San Diego, Calif.) scored on a free kick in the waning seconds on Sunday to lift the No. 21/15 San Diego State men's soccer team to a 1-0 triumph over No. 11/10 Washington in a key Pac-12 showdown at Husky Soccer Stadium.
With the victory, the Aztecs sweep the regular-season series against the Huskies for the first time in program history, improving to 9-4-4 overall and 4-3-2 in conference action, while Washington had its hopes of a Pac-12 title dashed, slipping to 13-5 overall and 6-3 in the league standings. The result also gives SDSU its highest win-total since 2011, when the Scarlet and Black finished with a 10-6-3 mark.
"I am so impressed with how this group responded after a very difficult result to swallow on Thursday (at Oregon State)," said San Diego State head coach Lev Kirshner. "They could've easily packed their bags and sulked. Instead, they rebounded to give an inspiring performance against one of the best teams in the country, one that epitomizes the Aztec Soccer Way."
With the 10-second countdown in progress over the public address system at the end of regulation, Pelaez lined up for the decisive kick from about 25 yards away, threading the ball inside the right post past a diving Husky goalkeeper Auden Schilder. The Aztec midfielder led the team with three shots on the evening, while redshirt junior Dallin Cutler finished with two attempts of his own.
Collectively, SDSU was outshot 16-7 for the match, but the trademark Aztec defense rose to the occasion, with redshirt junior Adam Allmaras (San Diego, Calif.) making four saves for his 10th clean sheet of the season and 20th of his career. The rugged contest also featured a combined 32 fouls, including 18 by UW, while the two sides were given four yellow cards apiece.
San Diego State will wrap up its regular-season slate on Thursday, Nov. 10, when it squares off against UCLA at Drake Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif., beginning at 6 p.m. PT. The match will be broadcast on Pac-12 Networks.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Sophomore Kyle Adams (Auckland, New Zealand) was named Man of the Match on Sunday after playing full-time for the 16th time in 17 contests this season. The Aztec defender was key contributor to a backline that helped SDSU post its 10th shutout of the year, including two against Washington. "Kyle did an outstanding job making sure we limited their chances and won most of his duels," Kirshner said. "I placed a very specific challenge to him and Mac (Clarke) in the second half and they performed with aplomb. That changed the game for us in transition."