Aug. 18, 2017
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State men's soccer team topped Cal Poly Pomona 1-0 in a preseason exhibition behind Winston Sorhaitz's 11th minute tally and strong support from the backline and goalkeeping.
"I thought we handled ourselves well for our first game against an outstanding team," said head coach Lev Kirshner. "It was a good challenge for us, and we did what we do best - we defended very well and we created chances. We could have been a bit sharper in the attacking third but we have not done one attacking session yet. With that, we're pretty happy with today's result."
The Aztecs got on the board first with Sorhaitz collecting a deflected Jeroen Meefout shot and pushing it past Broncos goalkeeper Jason Trejos in the 11th minute.
That would prove to be all the offense SDSU would need, as Max Watkin and Cameron Hogg teamed up to each post a scoreless half in net. Kyle Adams played all 90 minutes on the SDSU backline and made broke up several CPP attacks throughout the contest.
Watkin collected a match-high three saves in the first half, while Hogg collected two saves in the final 45 minutes that included a highlight-reel diving stop early in the second half that ultimately preserved SDSU's 1-0 victory.
"I thought both of our goalkeepers were very good tonight," said Kirshner. "The backline made some saves that were important for us and Kyle Adams had a very good game. Spencer Madden played well and the bottom line is that this was just a quality team effort tonight."
SDSU applied a strong amount of offensive pressure in the second half, outshooting Cal Poly Pomona 6-4 while having a 3-1 advantage in corner kicks. Just two of CPP's four shots in the second half were on target.
The Aztecs now look towards the official start of their 2017 campaign, as the squad makes the trip east to play Army West Point in West Point, N.Y. next Friday, Aug. 25, at 7:30 p.m. ET. SDSU follows that contest with a neutral site match, also at Clinton Field on Army West Point's campus, against Vermont on Sunday, Aug. 27 at 12:00 p.m. ET.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Winston Sorhaitz was named Man of the Match with his 11th minute goal proving to be the difference against Cal Poly Pomona. The redshirt senior from Lindon, Utah played 83 minutes on the pitch, the second highest total for any Aztec in the contest.