Nov. 11, 2017
UCLA-San Diego State Final Box
SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State men's soccer team honored its six seniors on Saturday night, and the group ended their careers in memorable fashion, defeating UCLA 4-0 at the SDSU Sports Deck.
All six of SDSU's seniors provided a major contribution in Saturday night's win, as seniors accounted for all four of SDSU's goals and assists in the match. On the defensive end, goalkeeper Adam Allmaras posted his fourth shutout of the season. Now with 260 saves in his decorated four-year career, Allmaras passes two-time All-American Tally Hall for second in the SDSU record book.
"It's an amazing end to a great group of young men," stated head coach Lev Kirshner. "I told the group earlier that I don't know if I've had a finer group of a senior class as far as human beings. They're great players, they're all part of the greatest team I've had (last year), and to come out tonight and get a win against a major rival is huge. Every single senior on the scoresheet with Ernie (Ernest Reyes) and Adam (Allmaras) playing a part in the shutout all these guys with goals and assists, it couldn't have been a better end for them."
The Aztecs got the scoring started early with Dallin Cutler registering his first goal of the match in the sixth minute. After Thom Van den Berg passed the ball to Cutler at the top of the box, Cutler maneuvered around a trio of Bruin defenders and push a shot into the bottom left corner of the net.
Cutler came back for an encore about 23 minutes later, as he collected a pass from another senior – this time a cross from the right side of the field by Jeroen Meefout – and converted on a close-range shot in the 29th minute for his second goal of the match and his third of the season.
After heading into halftime with a 2-0 lead, the Aztecs continued to apply offensive pressure in the second half and broke through with a 66th minute goal by Winston Sorhaitz. After Meefout rocketed a shot from well outside the 18-yard box, Sorhaitz collected the deflected ball after UCLA's Kevin Silva saved Meefout's initial shot, leaving Sorhaitz had an easy one-on-one opportunity to push the score to 3-0.
With time winding down, Meefout scored his team-best eighth goal of the year in the 87th minute. After receiving a pass from fellow Netherlands native Thom Van den Berg, Meefout hit a long-distance shot off a Bruins defender, allowing the ball to redirect past Silva and find the back of the net.
Meefout's eight goals in 2017 are the most by an Aztec in a single season since Jordan Ongaro in 2013. With 16 goals in his three-year career with the Aztecs, Meefout is fourth among Aztecs in the Lev Kirshner era (since 2000) in career goals.
Seniors filled the box score in their final collegiate game, with Cutler finishing with a pair of goals, Meefout recording a goal and two assists, and Van den Berg contributing a pair of assists. In addition to Allmaras' historic night, Ernest Reyes played all 90 minutes on the SDSU backline and broke up numerous offensive chances for the Bruins.
The Aztecs held advantages in shots at 16-8, corner kicks at 8-4, and saves at 5-3.
After starting the conference schedule 0-9, the Aztecs capped off the 2017 season in historic fashion, as the 4-0 drubbing of UCLA is the most dominant victory in program history for SDSU in Pac-12 play. It is also the first four-goal performance for the Aztecs since defeating Denver, 4-3, on Sept. 5, 2014, and the first four-goal win for SDSU since a 4-0 victory over Grand Canyon on Nov. 12, 2013.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Head coach Lev Kirshner named all six of the seniors Man of the Match, with each of them playing a significant role in the season-ending win.
Adam Allmaras – Five saves, fourth shutout of the season
Ernest Reyes – 90 minutes on the SDSU backline
Thom Van den Berg – Two assists
Jeroen Meefout – One goal, two assists
Winston Sorhaitz – One goal
Dallin Cutler – Two goals