SAN DIEGO – The Aztec men's soccer team closed out the season with a heartbreaking 1-0 loss to UCLA on the SDSU Sports Deck Saturday evening. The Bruins scored the game-winning goal in the 88th minute, ending a streak of 298 scoreless minutes for the Aztec defense.
The Aztecs celebrated their 11 seniors prior to the match and all of them played together for the match's first 60 minutes.
"I'm so proud of our seniors and the entire team," head coach Lev Kirshner said after the match. "The effort and energy was phenomenal tonight. This night is about the seniors. The first 60 minutes when it was all seniors on the field, we had UCLA on their heels, and it was a special time for them. I couldn't be happier with how they performed. We would've loved to have gotten a result for them."
UCLA's game-winning goal came with 121 seconds left when Blayne Martinez sent a cross in from the right corner into a crowded box that eventually found Cody Sundquist's feet, who was able to poke it in. It was the first goal SDSU had allowed since October 31 in their 3-2 loss to No. 5 Stanford.
Both SDSU and UCLA finished with 12 shots.
The Aztecs' best opportunities came in the 38th and 88th minute. In the 38th minute, Adam Vargas collected a failed clear out and launched a rocket that just missed the upper right corner.
In the 88th minute, before UCLA had scored, Reagan Sherlock, who had just entered the match followed up a blocked Laukoa Santos shot with a strike that also was inches away from sneaking in the upper right corner.
MEN OF THE MATCH
The seniors – All 11 of them
QUOTE OF THE MATCH
"I can't really explain it in words. It was just a special feeling to have everyone in that same moment together." Adam Vargas on having the entire starting lineup consist of seniors
STAT OF THE MATCH
The Aztecs held an 8-4 shot advantage in the first half and then UCLA outshot the Aztecs 8-4 in the second half.
THE NOTE I
Prior to UCLA's goal, SDSU hadn't allowed a goal in 298 minutes.
THE NOTE II
This was the first time SDSU had an all senior starting XI since senior night in 2013.
Late UCLA Goal Spoils Senior Night
