MORAGA, Calif. – Freshman Denise Castro scored the first goal of her college career and staked the San Diego State women's soccer team to a 1-0 lead in the 34th minute, but after having a player sent off in the 66th minute, the Aztecs surrendered a pair of goals to the Saint Mary's and lost its game 2-1.
The teams spent the first 15 minutes feeling each other out, but in the 17th minute, the Aztecs produced the first dangerous chance. Emma Gaines-Ramos, on a corner, sent the ball across the face of the goal where Claire Watkins, who was crashing at the far post, got a head on it, but the attempt was just wide.
Then at the 33:37 mark, San Diego State (1-2-0) struck. A ball was played through the box and was left to harmlessly roll into touch by everyone but Malia Kaleiohi. Kaleiohi raced to the corner to keep it in bounds. She then played a give-and-go with Alexys Ocampo and found Laura Fuentes about 10 yards outside the 18. Fuentes served it to Denise Castro just outside the six-yard box. Castro settled the pass with a touch and hammered a shot off her left foot which was past the Gaels keeper before she could even move. The tally opened the San Ysidro, Calif., native's collegiate account and both Kaleiohi and Fuentes were credited with assists.
For the half, Saint Mary's (3-0-0) outshot the Aztecs 7-to-2, but the score remained 1-0 through the intermission and ino the second half.
The Gaels first dangerous chance came in the 50th minute when a shot from Vanessa Gaitan flashed across the goal face and just outside the far post. In the 55th minute a Saint Mary's striker got loose behind the defense, but the Aztec defense recovered, and her shot attempt went harmlessly wide right.
At the 65:05 mark, Hope Paredes, who earned the first start of her career in the game, made a hard side tackle on a Gael and was sent off with a red card. The Aztecs played the remaining 24-plus minutes a player down.
Saint Mary's found the equalizer in the 74th minute. Annamaria DiGeronimo played a long through ball to Alexis Gutierrez who got behind the Aztecs defense and shot low to the right corner of the goal.
In the 84th minute, the Gaels took the lead on an Isabella Santavicca tally. She got the ball inside box, behind the defense. San Diego State keeper Alexa Madueno charged Santavicca and when the two met at the top of the six-yard box, the ball slowly rolled off Santavicca's foot and trickled into the goal for what would be the game winner.
For the game Saint Mary's outshot the Aztecs 18-to-3, with Madueno making a career-high eight saves. In addition to Castro's goal and Watkins' header, Gaines-Ramos produced SDSU's third shot.
THE NOTE
The Aztecs started three freshmen in a regular-season game, Sarah Funk, Denise Castro & Hope Paredes, for the first time this year and the first time since the title match of the Mountain West Championship game on Nov. 9, 2019.
NEXT UP
The Aztecs wrap up its weekend sojourn to northern California on Sunday at No. 13 Stanford. The kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
-SDSU-
Aztecs Toppled 2-1 At Saint Mary’s
