RENO, Nev. – San Diego State's women's soccer team got a pair of first half goals, but couldn't make them stand up and lost the Nevada Wolf Pack 2-3 on Sunday afternoon in Mackay Stadium.
The loss leaves the Aztecs with a 6-8-0 overall record, 4-2-0 in Mountain West play while Nevada improves to 3-8-2, 2-2-0 in league action. The loss is that much more of a gut punch since both Fresno State and New Mexico, the two teams ahead of San Diego State in the standings, lost their Sunday matches.
It was a game of halves with the Aztecs controlling the run of play throughout the first half. It paid dividends in the 20th minute on Denise Castro's first of two goals in the game. Anna Toohey picked up a loose ball about 30 yards out and fed Castro, who from 15 yards away, beat Kendal Stovall, the Nevada keeper, to make it 1-0. It was Castro's seventh goal of the campaign and Toohey's team-leading third assist of the year.
Eight and a half minutes later, Castro doubled the Aztec lead.
From the right corner, Emma Gaines-Ramos played the ball into the box and onto the foot of Trinity Coker, who arrived at the far post at the exact time as the ball. Coker pounded a shot inside the near post. Stovall stopped the attempt, but could not corral it. The ball trickled away from her, right in front of the goal. Castro pounced on it and slotted it in for her second tally of the half. It was Castro's eighth of the campaign and Coker was credited with an assist, the first of her collegiate career.
Castro now has eight goals on the year. Since the 2000 season, her eight strikes are tied for the third most on the program's freshman goal-scoring list. She is level with Jen Mello, who scored eight times in 2015, her freshman season, and sits two goals from equaling the record, which is currently held by Mia Root (2017) and Leah Pruitt (2015) who scored 10 goals in their freshman campaigns on The Mesa.
The second half belonged to Nevada.
The Wolf Pack got on the board after a 51st minute San Diego State giveaway in the midfield. Luz Arreaga scored to cut the lead in half. Then in the 78th minute, defender Lauren Dicus was assessed a penalty in the box. The foul put Nevada on the spot for a penalty kick and the possible equalizer. Penny Murphy converted the PK, low to her right, and with it, Nevada seemed to grab the momentum.
The dagger came on the Wolf Pack's 89th minute goal. Nevada's Emily Rich drove the ball into the box and attempted a shot, which was not going to go in, but Olivia Fothergill redirected the shot in for the go-ahead goal with 90 seconds to play.
The Aztecs outshot Nevada 12-to-11 with Castro leading the team with five shots, three on frame and two goals. Gaines-Ramos and Laura Fuentes produced two shots each while Dicus, Daniela Filipovic, and Claire Watkins took one shot each.
In goal, Alexa Madueno had one save, but surrendered three goals.
Nevada's offense was led by two shots from four players and Stovall made four saves.
THE NOTE
San Diego State's loss after holding the lead was just its second this season and it snapped a four-game streak of getting a lead and holding it to earn a victory.
NEXT UP
San Diego State travels to the central valley to kick off its final two regular-season road games. The Aztecs play at Fresno State on Thursday, Oct. 14, with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m.
-SDSU-