SAN DIEGO – In front of a crowd of over 1,200 on Thursday night, the Aztecs returned home to the Sports Deck and played the University of San Diego to a goalless draw, 0-0.
Despite the match ending in a 0-0 draw, there were multiple moments where both the Aztecs (2-1-2) and the Toreros (1-3-1) could have found an opener throughout the match. In the first 10 minutes neither team really threated the keepers between the posts until Emma Gaines-Ramos forced the first save of the night in the 15th minute when she forced a diving stop from the San Diego keeper. Both teams would search for the opening goal for the remainder of the first half, with Rachelle Elve coming close for the Aztecs in the 45th minute right before halftime. Off an Aztecs corner the ball bounced in the box before it came to her around eye-level. Elve then tried to head the ball back across and into the goal, only for the San Diego keeper to get her fingertips to it and push the ball wide of the post to send the match into the halftime break at 0-0.
In the second half, the Aztecs started on the front foot, pinning San Diego into their defensive third for the first fifteen minutes. In the 61st minute Claire Watkins dribbled the ball to the top of the box before unleashing a strike that looked like it was going to curl into the corner of the net, but instead hit the woodwork and the match stayed level 0-0. In the 69th minute the Aztecs went down to a player for the rest of the match, as Denise Castro picked up a red card. However, the Aztecs kept pushing and in the 84th minute Kiera Utush looked through on goal, but her shot also hit the frame of the goal and bounced back into play, keeping the match at 0-0.
Keeper Alexa Madueno preserved the 0-0 draw for the Aztecs as the visiting Toreros tried to steal the match late on. In the 90th minute Lexi Nobles was through on the goal, but Madueno smartly came off her line and saved the shot, keeping the match scoreless and earning her first clean sheet of the year in the process.
Stat of the Match: Keeper Alexa Madueno kept the Toreros off the scoresheet and earned her first clean sheet of the year.
Stat of the Match II: The last time the Aztecs played to a 0-0 result was October 17, 2021 at San Jose State.
Up Next: The Aztecs continue their three-match homestand on Sunday, when the Aztecs take on UC San Diego at 7 p.m. PT on the Sports Deck.