SAN DIEGO – The No. 17 Aztec men's soccer team (6-1-1, 0-1-0) conceded their first goal and lost their first match of the 2023 season after falling to California (4-2-3, 1-1-1) in their Pac-12 opener Thursday evening.
SDSU outshot the Golden Bears and had numerous chances, especially in the second half, but couldn't find the back of the net.
"That was a typical Pac-12 battle with two teams going toe-to-toe for 90 minutes," Head coach Ryan Hopkins said after the match. "It often comes down to a handful of plays and Cal made one more play than we did. I thought we were in control for long stretches of the game, but the ball just didn't go in the net tonight."
Cal's game-winning goal came in the 21st minute when Evan Davila finished a Rohan McEligot assist. It was the first goal the Aztecs had allowed in 650 minutes.
Rommee Jaridly had two good looks in the first half that the Cal goalkeeper made nice saves on.
SDSU peppered the Cal defense with crosses and set pieces in the second half, but just couldn't quite make the connection.
Seth Clark had a shot in the 76th minute that just missed sneaking into the far upper corner.
Austin Brummett nearly finished a Rommee Jaridly cross in the 80th minute but a Cal defender was able to deflect Brummett's shot at the last second.
Goalkeeper Logan Erb surrendered the first goal of his collegiate career but also had a career-high five saves.
UP NEXT
The Aztecs host No. 6 Stanford, who tied UCLA 2-2 Thursday, Sunday at 3 p.m.
No. 17 Aztecs stumble vs. Cal 1-0
