CHENEY, Wash. – San Diego State women's soccer got back in the win column on Sunday afternoon with a 2-0 win over Eastern Washington at the EWU soccer field. Dori Savage scored both goals on the day to take her goal tally to five on the season.
It was a slow build to start the match as both the Aztecs (3-2-1) and the Eagles (1-4-0) tried to find a way to pick apart the opposing defense. Neither team had a shot on target in the opening 20 minutes of the match, but then freshman Emma Fuller came off the bench and provided a spark for the Aztecs in her first collegiate appearance. After starting keeper Alexa Madueno punched away a dangerous Eastern Washington low cross in the 30th minute, the match swayed in favor of the Aztecs.
In the 35th minute, midfielder Olivia Sekimoto forced the first save of the game from the Eastern Washington keeper, and the Aztecs kept pushing for the opening goal. Five minutes later Dori Savage then broke the deadlock in the 40th minute. The impact substitute got on the end of an inch-perfect cross from another substitute in Fuller, and then slotted the ball past the onrushing EWU keeper into the bottom right corner of the net to put the Aztecs in front just before the break, 1-0. The goal was Savage's fourth goal of the season, and the Aztecs took that one goal advantage into the halftime break.
The second half was much of the same as the Aztecs dominated possession and continued to ask questions of the Eastern Washington defense. SDSU's persistence and patience then paid off in the 58th minute. After some nice dribbling down the right side of the EWU defense, the ball rolled to the Eagles keeper who cleared the ball, but only as far as Sekimoto. The junior then played the ball across to Emma Gaines-Ramos who fired a shot that was saved by the Eagles keeper. However, the shot was deflected directly into the path of Savage who poked the ball into the back of the net from a few yards out to double the Aztecs advantage, 2-0. The goal was Savage's fifth of the season, and all five have come off the bench.
San Diego State would manage the game after that, and gave minutes to players who had yet to see the field in 2023. Goalkeeper Cameron Illingworth came in for the final 25 minutes, redshirt freshman Boston Girman for the final 20, and freshman Sofia Bacsafra entered the match for the final eight minutes as the Aztecs continued to control the pace of the game all the way to the final whistle, finishing off their pacific northwest road trip with a 2-0 win.
Up Next: The Aztecs return to San Diego for a matchup at cross-town opponent UC San Diego on Thursday. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. PT on Thursday night in La Jolla, California.
Game Notes
- Three Aztecs made their season or collegiate debuts on Sunday. Emma Fuller and Sofia Bacsafra both played their first collegiate minutes while keeper Cameron Illingworth played her first minutes in 2023.
- Dori Savage scored her team-leading fourth and fifth goals of the campaign.
- Dori Savage recorded her second brace of the 2023 season. It was also the second brace of her career.
- Emma Fuller dished out her first career assist in her first career match.
- The Aztecs kept their second clean sheet of 2023 (first was against Sacred Heart on 8/17).