SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State men’s soccer team (2-2-0) came up short to the University of San Diego (2-1-1) 2-1 in front of 3,069 fans at Snapdragon Stadium Monday evening.
The Aztecs were outshot 9-1 in the first half and fell behind 2-0 in the 77th minute but held a 5-3 advantage in shots on goal in the second half and scored in the 86th minute.
“It felt like an NCAA tournament type of game,” Head coach Ryan Hopkins said after the match. “It was two really good teams that put on a great show in front of a big crowd at Snapdragon, but a few plays make all the difference in these big games, and I thought they made a couple more plays than us.”
The Toreros wasted no time and scored in the fourth minute on a long-distance goal from Cesar Behana.
In the 23rd minute, it appeared that SDSU defender Baptiste Boit scored, but he was whistled for contacting the Torero goalkeeper. The play was reviewed, but the call was upheld.
Despite USD outshooting the Aztecs 9-1 in the first half, they had just two shots on goal. One of them was stopped by a great kick save by Eddy Vargas
The Toreros’ second goal came in the 77th minute after Steven Ramirez finished a nice through ball from Oliver Rhoades.
SDSU’s goal came after some great passing. Carson Ballagh sent a ball from close to the midfield line into the box and then was headed by Dylan Presto to a charging Rommee Jaridly who finished it with one touch.
STAT OF THE GAME
The Aztecs outshot and outcornered the Toreros in the second half.
THE NOTE
The attendance of 3,069 was the third highest for a single game in program history.
UP NEXT
The Aztecs host Santa Clara Friday at 7 p.m.