SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State women’s soccer team (5-2-1) shut out Pepperdine (4-3-2) by a 2-0 score on the SDSU Sports Deck on Thursday night.
San Diego State got on the board on its first shot of the night in just the ninth minute of the match when KK Chowana-Bandhu passed to Alexyz Nakamoto on the left side of the field. Nakamoto dribbled into the box and passed past a diving goalkeeper across to Victoria Miller on the right side of the goal. Miller rocketed the ball into the back of the net to give the Aztecs an early lead.
Chowana-Bandhu looked for a goal of her own, taking three shots on target in the first half but all were saved by Jillian Medvecky in the 20th, 29th and 31st minutes.
Two minutes into the second half, Alexis Leath forced another save by Medvecky. A minute later, the Waves put their first shot on target of the night, and it was saved by Kailey Carlen. Eight seconds past the 50-minute mark, Miller passed to Leath, who raced up field and found Chowana-Bandhu in the box. The freshman beat both a defender and the keeper for a goal to double the Aztec lead.
In the 67th minute, Chowana-Bandhu looked to make it a brace, but Medvecky saved her shot.
The Waves tried to rally back late in the match, but Carlen saved Ariana Salvador’s shot in the 89th minute and the Aztecs held on for a 2-0 win.
The Aztecs finished the match with more shots (13-7), shots on goal (7-2) and fouls (7-4). The Waves had more saves (5-2), and each team tallied four corner kicks.
THE NOTE I
Victoria Miller, who scored tonight, also scored two goals in the Aztecs’ win over Pepperdine last season. In her career, Miller has been on the field for a total of 155 minutes against the Waves, giving her a total of 1.74 goals per 90 minutes when facing Pepperdine. Miller has 0.37 goals per 90 minutes overall in her collegiate career.
THE NOTE II
KK Chowana-Bandhu, who had the game-winning goal on Saturday, became the first Aztec true freshman to score in consecutive wins since Rachelle Elve scored in three consecutive victories in 2019. Elve scored two goals in a 5-4 win at Air Force on October 18 and also scored in a 3-2 win at Colorado College on October 20 and a 2-1 win in overtime at Fresno State on October 25.
STAT OF THE DAY
Seven of San Diego State’s 16 assists this season have been by players named Alexis or Alexyz.
UP NEXT
The Aztecs wrap up their non-conference schedule on Sunday, September 20, against Northern Colorado. The match is scheduled for high noon. All home matches on the SDSU Sports Deck have free admission, and the remainder of the Aztecs’ matches will be streamed on the Pac-12 YouTube channel.