SAN DIEGO – San Diego State scored three second-half goals in a span of 4 minutes, 6 seconds, to take control of a game it eventually won, 3-0, Friday night at SDSU Sports Deck. With their season-best fourth straight victory, the Aztecs improved to 8-2-1 (3-0 Mountain West). The Tigers, meanwhile, dropped to 5-3-3 (1-1-1 MW).

 

“It was nice to get our fourth win in a row, but the first half was super physical and we didn’t respond to it,” SDSU head coach Mike Friesen said. “The second half was impressive for our team to come out with as much energy and take the game to Colorado College in terms of the physical play. They also did a great job of playing soccer within that.

 

“I thought Kelsey Booth was phenomenal tonight,” Friesen added. “Katie Perry, Mariah Helmer, Morgan Darling, all of them had such a great mentality tonight that I thought it flipped the game on its head in the second half. The big part for me was that they were able to change of the course of the game in a snap. Now we have to bring it for the whole game moving forward.”

 

After a scoreless 52-plus minutes and a first half that featured two dangerous Colorado College scoring chances, San Diego State flipped the momentum of the game when Booth found Perry, who put her shot attempt from 15 yards out into the right side of the net. For Perry, it was her second goal of the season and second in her last four games. During that time frame, the midfielder also has five points.

 

Up 1-0, the Aztecs kept the pressure on the Tigers and earned a corner kick. Moments after putting the ball in play, Booth sent in a looping cross into the box where Helmer back-heeled the ball out of the air and past Colorado College goalkeeper Heather Seely. The 54^th-minute goal was Helmer’s second of the year.

 

Then just under three minutes later, Booth tapped the ball ahead a couple of yards to Darling, who cashed in a diagonal shot from 15 yards to cap SDSU’s scoring spree. The goal was the sophomore’s second of the season and represented the second straight game in which she has earned at least a point.

 

As for Booth, the senior’s career-high three assists matched her season total coming into the game and brought her new total to six. A native of Concord, California, Booth has recorded multiple points in four straight games (11) and will enter Sunday’s game vs. Air Force with a career-high 16 points. Prior to 2014, Booth had 18 points in her first three seasons on Montezuma Mesa.

 

For the final 33-plus minutes, SDSU continued to put pressure on the Tigers while limiting the visitors’ chances offensively. Colorado College’s two best chances to score came from nearly point-blank range in the first half, but Aztec goalkeeper Melanie Vaughn was stellar and denied the one shot that came on net. The other was off the mark.

 

At the final horn, San Diego State finished with 18 shots, six of which came on net, and seven corner kicks. The Tigers, meanwhile, were credited with five shots, one on net, and three corner kicks, including just one in the second half.

 

In addition to winning its fourth consecutive game, SDSU improved to 3-0 in league play for the third year in a row, 10-0 in its last 10 vs. MW foes at home and 14-1 in its last 15 October games.

 

The Aztecs return to action on Sunday when they continue their Mountain West schedule vs. Air Force (5-4-1; 2-0-1 MW). Game time is set for noon PT and admission is free.