SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- The No. 15/16/16 San Diego State women's soccer team held its own against No. 3/3/4 Stanford throughout a tough fought match, but was unable to notch the victory as the Cardinal used a free kick to earn a 1-0 win in the Santa Clara Tournament on Friday night. The Aztecs drop their first contest of 2012 and slip to 7-1, while Stanford improves to 5-1-1 on the season.

SDSU came out a little slow in the opening half and Stanford seemed to be just one step ahead. Midway through the first period, however, the Aztecs had a questionable hand ball called on them that resulted in a Cardinal free kick. Stanford's Courtney Verloo set up for the attempt from the outside box and connected to give her team a 1-0 lead at the 29:19 mark.

The Aztecs stepped up their intensity in the second half, but none of their shots seemed to find the back of the net. SDSU kept at it though and had a number of great chances to equalize the contest. The first of which came when sophomore forward Haley Locker found herself one on one with a Stanford defender, but she wasn't able to connect on the attempt.

Hannah Keane gave the Aztecs another good opportunity, but the sophomore's shot somehow missed despite looking as if it was in. SDSU continued to test Cardinal goalkeeper Aly Gleason down the stretch, as junior Haley Palmer hammered a shot from 12 feet out that required a huge save.

The Aztecs had an excellent chance late in the game, but watched it disappear when freshman Victoria Barba was taken down in the box and no call was made.

Despite the loss, redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Rachel Boaz was instrumental in keeping SDSU in the contest as she tallied eight saves.

Next up for the Aztecs will be a matchup with No. rv/24/20 Santa Clara. The final game for SDSU in the Santa Clara Tournament is scheduled for a 1:30 p.m. PT start at Buck Shaw Stadium.

---

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU

Men's NCAA Tournament First Round Recap

TeamRank Presented By TeamSnap - Boys

Midwest High School Roundup - Nov.