SDSU Handles USD, Earns 3-0 Victory
SAN DIEGO – San Diego State earned a 3-0 win over crosstown foe USD Friday night at SDSU Sports Deck to post victory No. 250 for the Aztec women’s soccer program. With the decision, the Scarlet and Black improves to 2-4-2. San Diego, meanwhile, falls to 5-4 on the year.
The milestone win for San Diego State, which was played before 1,317 fans, also extended its regular-season home unbeaten streak to 13 games (12-0-1) and marked the first time the Toreros have been shutout this season. On a series level, the win over USD is SDSU’s second in a row and ups its all-time record to 8-4-1 vs. its neighbor to the west.
Hannah Keane scored what would be the game-winner in the 19th minute just a few possessions after Haley Palmer played a ball to Keane, who nearly beat USD goalkeeper Michelle Craft to the ball in a one-on-one situation. The junior forward would not be denied at 18:09 when Kelsey Booth intercepted a USD pass at midfield, sent the ball between two Torero defenders to an open Keane, who knocked in her second goal of 2013 from 10 yards out.
The goal lit a fire under the Aztecs as they put together a string of dangerous chances. Victoria Barba hit the crossbar and was followed by Sophie Metz’s shot that came off a great passing sequence. Then Palmer attempted a shot that required Craft to make a leaping save, pushing the ball over the crossbar. Booth got into the act as well, as she forced Craft to make a tough save off a corner-kick situation. The aforementioned four shots all occurred in the 10 minutes after Keane’s goal.
In the opening moments of the second half, the Toreros came out and controlled the ball. But in the 58th minute, Haley Locker streaked down the right side of the pitch, found Barba, who then got the ball to Keane. The Sacramento native then turned and fired from 10 yards out again, and found the upper third of the net to put the Aztecs ahead, 2-0.
San Diego State earned a corner kick on its next possession and took advantage as Barba sent in a perfect ball that found a leaping Carli Johnson, who headed the ball in through a ton of traffic. The 59th-minute goal was the senior’s second of the season.
The Aztecs kept the pressure on the Toreros the rest of the way and Keane nearly logged a hat trick as her fourth shot rattled off the crossbar in the 69th minute. At the final horn, Keane finished with a game-high five shots and three shots on goal.
SDSU goalkeeper Melanie Vaughn and the backline were solid again for the Aztecs. The defense was sharp in limiting USD to nine shots with just two coming on goal, both of which were denied by Vaughn. The shutout victory, meanwhile, was the redshirt sophomore’s second of the year.
The Aztecs ended the evening with a 17-9 shot advantage and put 11 on goal. In the corner-kick category, SDSU finished with a 7-6 advantage.
San Diego State will return to the pitch on Sunday when it welcomes No. 16 Portland to SDSU Sports Deck. First tap is set for noon PT and the non-league game will air on GoAztecs.com via the Mountain West Network. Admission is free.
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