No. 15 SDSU And Santa Clara Play To 1-1 Tie

by Beau Bearden

September 16, 2012

The No. 15/16/16 San Diego State women’s soccer team fell just short of notching its first win in program history against Santa Clara on Sunday afternoon at the Santa Clara Tournament. SDSU, which had scored in the 35th minute, was just 2:15 from a victory when the Broncos managed to tally a goal to send the contest into overtime where it eventually remained 1-1 after two overtimes. The draw puts the Aztecs’ record at 7-1-1, while Santa Clara watches its record move to 4-2-3.

It was an evenly played match through the opening 33 minutes as each team notched four shots. At the 34:07 mark, however, SDSU gained the upper hand. After a corner kick, senior Megan Jurado crossed a ball into the box. Bronco midfielder Dani Weatherholt attempted to clear the ball, but the freshman ended up scoring an own-goal to give the Aztecs a 1-0 advantage. Junior Carli Johnson was credited with the goal.

Santa Clara eventually broke through with a goal of its own in the 88th minute to even the score at 1-1. Julie Johnston sent a ball to Olivia Klei in the box, who took the ball on a bounce and managed to connect for the score.

SDSU’s defense held steady through the opening half, especially after the Aztecs scored their goal. Santa Clara was unable to connect on two shots that were just off the mark and trailed 1-0 at halftime.

In the second period, the Aztecs wasted little time out of the gate. Sophomore Hannah Keane was first to nearly connect as she fired a shot in the 58th minute that required a great save from Bronco goalkeeper Andi Tostanoski.

San Diego State had another great scoring opportunity in the 80th minute when junior Haley Palmer broke away from the defense and found herself one-on-one with Tostanoski. Palmer was unable to notch an attempt though, as Tostanoski slid in and stole the ball.

Santa Clara then finally managed to score the equalizer late in the game to send it into overtime. In the first overtime, the Aztecs lone shot came from freshman Tiffany Geer as she attempted to give SDSU the win in the opening seconds. The Broncos, on the other hand, tested goalkeeper Rachel Boaz down the stretch. Both of their attempts required some extra effort from the redshirt sophomore as she had to notch game-saving stops.

The Aztecs couldn’t get a shot attempt off in the second overtime, but Boaz stepped up and made sure Santa Clara didn’t connect on any of its five shots to clinch the 1-1 tie.

Two SDSU players were named to the 2012 Santa Clara All-Classic Team in Johnson and redshirt senior Tiffany Hurst.

The Aztecs now return home for a contest with UC Irvine at 5 p.m. PT on Friday at the SDSU Sports Deck.