SAN DIEGO – The Aztec men’s soccer team knocked off San Diego 2-0 in front of a crowd of 1,391 fans at Torero Stadium Friday evening. With the win, San Diego State evens their record at 6-6-1.

SDSU quickly jumped out to a 1-0 lead with a fourth minute goal then put the game out of reach with a converted penalty kick in the 86^th minute.

“I thought it was a good performance overall,” Damian German explained after the match. “Every time you get a shutout, you know everyone on the team did their part.”

In the fourth minute, Damian German took advantage of a misplay by a Torero defender to corral the ball on the right wing. Sprinting towards the box, the USD goalkeeper charged and slid, but German was able to slip the ball past him and inside the far post.

A skirmish broke out in the 17^th minute, causing the referee to issue a pair of yellow cards, one to each team.

In the 35^th minute it appeared the Aztecs had extended their lead to 2-0 when DJ Villegas finished an Ilai Shvika cross, but Villegas was whistled for being offsides.

The Aztecs had an 11-2 advantage in shots in the first half. SDSU has allowed just two first half goals this season.

The Toreros’ best opportunity came off a free kick in the 85^th minute. Miguel Berry launched a free kick from 25 yards out to the upper right corner and Aztec goalkeeper Max Watkin made a diving save.

Just a few minutes later, Arturo Chavea was tackled hard in the box by USD’s Aaron Frey, resulting in a penalty kick, which Pablo Pelaez converted for his team-high sixth goal of the season.

The Aztecs finished the match with a 16-6 edge in shots.

“When we are able to get so many shots, that means we are going forward as a team,” Pablo Pelaez said. “That is definitely something we have been working on as the season progresses. We wished we scored more goals, but at the end of the day, we still got a 2-0 win.”

Max Watkin earned his second shutout of the season and evened his record at 2-2-0.

MAN OF THE MATCH

Damian German – Game-winning goal

STAT OF THE MATCH

Damian German had seven shots, the most an Aztec has attempted in a match this year.

QUOTE OF THE MATCH

“It was a near perfect performance tonight. The first half was the best half we have played all year long. It was a great team effort. There wasn’t one player out there tonight who you’d say had an average game.” Head Coach Lev Kirshner

THE NOTE I

The Aztecs’ fourth minute goal was the earliest goal in a match for SDSU this season.

THE NOTE II

For the first time this season, the Aztecs did not make any substitutions in the first half. SDSU made their first sub in the 64^th minute.

UP NEXT

The Aztecs return to Pac-12 play next week, traveling to the Pacific Northwest for matches at Oregon State (Oct. 25) and at Washington (Oct. 28).