SAN DIEGO – San Diego State rallied from a two-goal first-half deficit to defeat the visiting Air Force Academy, 3-2, in double overtime Sunday afternoon at a sun-drenched SDSU Sports Deck. The win was the Aztecs’ fifth straight and kept them undefeated in Mountain West action.

 

“I thought we played well in the first half, but obviously we gave up a couple of goals,” San Diego State head coach Mike Friesen said. “They got in behind us, got two shots off, which were good finishes, and we dug ourselves a hole.

 

“The goal we got right before halftime was the savior,” Friesen added. “We were playing well, but to get that goal to cut the lead to one gave us 45 minutes to get the second one. I thought we did a good job of pressing the game even though we weren’t finishing (in the second half) and staying after it. Overall, it was good result for us to make sure we came back from two goals down, which is not something many teams do. It says a lot about our resiliency.”

 

SDSU (9-2-1; 4-0 MW) found themselves down the aforementioned pair after allowing goals in the 22^nd and 38^th minute. In the first scoring sequence, the Aztecs were unable to clear the ball 20 yards in front of their net and Ally Swift touched it to Angela Karamanos, who scored from 10 yards out. Then, Madeleine Lundberg sent a beautiful ball from beyond the midline through the defense to Brooke Rittman and the forward put her 12-yard shot past Aztec goalkeeper Melanie Vaughn.

 

San Diego State, which put a lot of pressure offensively on Air Force (5-5-1; 2-1-1 MW) in the first half, finally broke through in the final moments of the initial frame. With time ticking off the clock, Kelsey Booth sent in a corner kick that found Katie Saavedra and the freshman touched it to Jen Rupey, who scored from five yards out with just 10 seconds left in the half. The goal was Rupey’s first of her career and Saavedra recorded her first point as an Aztec. Booth, meanwhile, posted her fourth assist in the last two games, giving her seven for the season.

 

SDSU carrieued  point as an Aztec. Booth, meanwhile, posted her fourth assist in the last two games, giving her seven of the sead the momentum from Rupey’s goal into the second half, but had nothing to show for in the early stages. The Aztecs, however, caught a bit of a break when Karamanos was issued her second yellow card in the 52^nd minute, forcing the Falcons to play with 10 players the rest of the way. Despite competing with an 11-10 player advantage, San Diego State had issues finding the back of the net.

 

The Aztecs continually attacked from all angles, but came up empty over the next 25-plus minutes. Then in the 80^th minute, SDSU sent in a cross that was met by Air Force goalkeeper Alex Kahalley, who batted the ball out. Mariah Helmer collected the loose ball and scored from seven yards out to level the score.

 

San Diego State nearly moved ahead for the first time in the 82^nd minute when Morgan Darling had a great look from the left side. The sophomore’s diagonal shot, however, was punched away by a leaping Kahalley and the game eventually moved to overtime following a scoreless final eight minutes.

 

In the first overtime, SDSU outshot Air Force, 3-1, but neither could find the back of the net. It wasn’t until the 104^th minute that San Diego State created its own break. The Aztecs were on the attack and Darling spun toward the middle of the box and was taken down by a Falcon, resulting in a penalty kick. Helmer took it from there, lining up her shot and putting it past Kahalley to lift SDSU to victory. For Helmer, it marked her first multiple-goal game of her career and gives her a career-high four goals for the season. She also scored three of San Diego State’s six goals for the week.

 

The Aztecs finished with a season-high-tying 32 shots, nine shots on goal and five corner kicks. The Falcons, meanwhile, attempted four shots with three coming on net, and did not attempt a corner kick. Over the last 148 minutes, 34 seconds, SDSU has allowed just one corner kick.

 

Individually, Katie Perry led all players with seven shots and Darling came off the bench to record six. Helmer and Rupey each logged a game-high two shots on goal.

 

The Aztecs, who have won their last 11 game vs. Mountain West foes, return to action on Friday, Oct. 10, when they face Nevada in Reno. Game time is slated for 7 p.m. PT and the contest will stream live online via the Mountain West Network.