SDSU Falls to UCLA in NCAA Third Round
The second-seeded and fourth-ranked San Diego State women's soccer team had its magical season come to an end on Sunday afternoon in the third round of the NCAA Tournament with a 3-0 loss to third-seeded and sixth-ranked UCLA at SDSU Sports Deck. The loss snapped the Aztecs' (21-2-1) 14-game winning streak and 15-match unbeaten streak.
San Diego State, the 2012 Mountain West regular-season and tournament champions, finished with a program-record 21 victories, which is three more wins than it had the past two seasons combined.
The Aztecs were unable to jump out to a fast start on Sunday despite notching the first shot of the contest. Senior Megan Jurado tallied an attempt at the 3:49 mark that required a save from Bruins' goalkeeper Katelyn Rowland.
UCLA, however, gained the upper hand a few minutes later when it scored in the 7th minute. Rosie White crossed a ball to Zakiya Bywaters, who gathered it and ripped a shot into the lower-left corner from 10 yards out.
The Bruins struck again at the 12:16 mark when Bywaters took a pass from Sarah Killion and fired a shot from the right side into the left corner of the goal.
San Diego State kept fighting despite being down early as it notched three consecutive shots. Sophomore Hannah Keane started it up with an attempt that went just high, followed by a shot from Haley Locker that also missed high. Following a corner kick, Locker added another shot that sailed just wide.
Early on in the second half, neither team seemed to have the momentum. That changed in the 65th minute when UCLA added another goal from Chelsea Braun on an assist from Caprice Dydasco.
The Aztecs kept pressing over the next few plays with a shot-on-goal by junior Haley Palmer and three corners in a four-minute span, but couldn't get one across the goal line.
San Diego State kept looking for a score as time clicked off the clock, tallying three consecutive shots. The Aztecs were unable to find success though, as they ultimately dropped a 3-0 decision. For the game, SDSU owned a slight 6-5 edge in corner kicks, while the Bruins won the shot battle by a 17-10 margin.
Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Rachel Boaz, who notched two saves on Sunday, finishes her 2012 campaign with a mark of 21-2-1 and a school-record goals-against average of 0.60 (Katherine Judkins, 0.61 in 1998). Boaz's 11 shutouts this year also tie Sophia Perez for the most in Aztec single-season history.
The contest was the last for seven Aztec seniors in Megan Allaire, Kim Carcich, Marisa Fraticelli, Sarah Halverson, Tiffany Hurst,Rachael McGlinchy and Jurado.
Jurado finishes her final season as an Aztec with 15 goals and nine assists for a team-high 39 points. The senior's 15 goals and 39 points each rank second most in school history for a single season, while her nine assists are tied for eighth.
In addition to aforementioned records, the Aztecs set a few more in 2012, which include fewest losses (two) and highest winning-percentage (89.6). SDSU also tied the school record with 13 shutouts, equaling the 1998 team's performance.
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