ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  -  Top-seeded San Diego State defeated third-seeded Boise State, 1-0, in the Mountain West tournament championship game to successfully defend its title. The Aztecs are just the second team in the 15-year history of the league to win the regular-season and tournament championships in back-to-back seasons.

 

"It's unbelievable, we had such an awesome season last year, in our record, and it looks so different than what this is,” said San Diego State head coach Mike Friesen, who has now won three MW Championship titles (2009, 2012-13). “This season has brought some special memories. I'm really proud of them and am excited about the next stage for us."

 

SDSU (12-6-2) and Boise State (13-7-3) played a possession game for the entire first half that resulted in no scoring, but a lot of shots. In the opening 45 minutes alone, San Diego State attempted nine shots with the Broncos adding six of their own.

 

After halftime, the Aztecs came out very aggressive offensively, but could not find the back of the net. Boise State, meanwhile, was able to weather the storm and the game returned to its first-half form.

 

San Diego State’s aggressiveness paid dividends as the game turned to its later stages when Haley Palmer was tackled near the top of the box in the 70^th minute. With play continuing and the ball loose, Hannah Keane collected the ball, faced the net and blasted a shot into the lower left corner of the net from 15 yards to propel the Aztecs to a one-goal lead. The goal was Keane’s team-best 12^th of the year.

 

Trailing by one, Boise State turned up the heat and nearly posted the equalizer with less than three minutes to play. SDSU goalkeeper Melanie Vaughn, however, would have none of it as she made a diving save to her left to preserve the lead. Earlier in the half, the sophomore made an outstanding stop, leaping and tipping the ball over the crossbar.

 

Vaughn and the stellar effort of the Aztecs’ defensive unit in the final minutes ultimately led to San Diego State celebrating in Albuquerque as the clock hit triple zeros.

 

For the game, SDSU outshot Boise State, 16-10, and finished with a 7-5 advantage in shots on goal. The Broncos, meanwhile, edged San Diego State in corner kicks, 3-2.

 

Eight of 10 field players attempted at least one shot for the Aztecs and were led by Keane and Victoria Barba’s three. Both also put two shots on net. Vaughn picked up postseason win No. 2 and had five stops in the process.

 

For San Diego State’s three four-year players - Soledad Gomez, Carli Johnson, Palmer - the championship puts an exclamation point on a remarkable run in the Mountain West. Since they stepped foot on campus in 2010, the trio has led the Aztecs to a 30-6-1 record against conference foes (regular season and tournament) and four league titles. The aforementioned feat of winning back-to-back regular-season and tournament championships marks the first time a league school has done it since Brigham Young (2000-02).

 

At the conclusion of the tournament, Albuquerque native Barba, Keane, Sophie Metz and Vaughn were named to the all-tourney team, with Keane earning most-valuable-player honors.

 

"It's been an unbelievable year for us, in terms of the start we had, which was really difficult,” Friesen said. “We had a lot of adversity on the road. For us, it didn't start the way we wanted it to. Determination and the ability to play from behind in our record to being behind a couple times on Thursday just says a lot about this team's resiliency."

 

As a result of SDSU’s resiliency, it will move on to the NCAA tournament. The Aztecs will find out who, when and where they will play on Monday, Nov. 11, at 1:30 p.m. PT. The selection show will air on NCAA.com.