The San Diego State Aztecs (1-1-3) battled the Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners (1-1-2) on Saturday night in a nonconference 2-2 draw at SDSU Sports Deck.
The Aztecs struck first early in the third minute of the match as midfielder Nik Orth placed a through ball right to striker Jaxson Hutcheon, who fired the ball into the bottom right corner of the net. Hutcheon’s second goal of the season gave SDSU a 1-0 lead headed into halftime.
The Roadrunners responded shortly after the second-half whistle, scoring an equalizing goal on a header from a corner kick in the 47th minute. CSU Bakersfield took the lead in the 79th minute with a thunderous free kick into the top right corner.
SDSU player Jaxson Hutcheon (7) powers through two defenders during an SDSU Men’s soccer game Wednesday, September 5 at SDSU Sports deck.
San Diego State conceded both goals from set pieces.
“I thought we were passive all night, to be honest,” said head coach Ryan Hopkins. “I didn’t think we tackled well. I didn’t think we won a lot of loose balls. No one really challenged the guy, it was basically a free header in our box.”
The Roadrunners outshot the Aztecs 10-6 and held a 5-2 advantage in shots on target.
“I thought they came out hungry. They’re pretty good on the set pieces,” Hopkins said. “I thought Bakersfield looked hungrier tonight than we did. I thought we lost some of our momentum, maybe I missed out on some of the tactics.”
The game shifted in the Aztecs’ favor in the 89th minute, when the Roadrunners were called for a handball in the penalty area. Orth stepped up to the box and fired the ball into the top left corner to score his fourth goal of the season. He has also scored in three consecutive matches.
The late penalty kick saved the Aztecs from defeat, as they extended their unbeaten streak to four games.
“I feel good,” Orth expressed. “We are proud of ourselves that we didn’t give up; we still got the tie. We look forward to Friday and getting the second win [of the season]. We just need to win first contact; [we’ve] got to keep the intensity high over the whole game.”
SDSU player Jaxson Hutcheon (7) celebrates his early goal during an SDSU Men’s soccer game Wednesday, September 5 at SDSU Sports deck.
Despite the struggles to maintain leads in their last two matches, the scarlet and black are keeping their heads high early in the season. They have scored first in four straight games.
With new players joining the team each year, the team recognizes the importance of building chemistry and of treating every match as a work in progress. Learning together as a team is what will drive the team’s success this season, according to Hopkins.
“It’s honestly one of the tighter groups I’ve had together in terms of team chemistry,” said Hopkins. “I told them after the game that we’re trying to build the airplane as we fly it. There’s going to be ruts in the road. It’s about staying as consistent as we can and not getting too high and not getting too low.”
Hopkins’ squad will take the next couple of days off to rest, then return to training on Tuesday in preparation for their next match.
The Aztecs return home to the SDSU Sports Deck on Friday to face off against Sacramento State at 7 p.m.