After two straight draws, the San Diego State Aztecs (2-1-3) hosted the Sacramento State Hornets (1-5) in a tightly contested match at the SDSU Sports Deck.
A hungry Aztec squad leaned on fifth-year goalkeeper Nic Diana early to hold down the fort, turning away two early chances to keep the match scoreless.
Ranked seventh nationally in shot accuracy (59.7%), the Aztecs went back and forth with the Hornets, trading opportunities throughout the half. SDSU’s aggressive offense showed on the stat sheet, outshooting Sacramento State 10-4 and holding a 6-1 edge in corner kicks.
Aztecs head coach Ryan Hopkins deemed the first half: “[the] best 45 minutes of soccer we’ve played this season.” He praised his players’ ability to blend their different skill sets into one dominant performance on the field.
The Aztecs have yet to enter halftime trailing this season, and standout freshman midfielder Gio Aguirre made sure that record stayed intact. After a sharp cut opened space in the Hornets’ box, Aguirre was tripped, earning a penalty.
Sophomore midfielder Nik Orth, a native of Cologne, Germany, stepped up and calmly finished the penalty in the 38th minute. Fresh off being named Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week for his standout performance against Cal State Bakersfield, Orth notched his fifth goal of the season, a total that leads the entire Pac-12 in both goals and points.
With exactly three seconds left in the half, Orth gathered the ball on the left wing and fired a prayer toward the Hornets’ goal, a buzzer-beater that deflected in for an own goal, sending SDSU into the break up 2-0.
“We strive to create runs and generate opportunities for the offense,” said senior midfielder Carson Ballagh. ”We’re taught that consecutive goals win games. Once that second one went in, we had full confidence to execute.”
Mattia Boldrini surveys the field against Sac State on Sept. 11 (Chinedu Igwe)
The Hornets stormed out of the break with intent, testing the Aztecs often in the early stages of the second half, but SDSU’s defense stood tall and turned away every threat to maintain a clean sheet.
“We pride ourselves on strong defense, and it meant a lot to the defense to hold strong and get a clean sheet tonight,” coach Hopkins said post-match.
The second half settled into a more even contest, with both sides missing quality looks as the score held firm at 2-0. The Aztecs and Hornets matched each other with four shots on goal apiece, but it was the Scarlet and Black who made the most of their chances when it counted.
Hopkins doesn’t shy away from the reality that this team still needs to “accelerate the learning process.”
“Obviously, it’s hard to build the airplane as we fly it,” Hopkins said. “This team has grit and has what it takes to face adversity and come out on the better side.”
The Aztecs will look to ride this momentum into another win as they head across town to face the ninth-ranked University of San Diego Toreros this Sunday at 5 p.m.