The University of San Diego ninth-ranked men’s soccer team dominated Sunday’s showdown with San Diego State, but it was the brief, late-match lapse that loomed over Torero Stadium following Sunday night’s 2-1 Toreros win.

“We’ve stressed in the last couple of weeks, we want to be in a position where we invite teams upon us in the last 10 minutes,” USD coach Brian Quinn said. “But you have got to be able to handle it.”

For the better part of 90 minutes, USD (5-1-1) was in total control and headed for its first clean sheet of the season. The Toreros allowed SDSU (2-2-3) just one shot attempt through the first 67 minutes on Sunday, and no shots on goal for more than 70 minutes.

In the 90th minute, however, Matteo Salcedo received a yellow card moments before the Toreros conceded a corner kick — one of only three for the Aztecs in the match.

The ensuing set piece resulted in a Dylan Presto goal. Sunday’s outcome was no longer in doubt at that juncture, thanks to first-half goals from Iain Wagner and Taj Eagleston. But beyond spoiling USD’s first shutout of 2026, the late SDSU score provided a Toreros team with national championship ambitions a point of reflection for later in the campaign.

“When you’re dealing with top-20, top-10 teams, you’re going to have to be dealing with balls coming into the box, and with second efforts, and with scrambles,” Quinn said.

“That’s three wins in a row right now, so we should keep our momentum. But also … we have got to make sure we’re stronger in those moments,” Eagleston echoed. “When it comes down to the wire, later on in the tournament, those are the specific things we need to work on.”

While USD came away with material to grow from Sunday’s contest, scoring a win over a crosstown rival is always a positive. And the Toreros left little doubt, attacking the Aztecs early to capitalize on SDSU playing its second match in three days. USD controlled possession much of the way and went on the attack numerous times in the first half, building a two-goal lead in the 34th minute.

Luca Fava fired off a laser of a crossing pass that eluded SDSU defender Avery Huggins and trickled to an unmarked Eagleston.

Eagleston capitalized on the open look with a left-footed shot that went low and to the left beyond the reach of Aztecs goalkeeper Nic Diana before finding the back of the net.

Eagleston made good on this promising second look after Diana had denied his first in the 17th minute. But the Diana stop of Eagleston’s earlier attempt initiated a sequence that resulted in USD’s first goal of the day.

Following a save of a Fava shot just 37 seconds earlier, Diana went high to block Eagleston’s on-target look from straight-on. The deflection went beyond the end line, giving the Toreros a corner kick.

Off the set piece, St. Augustine High School product and midfielder Iain Wagner came away with possession just behind a scrum near the top of the box. Wagner fired an attempt that whizzed out of Diana’s reach.

The goal marked a long-awaited breakthrough for Wagner, an All-West Coast Conference selection in 2025 with nine scores. He came into Sunday’s match without a goal yet in 2026.

“I’ve been putting myself in positions to score throughout the season,” said Wagner. “But they just haven’t gotten in the back of the net. It was really good to see on go through.”

Wagner nearly netted a second goal in the 28th minute when he attacked the box, but Diana came out of goal to dive onto the ball and squash the chance.

Diana was busy throughout the match with SDSU back on its heels for a considerable chunk of Sunday’s 90 minutes. The Aztecs were outshot 16-6.

SDSU’s first shot on goal — and USD goalkeeper’s Lucca Adams’ lone save for the match — came in the 71st minute on a Lucas St. Caffo header. Jaxson Hutcheon passed to St. Caffo off a header of his own, set up by a well-placed Presto cross.

The ultimately fruitless play capped the most action SDSU saw on its attacking side of the pitch until the endgame, scoring sequence.