{"id":439345,"date":"2026-08-21T12:16:14","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T12:16:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/439345\/"},"modified":"2026-08-21T12:16:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T12:16:14","slug":"liberty-downs-san-diego-state-2-1-in-season-opener","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/439345\/","title":{"rendered":"Liberty Downs San Diego State 2-1 in Season Opener"},"content":{"rendered":"

SAN DIEGO, CALIF. \u2013 The Liberty Flames scored two goals less than four minutes to defeat the San Diego State Aztecs 2-1 at the SDSU Sports Desk Thursday evening.<\/p>\n

After a scoreless first half, Samson Kpardeh<\/a> and Pablo Matavele<\/a> netted goals 3:51 apart early in the second half, and then used a solid defensive effort to secure the victory.<\/p>\n

The win moves the Flames to 1-0 and marks Head Coach Scott Wells<\/a>‘ first win at Liberty. San Diego State drops to 0-1.<\/p>\n

Scoring Summary

\n52′ \u2013 LIBERTY \u2013 Samson Kpardeh<\/a> (Assisted by Hugo Kopke<\/a> and Finn van den Berg<\/a>)

\n56′ \u2013 LIBERTY \u2013 Pablo Matavele<\/a> (Assisted by Javan Ochieng<\/a> and Ronnie Gorman<\/a>)

\n77′ \u2013 SDSU – Jonah Kawamura (Penalty Kick)<\/p>\n

\"Men's\u00a0<\/p>\n

Key Stats & Notes
\n \n<\/p>\n


\n\tLiberty doubled San Diego State in shots, 14-7. The Flames held a 6-5 edge in shots on goal over the Aztecs.
\n\tSan Diego State held a 5-2 advantage in corner kicks.
\n\tThe Flames outshot the Aztecs, 5-3, in the first half. However, host SDSU had three shots on goal, all stopped by Liberty goalkeeper Dan Rose<\/a>, while Liberty did not have a shot on target.
\n\tKpardeh, who scored eight goals last season at Gardner-Webb, and Matavele, a freshman, each netted their first goal as a Flame.
\n\tHugo Kopke<\/a>, Finn van den Berg<\/a>, Javan Ochieng<\/a> and Ronnie Gorman<\/a> all drew assists in the contest.
\n\tRose, making his first start at Liberty, recorded four saves. Rose made three saves earlier in the first half to keep the game scoreless. SDSU goalkeeper Nic Diana recorded four saves.
\n\tThe Flames and Aztecs met for the first time in their program histories this evening. Liberty’s victory is its first on the pitch in California.
\n\tFlames head coach Scott Wells<\/a> records his first victory in his first match leading Liberty. <\/p>\n

Next Up
\nLiberty will finish its San Diego, Calif., trip with a match against the No. 18 San Diego Toreros on Sunday. Kickoff at Toreros Stadium is scheduled for 8 p.m. EST\/5 p.m. PST.
\n <\/p>\n

Samson Kpardeh<\/a> gives the Flames the lead! pic.twitter.com\/9ZhKZm0Bmw<\/a><\/p>\n


\n\u2014 Liberty Men’s Soccer (@LibertyMSoccer) August 21, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Pablo Matavele<\/a> strikes less than 4 minutes later!

\nUpon review, ups lead to 2-0. pic.twitter.com\/ebTXN1hBCK<\/a><\/p>\n


\n\u2014 Liberty Men’s Soccer (@LibertyMSoccer) August 21, 2026<\/a>
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