Soccer shines versus SDSU

Four different goals from four different Toreros lead USD to a 5-2 victory over Aztecs

Anderson Haigler/Sports Editor/The USD Vista

In a primetime matchup under the Friday night lights, the University of San Diego women’s soccer team shined at Torero Stadium. Taking on crosstown rival San Diego State University (SDSU), the lady Toreros rolled to a dominant, 5-2 victory over the Aztecs in their first night home game of the season, with four different players finding the back of the net. 

USD wasted no time getting the scoring started, with sophomore midfielder/defender Mina Ghazizadeh scoring on a rebound off of a defender at the 2:37 minute mark, giving the Toreros a 1-0 advantage. 30 minutes later, redshirt senior forward/defender Kelsi Dantu chipped in a goal of her own, the first of her team-high two total scores on the night. Dantu spoke about her performance, as well as that of her team. 

“(The first goal) was a great ball, Milan played it through and Summer made a nice front post run and I was there just to clean it up in the back,” Dantu said. “We just had great chemistry from all three of us and shot it right in the low post. The second goal we caught it off a corner and sliced it into the near post. We were trying to stay composed and it was just a great effort from my team to play those balls off.” 

SDSU answered with a goal in the final seconds of the half, a shot from sophomore Aztec defender Sarah Broacha from 11 yards out, making the score 2-1 in favor of the Toreros.

After the half, midfielder Milan Moses added on to the Toreros’ 2-1 lead. In the 52nd minute, Moses broke away from defenders and shot to the bottom of the goal, good for her team-leading fourth of the season.

Moses explained the play in which she scored.

“I saw (the SDSU defender) going back and she probably wasn’t expecting me to close down on her, so I got it and placed it in the corner,” Moses said.

Crosstown rivalry games like the Toreros’ matchup against SDSU almost always mean something to players, and last Friday’s matchup was no exception. Moses, however, may have had a little more to prove against the Aztecs than the rest of her team. The redshirt junior played her first two years of college soccer at SDSU prior to utilizing her redshirt season in 2017, and took the field against her previous teammates for the first time Friday. After a game in which she helped lead her new team to victory over her old team, Moses discussed her emotions regarding the matchup.

“Going into it I knew it would be emotional,” Moses said. “But I just couldn’t think about the other team. I just had to focus on what we worked on and what we’ve been doing in practice, and just play. I wasn’t worried about them at all.”

USD would go on to expand their advantage to 3-1 in the 63rd minute behind a goal from senior forward/midfielder Summer Mason to the top of the goal. Kelsi Dantu followed up with her second goal of the night off of an assist from sophomore midfielder Lauren Foehr and first-year defender Michaela Foster 11 minutes later, and the Toreros took a commanding 5-1 lead.

The Toreros would eventually surrender another goal, this time to sophomore defender/midfielder Phoebe Leitch in the 87th minute. The Aztecs’ late-game rally fell short in the face of USD’s strong offensive performance, however, earning the Toreros a 5-2 victory, their third win of the season.

USD women’s soccer head coach Louise Lieberman said that the Toreros’ success had to do with their ability to make the most of opportunities mid-game.

“The girls capitalized on their opportunities, and that’s something that we haven’t been doing lately,” Lieberman said. “So they really did tonight, and that’s something we talked about before the game.”

According to Lieberman, USD’s large margin of victory over the Aztecs was something that she and her team expected as they prepared for their Friday night contest.

“I did (expect a large margin of victory) tonight,” Lieberman said. “Just based on watching video and how we’ve been coming together, I thought this could’ve been a possibility.”

Dantu agreed with her coach’s expectation.

“This is a crosstown rivalry, so we really wanted to come out banging, we wanted to make a statement,” Dantu said. “This is our home, we had a wonderful crowd out here today, so it was just awesome to get those goals and prove to our fans, prove to ourselves that we are capable of winning like that.”

Moses weighed in on her team’s win.

“I thought we moved the ball really well,” Moses said. “Everybody was on the same page and everybody was stepping together, everybody was defending together, and we just found a way to capitalize on all of our chances.”

Equally as impressive as the Toreros’ offensive explosion was their staunch defense. USD held the Aztecs to one goal for essentially the entirety of the game, not surrendering the second until the last three minutes of play. Lieberman spoke about why her team was able to be effective on defense.

“I think our frontrunners, they were able to hold the ball well up top and transition well on the attack,” Lieberman said.

Something that was noted by both Lieberman and her players was the large crowd, and the positive impact that had on their game. Attendance was reported as 850 persons, filling nearly the entirety of the home section of Torero Stadium with USD fans, creating a loud, energetic, and festive environment. The Bull Pit, USD’s official student section, was at full force for the primetime matchup, contributing to the cheering with vuvuzelas and other noisemakers.

Lieberman shared her thoughts on the atmosphere Friday night.

“It was fantastic tonight,” Lieberman said. “It was so fun for our girls to be able to play in front of a crowd like this. They deserve to do that, and I’m happy they got to feel what they felt with all those people there. We’re appreciative of their presence.”

Dantu agreed with her coach.

“Oh my gosh, it’s amazing,” Dantu said. “I love it. It’s wonderful to play under the Friday night lights, to have everyone out there, playing for yourself, playing for your family, playing for your school. It’s just a wonderful feeling.”

The Toreros’ current record sits at 3-3-1. Despite USD’s middling results so far, Lieberman said that her outlook for the rest of the season is bright.

“(We feel) very good,” Lieberman said. “Every game we get better. They want to improve so bad. The chemistry is phenomenal. We’re on the road to continuing to be on the upswing, cause it’s a great group. Willing to learn and wanting to learn and a great attitude.”

The Toreros return to home action on Friday, Sept. 21, when they take on Cal State Fullerton at 7 p.m. at Torero Stadium.