Nov. 2, 2007
SAN DIEGO - Freshman Lauren Marquez ended the home careers of six seniors in grand fashion on Friday, as she scored her first career goal in the 98th minute to give the Aztec women's soccer team the 1-0 victory over TCU at the SDSU Sports Deck.
With the victory, the Aztecs improve to 9-7-3 overall, 4-2-1 in the Mountain West Conference. The win snaps SDSU's 14-game winless streak in contests that have gone into overtime. This afternoon's overtime victory was the first since Oct. 17, 2004, against New Mexico.
TCU falls to 8-9-0, 3-4-0 in the MWC, with the loss.
The win also gives the Aztecs hope that if both UNLV and Utah lose or tie this weekend that they can claim the No. 2 seed in next week's MWC tournament.
"It's great to get a win on senior day and snap our winless streak in overtime," head coach Mike Friesen said. "At times, I thought we struggled with our energy level, but overall our women came out and were aggressive which created many scoring chances."
In the first half, both teams played to a standstill as SDSU held the slight lead in shots, 5-4, with senior Jackie Ragudos taking two of the shots on net from the right sideline.
The second half saw both teams up the aggressiveness with the Aztecs once again holding the shot advantage, 9-7. Ragudos missed on two more attempts while fellow senior Lisa Nielsen missed on a shot high of the goal and had another blocked.
The two teams seemed destined for a second overtime as the Aztecs' freshman goalkeeper Aubree Southwick and TCU's Kelsey Walters made saves on potential game-winning shots. Southwick made seven saves overall to record her 10th shutout of the year.
In the 98th minute, SDSU made one last charge as junior Alicia Piz and Nielsen were able to move the ball into the goal box and found Marquez who was able to coral the ball five yards in front of the net and get her shot past Walters to the left side of the net. For Nielsen, the assist was her first since 2005 and Piz's third of the campaign.
"Lauren has been playing really well so I'm not surprised she was able to record a goal this afternoon," Friesen said. "She continues to get better and she gets more comfortable with the pace of the collegiate game."
Prior to the game, SDSU honored seniors Melissa Deckers, Tiphanie Elliott, Jessica Girdner, Nielsen, Ragudos and Ashley Young. The group has help contribute to 34 Aztec victories over the last four years.
"This is a very special class since it was the first that I spent all four years coaching with," Friesen said. "It's been an honor to watch them grow and mature as players and women. They have great character and integrity.
"They have set the tone for what we want this program to be by always putting the team before the individual."
The Aztecs will now await the conclusion of conference play this weekend. SDSU will travel to Provo, Utah to either begin the MWC tournament on Wednesday or Thursday, depending on if it is able to secure a top-2 seed.