SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco State men's soccer team extended its historic season on Tuesday with a 1-0 victory over No. 13 UC San Diego in the CCAA Championships Quarterfinals.
The Gators (12-4-2) dominated possession in the first half, though both teams only had one shot on goal through the first 45 minutes. It paid off early in the second half though. In the 49th minute, junior Aydan Bowers, who was named Gator of the Week after contributing to both of the Gators' game-winners last week, threw the ball in from the left side. Junior Tariq Pulskamp took the ball and flicked it into the box, where freshman Feliciano Cardenas headed it in for his second goal of the season.
"We knew going into the match that UCSD has had an incredible home record [one loss entering Tuesday night]," said San Francisco State Head Coach
Javier Ayala-Hil. "It came down to a set piece and we executed in a key moment."
The Tritons pressured the Gators over the last 20 minutes. UCSD fired off five shots that were all either blocked or saved. The Tritons' closest opportunity came in the 85th minute but Bowers cleared the ball off the goal line to preserve the lead. Freshman goalkeeper Peter Swinkels made four saves en route to the win.
"They started throwing numbers forward and it was difficult to contain," said Ayala-Hil. "We've had similar situations this season where we've been able to contain teams in the final 20 to 25 minutes so that experience has definitely helped us."
UCSD held a slight a 12-10 shot advantage and put five shots on goal compared to the Gators' three. UCSD also attempted four corner kicks while the Gators had a pair.
UCSD is hosting the final two rounds of the 2017 CCAA Championships so the Gators will remain in San Diego. On Friday at 11 a.m., they'll go up against the number two seed, Cal Poly Pomona, in the conference semifinals. The other side of the bracket features Cal State LA, who rallied back from a three-goal deficit to beat Chico State, and top-seeded Cal State Dominguez Hills.
