The No. 6 seeded Fresno State women’s soccer team’s journey to the Mountain West Championship is over.
The Bulldogs dropped their semifinal matchup against the No. 2 seeded San Diego State Aztecs with the final score being 3-2, according to a news release from Fresno State Athletics.
The loss followed the Bulldogs’ penalty kick victory quarterfinal match against the Colorado State Rams.
The Aztecs were the first to find the back of the net at the 28th minute of the first half via a fast- break off of a goal kick. Sophomore forward Taylor Moorehead was credited with the unassisted goal.
The Bulldogs answered back quickly as senior middle forward Melissa Ellis evened up the match 1-1 with a shot from the top of the box past the Aztec’s senior goalkeeper Brooke Lisowski. Ellis’ goal took place at the 31st minute of the first half and went unassisted.
Following Ellis’ goal, the Aztecs countered quickly, nabbing their second goal of the match at the 32nd minute. The Aztecs’ second goal of the match was scored by freshman forward Rachelle Elve and also went unassisted.
Just a few minutes following the Aztecs’ second goal, Ellis evened the score, 2-2, with a rebounding goal that bounced off her foot and into the back of the net. Ellis’ second goal of the game would be her fourth of the year while freshman forward Kylie Lucero picked up the assist for the goal.
However, the Aztecs would counter quickly once again and retake the lead 3-2 with a kick that went over Fresno State freshman goalie Valentina Vivas’ head. The go-ahead goal from the Aztecs was scored by freshman midfielder Kiera Utush at the 40th minute of the first half.
At the end of the first half, Fresno State owned the advantage in shots 11-50 as well as in corners 4-0. San Diego State had the advantage in saves, 3-1, and both the Bulldogs and Aztecs were even in the total amount of fouls with five.
The scoreless second half saw both teams play a little chippier. The first half saw senior middle forward Sydni Lunt drew a yellow card but in the second half, Ellis would join Lunt in receiving a yellow card. The Aztecs head coach and two other players were also given yellow cards during the second half.
The Bulldogs and the Aztecs also doubled the number of fouls in the second half compared to the first. Fresno State committed 10 fouls while San Diego State committed 12.
Fresno State once again had the advantage in corner kicks and shots in the second half. The ‘Dogs had four corner kicks as well as 10 shots. None of those 10 shots would find the back of the net, leading to the Aztecs clinching a Mountain West Championship berth.
Fresno State women’s soccer ends its 2019 season with an overall record of 9-7-4 and a 4-4-2 record in the Mountain West.