For a majority of the game, the Fresno State women’s soccer team just could not capitalize on many of its scoring opportunities. But in the 78th minute, a right-foot shot by Fresno State’s Robyn McCarthy quickly changed the momentum of the game.
Down 1-0 against San Diego State (3-1), McCarthy sent a ball that teammate Katie Dohnel was not able to control. The ball came back to McCarthy. She sent a shot that bent over the head of Aztecs’ goalkeeper Alexa Madueno to tie the game for Fresno State, 1-1.
“We have a team motto where we keep the play alive,†McCarthy said. “It was a lucky goal but I was trying to keep it alive and put it back post where it needed to be. It just happened. We were doing the right things and it went our way.â€Â
Less than two minutes later, Fresno State’s momentum from McCarthy’s goal carried on. Fresno State’s Ele Avery sent a cross to Kassandra Ceja. However, Ceja had pressure from a defender. She attempted to dribble the ball, but it was deflected to Lorena Montanes, who took a right-foot shot to put Fresno State up 2-1.
The Bulldogs (3-0) held on for the victory, beating the Aztecs 2-1. It’s the first time the Bulldogs opened the season with three straight victories since 2006.
“Everyone is super happy with how we came together,†Fresno State head coach Brian Zwaschka said. “It was a real team win and we’re just thrilled.â€Â
Three games into the new campaign and the Bulldogs are on top of the west division of the Mountain West (MW).
“We work really well as a team,†McCarthy said. “We have learned so much in the beginning of the season. I’m very proud of my team.â€Â
The first half was scoreless, but SDSU put the pressure on the Bulldogs. The Aztecs offense was designed around sending through balls up top to their forwards. However, SDSU couldn’t finish on those plays because the Aztecs were ruled offside seven times in the first half.
The 37th minute provided back-to-back scoring opportunities for Fresno State. First, Dohnel sent a pass to Montanes, who took a shot but was blocked by Madueno.
As a result of Madueno’s save, the Bulldogs were awarded a corner kick. Fresno State’s Shantay Tamez sent the ball in, and McCarthy found the ball after a rebound. Her left-foot shot, however, was blocked by Madueno again.
After Madueno’s save, the Aztecs quickly moved the ball up the field, resulting in a one-on-one scoring encounter. But Bulldogs’ goalkeeper Valentina Vivas was able to make the save and keep the game scoreless heading into halftime.
The game’s first goal came in the 51st minute. After gaining possession off a Fresno State throw-in, Aztecs’ forward Rachelle Elve sent the ball to teammate Veronica Avalos for a wall pass.
San Diego State’s Chloe Frisch made an overlapping run past Fresno State’s defense. She was left open when she received the pass from Avalos. Frisch took a couple touches before shooting past Fresno State goalkeeper Briana O’Dell to make it 1-0.
After Frisch’s goal, the Aztecs produced more scoring opportunities. In the span of three minutes, SDSU had three shots on goal, two of which went wide and one was blocked by O’Dell.
But Fresno State’s offense picked up. Dohnel took a shot that went wide, and Ceja’s two shots on goal were blocked by Madueno. Fresno State finally found the net when McCarthy scored in the 78th minute.
While Zwaschka said that McCarthy’s goal was a little bit lucky, he said that the Bulldogs made some adjustments to have better offensive production.
“I thought we were rushing ourselves in the final third,†Zwaschka said. “I was really happy to see it come into fruition. It was down to some good pressing that got us into that position.â€Â
The Bulldogs got on the board two minutes later with Montanes’ goal.
“Before we got the first goal, we started to create some momentum,†Zwaschka said. “We were spending a lot more time in the final third. We felt it [both goals] coming in both cases.â€Â
Similarly to Friday’s win over UNLV, the Bulldogs had a one-goal lead late in the game. Still, the Aztecs were not done yet. In the 88th minute, Elve took a shot for SDSU, but O’Dell was there to save the ball and hold on to it, preventing the rebound from bouncing next to a SDSU attacker.
After a two-game home stretch, the Bulldogs will hit the road. Fresno State takes on Nevada (0-3) and Boise State (1-1-1) this upcoming weekend.
