MEN'S SOCCER: Shutout against No. 7 Cal gives SDSU boost on and off the field

When midfielder Jamel Wallace blasted a shot past California goalkeeper Stefan Frei, scoring his third goal of the season, he made his celebration count on the rain-soaked field.

 “I’ve always wanted to do a celebration with my family, my team,” the junior said, following his face-first slide in front of the San Diego State bench. “It’s always fun to play in the rain. I love it.”

That goal would turn out to be the only score in the game, as the San Diego State men’s soccer team rode another strong performance from senior goalkeeper Jorge Rosales to knock off No. 7 California 1-0.

“It feels great, just compared to last year,” Rosales said. “I have more confidence and just being able to hopefully finish my last year starting is just great.”

SDSU played the final 50 minutes down one man after junior midfielder/forward Daniel Ortega received a red card for talking after a play was over. The team was outshot 20-11 but still had the better scoring chances throughout the game.

While the game didn’t mean much in terms of standings – the Aztecs came into this weekend in fifth place out of six teams in the Pac-10 with just three conference games remaining – it meant something to the program.

 “This game was very important for our program, as it helps with recruiting,” head coach Lev Kirshner said. “At their place we felt like we got outworked, and we didn’t want to see that happen here. It’s another result for us against a top-10 team.”

SDSU has not beaten a top-10 team in seven of the past eight seasons under Kirshner. The Aztecs (5-8-3, 3-3-3) are also unbeaten against the Bears this year, having played to a 1-1 tie back on Oct. 12.

Rosales played another solid game in net, notching five saves to record his first shutout this season.

“It’s always nice to have a goalkeeper who’s winning games. He’s never going to forget this one,” Kirshner said of his senior’s performance.

SDSU also beat last-place Stanford this weekend, recording a 2-1 victory on Friday over the visiting Cardinals. Junior forward Matt McManus and sophomore forward Raymundo Reza each tallied their fifth goal of the season in the win.

The wins this past weekend mark the first time in almost two months the Aztecs recorded a victory at home. The team hadn’t won on the SDSU Sports Deck since Sept. 7, with SDSU recording a whopping 6-0 victory against visiting Albany.
With just two games remaining and the Pac-10 title out of reach, the Aztecs are just trying to win out and build momentum for next year.

“Finishing strong is something we’ve all talked about,” Wallace said. “We’ve sort of taken an oath as a team. We want to win out.”

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