BOISE, Idaho - The San Diego State Women’s Soccer team (9-4-7) fell short to Boise State (10-3-6) on Wednesday night, advancing the Broncos to Saturday’s Mountain West Championship against Utah State. The game was tied 1-1 after regulation and two scoreless overtimes, and Boise State won 3-2 in penalty kicks.
The matchup marked the second straight year the Aztecs and Broncos met in the conference semifinals. Last season, Boise also came out on top, 3-2.
Freshmen Kailey Carlen for the Aztecs and Ava De Leest for the Broncos started this game as goalkeepers, having earned their starts throughout the regular season.
The home-field advantage buoyed Boise’s team, and they exuded confidence in front of a packed stadium. Boise stepped out with a high press against San Diego, battling the defensive side from the start of the game.
This game was physical. Boise State was called for 17 fouls and SDSU 7. San Diego State led in shots on goal (7-6) while Boise State had more shots (20-15) and corner kicks (6-4).
Grace Goins, an All-Mountain West Second Team defensive standout, held down her right side, helping the defensive line to seven shutouts this season.
In the first half, Boise State and SDSU each had one goal called back after review, ending the first half 0-0.
In the second, with the flick off from Alexis Leath (West Hills HS), local San Diegan Mia Lane (East Lake HS) created a breakaway and shot it into the left corner, making the score 1-0 for San Diego in the 50th minute.
The Broncos countered in the 66th minute, when Boise State’s Jillian Anderson put the ball in the back of the net in the midst of shooting chaos, making the score 1-1.
After 20 minutes of overtime and back and forth between the teams, the players lined up for a best-of-five shootout: five players from each team were designated to take penalty kicks. SDSU’s Katie Senn and Leath scored two goals of the five Aztec attempts, while Boise State made three on four attempts. Cindy Conner, Kenzie MacMillan, and Olivia Collins scored for the Broncos.
Boise State plays Utah State at home on Saturday for the Mountain West Conference Championship.