SAN DIEGO – San Diego State’s women's soccer team beat the Pepperdine Waves (4W-3L-2D) on Thursday night at the SDSU Sports Deck, 2-0. The Aztecs (5-2-1) were coming off a win against Utah Valley in the final game of their 3-game road trip.
SDSU put themselves on the board early in the game. With help from midfielders KK Chowana-Bandhu and Alexyz Nakamoto, forward Victoria Miller found the back of the net during the ninth minute. Despite three shots-on-goal by Chowana-Bandhu, they went scoreless for the rest of the first half.
Emma Fuller looks downfield. Natalie Tullar/@nstphotography_
After the break, the Aztecs looked to add to their lead. Forward Alexis Leath had a shot early in the second half but Waves goalkeeper Jillian Medvecky saved it. On the other end, SDSU goalkeeper Kailey Carlen kept Pepperdine’s first shot-on-goal from hitting the back of the net.
Chowana-Bandhu broke through in the 50th minute, finishing off of two well-placed passes from Miller and Leath. She beat her defender and Medvecky to put the Aztecs up 2-0.
Kailey Carlen has shined as the Aztecs’ goalkeeper. Natalie Tullar/@nstphotography_
Pepperdine had another shot-on-goal in the 89th minute, but, once again, Carlen made the save to secure her 10th career shutout and fourth this season.
Next Up
The Aztecs look to turn up the intensity as they head into conference play. Their final out-of-conference matchup takes place at home Sunday at noon against Northern Colorado. This season marks SDSU’s first season in the Pac-12, which brings different opportunities and new opponents to San Diego.
Tune into Sunday’s game on the Pac-12 Youtube channel or head over to the SDSU Sports Deck (atop Parking Structure 7).
Charlie Gerson. Natalie Tullar/@nstphotography_
Website photo: Lily Boudet celebrates a goal. Natalie Tullar/@nstphotography_
