SAN DIEGO – San Diego State took the first step in defending its Mountain West crown Friday night as it beat Fresno State, 2-1, behind a pair of Hannah Keane goals at SDSU Sports Deck. With the win, the Aztecs improve to 3-5-2 (1-0 MW), while the Bulldogs fall to 3-6-1 (0-1 MW).

 

In the process of winning the league opener, San Diego State extended a handful of streaks. SDSU has now won 10 straight vs. Mountain West foes, eight in row vs. conference opponents in the regular season, seven consecutive vs. MW teams at home, and five straight regular-season home games vs. league squads.

 

The Aztecs dominated the game from start to finish, keeping Fresno State on its heels for nearly the entire contest. San Diego State had a handful of nice sequences in the first half, but none of its looks produced a goal in the early going. In the 28^th minute, however, Haley Palmer played a long ball across the field to Haley Locker, who headed it to Keane and the rest was history. The Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week knocked the ball down, touched it a few times, turned and fired the ball into the right side of the net.

 

Fresno State found the equalizer in the 41^st minute when a ball was sent into the box and Morgan Castain’s shot was blocked by the SDSU defenders. The rebound went right back to Castain, who took a few dribbles and found herself surrounded by Aztecs. After falling to the ground, Castain gathered herself, got up and knocked in the tying goal.

 

San Diego State continued put pressure on the Bulldogs for the duration of the first half and into the second half. The Aztecs’ persistence paid off in the 77^th minute after Locker forced a turnover at midfield. The junior from Ferndale, Wash., streaked up the sideline, found Keane in the box and she took it from there, turning and knocking in her second of the game, and fifth in her last three outings, into the upper third of the net from seven yards out. The Sacramento native has six goals to date and is one shy of matching her 2012 total.

 

SDSU held onto the lead for the final 13 minutes to earn the one-goal victory and improve to 13-1-1 in its last 15 regular-season home games. At the series level, the Aztecs picked up their third straight win over Fresno State and improve to 9-2 all-time vs. the Bulldogs, a record which includes a flawless 6-0 effort in San Diego.

 

San Diego State outshot Fresno State, 19-7, and finished with a 6-5 advantage in corner kicks. Keane led all players with five shots, marking the third consecutive game in which she has finished with that number. Evie Millynn and Morgan Darling, meanwhile, each had three shots apiece. Melanie Vaughn pocketed her third win and made two saves.

 

The Aztecs return to the pitch on Sunday when San José State pays them a visit. Game time is scheduled for noon PT and admission is free. The MW match will also be streamed live at GoAztecs.com via the Mountain West Network.