BOISE, Idaho – Senior Sophie Metz scored a goal in the 81^st minute to help propel San Diego State past Boise State, 1-0, Friday afternoon to claim sole possession of first place in the Mountain West standings. The win moves the Aztecs to 9-6-2 overall and 7-1 in the MW. The Broncos, meanwhile, fall to 9-6-2 (4-3 MW).

 

The defending champions find themselves in alone in first place and heading to Utah State (9-5-3; 5-2-1 MW) after the Aggies tied New Mexico, 0-0, on Friday. San Diego State now has 21 points. New Mexico (8-8-2; 6-1-1 MW), which faces Boise State Sunday, trails in second place with 19.

 

Both teams played an even game for the entire 90, but it was Metz who proved to be the difference. Following 80-plus minutes of scoreless soccer, the Aztecs finally broke through at 80:46 when the midfielder from Pleasanton slotted her attempt into the right corner past Boise State goalkeeper Maddy McDevitt. The unassisted goal was Metz’s second of the season.

 

Holding a 1-0 lead with just over nine minutes to play, San Diego State limited the Broncos to just two shots the rest of the way en route to its 15^th victory in its last 16 Mountain West regular-season road games.

 

Victoria Barba and Haley Palmer led the Aztecs with two shots apiece. Barba, Metz, and Palmer shared game-high honors with three Broncos after all six tallied one shot on goal. SDSU goalkeeper Melanie Vaughn and McDevitt, meanwhile, each made three saves in net.

 

Both teams attempted nine shots on the afternoon with San Diego State owning a 4-3 advantage in shots on goal. SDSU finished with a 3-1 edge in corner kicks.

 

The Aztecs will look to inch closer to their second straight MW regular-season title on Sunday when they play at Utah State. The pivotal conference contest is set for 1 p.m. MT and will stream live on the Mountain West Network.

 

-SDSU-