SAN DIEGO – San Diego State true freshman Leah Pruitt scored twice to propel the Aztecs to a 2-1 home victory over Fresno State Friday night at SDSU Sports Deck. The win kept San Diego State (10-4; 6-1 MW) in a first-place tie atop the Mountain West standings with San José State (8-5-2; 6-1 MW). The Bulldogs, meanwhile, fell to (4-9-1; 3-3-1 MW).

 

“It was good to get the win,” Aztec head coach Mike Friesen said. “It is good to be in a position where we have a chance to be at the top of the group once again on Sunday in late October. We’re excited about that opportunity on Sunday (against SJSU) and we’re looking forward to putting our best foot forward.”

 

SDSU controlled the opening 30 minutes and routinely put pressure on Fresno State goalkeeper Marie Berwinkel-Kottmann. But despite the volume of shots and dangerous chances placed on the Bulldog backline, it was Fresno State that struck first in the 35^th minute. After a broken play, Peyton Cilne fed Alissa Pham, who punched in her first goal of the season.

 

The Aztecs kept pressing forward and were finally rewarded in the 42^nd minute. Junior Jen Rupey sent in a perfect centering pass from the right sideline to Pruitt, who was in the middle of the box. The freshman put a head on the ball and tickled the twine for the sixth time this season. For Rupey, the assist was her fourth of the year and fourth in the last her last six outings.

 

San Diego State later received the game-winning goal in the 65^th minute when Pruitt was taken down in the box, giving the Aztecs a penalty kick. The freshman lined up her shot and put SDSU ahead with her team-best seventh goal of 2015. For the year, Pruitt leads all San Diego State players with seven goals, nine assists and 23 points.

 

After Pruitt’s second multi-goal performance of the season, the Aztecs’ defense took it from there, keeping the Bulldogs from leveling the score in the final 25 minutes.

 

San Diego State outshot Fresno State, 19-9, and had more shots on goal (6-4) and corner kicks (8-2). Pruitt led all players with six goals and shared game-high honors with two shots on goal (Angela Mitchell and Fresno State’s Myra Delgadillo). Melanie Vaughn had three saves, while Berwinkel-Kottman made four stops.

 

The win over Fresno State was SDSU’s fifth straight in the series and gave the Aztecs’ their fifth consecutive season with at least 10 victories. The school record is seven, which was established from 1993-1999. The decision also gave the San Diego State senior class 59 wins, which is tied for the second most over a four-year period in program history. A victory on Senior Day would tie the school record of 60 (1996-99).

 

The aforementioned Senior Day is set for Sunday, Oct. 18, when Mountain West co-leader San José State visits SDSU Sports Deck. Tiffany Geer, Ashley Hauke and Vaughn’s final regular-season home game is scheduled for a 2:30 p.m. PT. Admission to the game is free and the contest will also stream live at GoAztecs.com via the MW Network.