SDSU Falls 2-0 to No. 22 Utah State Despite Carlen's 7 Saves

San Diego State Falls 2-0 to No. 22 Utah State as Pac-12 Tournament Looms

The San Diego State women’s soccer team dropped a 2-0 decision to No. 22 Utah State in Logan, as a scoreless defensive battle unlocked into a second-half surge for the Aggies. Goalkeeper Kailey Carlen matched her career high with seven saves, according to goaztecs.com, but the Aztecs ultimately couldn’t match Utah State’s relentless offensive pressure.

Thursday night’s match in Utah left the Aztecs with a 10-4-3 overall record and a 4-2-2 mark in Pac-12 play, while No. 22 Utah State improved to 13-3-3 overall and 6-1-1 in the conference.

How the Match Unfolded in Logan

SanDiego State went on the attack immediately, with Naima Castro forcing Utah State goalkeeper Ivy Nystrom to make her first save a mere 39 seconds into the match. Kailey Carlen answered right back for the Aztecs, blocking a shot by Summer Diamond in the eighth minute. Just ten minutes later, Alexyz Nakamoto recorded San Diego State’s second and final shot on goal of the first half, which was likewise turned away by the Aggies’ defense.

Carlen kept working under heavy pressure as the half wore on, stopping a shot by Mia Lopez in the 27th minute and another by Ellie Hendrix just a minute later. In the waning seconds before the break, Carlen smothered a shot by Lila Emmetsberger to preserve the scoreless deadlock heading into the locker rooms.

SDSU Falls 2-0 to No. 22 Utah State Despite Carlen's 7 Saves — Photo: bvmsports.com

Utah State appeared to break the tie just 70 seconds into the second half when Kate Christian found the back of the net, but a video review by the officials overturned the score after determining Christian was offsides.

Carlen continued her stellar play deep into the half, denying Austin Miller at the end of the 56th minute. Fifty seconds later, the deadlock finally broke. Christian scored on a cross that caromed off the left goalpost and past Carlen, with Capriel Winder picking up the assist, as reported by BVMSports.

The Aggies nearly doubled their advantage moments later when a header deflected violently off the crossbar, though officials confirmed the entire ball did not cross the goal line. Following yellow cards issued to Utah State’s Emmetsberger in the 75th minute and SDSU’s Emma Fuller two minutes later, Utah State sealed the outcome. Carlen blocked shots by Kunie Hirai in the 76th and 82nd minutes, but the second save conceded a corner kick. Right from that set piece, Kei Yoneda scored from close range with assists from Summer Sofonia and Summer Diamond. Another video review checked for offsides, but the goal stood.

Aztecs Prepare to Face Boise State in Semifinal

Statistic	Utah State	San Diego State
Final Score	2	0
Shots	19	8
Shots on Goal	9	2
Saves	2	7
Corner Kicks	3	4
Fouls	3	2

Carlen’s seven saves matched her previous career highs achieved during difficult road matches at Stanford on August 21 and Pepperdine on September 11 of last season.

The Aztecs now shift their focus to the upcoming postseason bracket. San Diego State enters the Pac-12 Tournament as the third seed, setting up a high-stakes semifinal matchup against conference co-champions and second-seeded Boise State on Wednesday. Kickoff is scheduled for either 3 p.m. PT or 6:30 p.m. PT, with the match broadcast live on the Pac-12 YouTube channel.