MORAGA, Calif. — Early in the 2021 season, it appears the Saint Mary's Women's Soccer team has a flair for the dramatic. Back at home after a great comeback win on the road on Sunday, the Gaels did just that again on Thursday afternoon, using two late goals to take down San Diego State with a 2-1 final. With the win, Saint Mary's improves to 3-0 for the first time since the 2010 season, while the Aztecs drop to 1-2.
 
FALLING BEHIND
In the 34^th minute of the match, the Aztecs got on the board with some nifty passing in close. Malia Kaleiohi found Laura Fuentes, who then dished it over to Denise Castro in the left corner of the box. That extra pass from SMC goalkeeper Taylor Poland, and the ball was shot back across to the right corner, hugging the ground and giving the Aztecs a 1-0 advantage that they would carry into halftime.
 
SHIFTING MOMENTUM
Things were chippy throughout the duration of the game, with the Gaels bench getting a yellow and three other yellow cards being issued to the Aztecs. In the 66^th minute, one particular card changed the flow of the match. Some hard contact from Hope Paredes landed her with a straight red card, disqualifying her from the match and completely shifting momentum. That helped the Gaels outshoot San Diego State 18-3 on the afternoon, with a 10-1 advantage in shots on goal.
 
WIDE OPEN SPACES
Just seven minutes after the San Diego State red card, the Gaels found themselves a chance to tie the game. AnnaMaria DiGeronimo had a great chip downfield to a wide-open Alexis Gutierrez, who then turned on the jets to get around the defense and create a wide-open shot attempt. She buried it once she got into the box, beating the Aztecs keeper in the bottom right corner of the goal to tie it at 1-1. It is already the second goal in the young college career of Gutierrez, who has scored in two of the three Gaels wins so far this season.
 
JUST A TOUCH
The nail in the coffin came in the 84^th minute, when the Gaels received a bit of luck on a soft shot that trickled into the net. With a lot of pressure just outside the top of the box, it was DiGeronimo again setting things up for the Gaels offense. With a turn, she attempted to lead Isabella Santavicca to a spot about 10 yards out. The Aztecs keeper darted out from her post to try and steal it from Santavicca, and they both went into a feet-first slide. Santavicca was able to get one soft touch on it, and it slowly rolled into the back of the net for her first goal of the season, and the Gaels were out in front for good, on their way to a 3-0 start.
 
UP NEXT
Saint Mary's heads back on the road this weekend, but they will stay in the Bay Area, as they head over to Berkeley to take on Cal. The match on Sunday is scheduled for 4:00 pm and will wrap up the month of August for Saint Mary's.
 
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