After the Aztecs Finish With UCLA, It’s a Wrap : San Diego State Soccer Team Advances to Final Four by Finally Beating Bruins

San Diego State goalkeeper Bryan Finnerty said he gets this feeling once in a while.

“It’s like there is Saran Wrap around our goal, and nothing can go in it,� he said.

For the final 35 minutes of Sunday’s NCAA quarterfinal soccer game between the Aztecs and UCLA at Westwood, the Bruins tried and tried but couldn’t poke a hole in SDSU’s last line of defense.

“I don’t know if it was Saran Wrap, but it was something,� UCLA Coach Sigi Schmid said.

UCLA hit the goal post three times and was denied by Finnerty and his sweeper Chris Keenan on two other occasions as San Diego State hung on for a 2-1 victory to advance to the NCAA final four for the first time.

The Aztecs (19-5) will meet undefeated Harvard in one semifinal next weekend, and Clemson will face North Carolina in the other semifinal. The site of the semifinal games will be determined this week, although San Diego State has not put in a bid to host the final four. UCLA, which had not lost to the Aztecs in 17 games since 1969, finished 13-7-1.

“It’s been a long time in coming for us to finally beat them,� Aztec Coach Chuck Clegg said. “And it took a long time to wrap this one up. I don’t know if I could ever go through that last 30 minutes again.�

After freshman Eric Wynalda scored the tie-breaking goal 10 minutes into the second half, UCLA put constant pressure on the Aztecs but could not tie the score. Bill Thompson, the Bruins’ sophomore forward, thought three times he had scored to tie it, but each time he was wrong.

Ten minutes after Wynalda’s goal, Thompson collected a rebound, and, with his back to the goal, spun around for a line-drive shot that just deflected off the left goal post.

A few minutes later, Thompson again had a rebound in front, and this time he put his shot on goal. But Finnerty rose up and deflected the shot with his left hand, sending it over the crossbar.

With 12 minutes left, Thompson finally beat the goal post and Finnerty with a low shot from the right side of the Aztec net. But this time, Keenan was there to kick the ball off the goal line and save the Aztecs.

“After the shot, they started jumping up and down like they had scored,� Keenan said. “But, I had slipped behind Bryan and I was able to get my leg on it.�

The Aztecs, meanwhile, didn’t have much offense.

What chances they did have, however, they converted. In the first half, Gerardo Jimenez took a crossing pass from Kyle Whittemore in front and beat UCLA goalie Anton Nistl for a 1-0 lead.

UCLA tied the game midway through the first half when Aztec midfielder Curt Lewis, in an attempt to pass back to Keenan in the Aztec zone, instead passed to a wide-open UCLA forward, Jeff Hooker, who tied the game, 1-1.

UCLA dominated play through the remainder of the first half and for the first 10 minutes of the second half before its defenders got caught up field and allowed Wynalda to spring free for the go-ahead goal.

Finnerty caught a UCLA corner kick and passed to Wynalda, who was streaking down the left side of the field alone. With one defender to beat, Wynalda crossed the ball in front to Jimenez, who returned the ball to Wynalda, crossing from left to right, 25 yards in front of Nistl.

The UCLA goalie came out and Wynalda spun, kicking a low dribbler that eluded the diving Nistl and rolled into the left corner of the goal.

“I knew the goalie was going to be coming out,� Wynalda said. “I wanted to kick for the far corner, and I was lucky to be able to put it there.�