SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Niv Berkovitz scored a pair of goals and Jackson Ozburn recorded his second straight shutout to propel Santa Clara men's soccer past San Diego State 2-0 on Friday night at the SDSU Sportsdeck.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Berkovitz tallied a goal in each half at the 20th and 82nd minute marks while Ozburn was credited with four saves to help the Santa Clara improve to 2-1-2 on the season.
- The first goal came off a corner kick where Diego Diaz skied over a San Diego State defender for a header shot that goalkeeper Eddy Vargas saved but Berkovitz immediately headed in the rebound for his second goal of the season. It was his first game winner of the year and third in his career.
- In the first half, SCU created a few more dangerous looks than SDSU, despite getting outshot 5-4.
- Early in the second half, San Diego State (2-3) had their most dangerous chance. Lorenzo Hernandez had an open look from eight yards out but Ozburn came off his line and utilized his 6-foot-3 frame to turn the shot away to maintain the one goal lead.
- The Aztecs appeared to tie the game up in the 72nd minute but the goal was waved off by the referee when an Aztec player interfered with Ozburn.
- Late in the match, Berkovitz doubled the lead chipping in the ball after picking up the loose ball atop the 18 on a chaotic scramble between Simon Diagana and two Aztec defenders. Berkovitz also had a brace against Florida Atlantic during the 2023 season when he was a member of SMU.
NOTABLE NUMBERS / GAME NOTES:
- Santa Clara extended their lead in the series to 13-7-3.
- Diaz was credited with an assist on Berkovitz's goal for first point in 18 collegiate matches. The junior defender played 16 matches at Temple last season.
- Sophomore defender Yu Yokokawa saw his first action of his career and played 63 minutes.
- The Broncos have won the last two matches by a combined score of 5-0 after shutting out Sacramento State 3-0 last Sunday.
HIGHLIGHTS:
POST-GAME COMMENTS:
Head Coach Cam Rast on Berkovitz's two goals:
"On the first goal, Niv did a great job slashing behind and got his head on the ball. It happened fairly early in the game and put us on the front foot and helped us to unlock the game. In the second half, we were sitting a little bit but we got free and battled up front with good numbers into the attack. He weaved his way and found himself one-on-one with with the goalkeeper and while alot of guys might try to slot it off to the sides but the keeper got big and when you do that, they tend to get down, so he chipped it over. It was a super classy shot."
Rast on the defense:
"We were a bit short handed in the backline tonight even though we got Diego back but he was a bit limited. This week, Yu looked really good in training and we felt he was ready for his first minutes. He played well and we weren't sure how long he was gonna go but he was steady back there. Ozburn made some good saves and relieved alot of pressure off the back."
Rast on the the short turnaround for the upcoming match:
"Tomorrow we fly to Phoenix for our Monday night match against Grand Canyon. Once we get to Phoenix, we will lay low in the afternoon as we relax and recover. We'll look at some film and show the team what we can do better along with some game prep. We are expecting a big crowd with high energy. It should be a good match."
NEXT UP:
- Santa Clara stays on the road to play Grand Canyon on Monday at 7 p.m. PT.
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