Ariy-El Boynton

The SDSU soccer team had a friend running on the field just after kick off. An actual jackrabbit ran on the grass of Fishback Soccer Park followed about 25 seconds later by Jacks freshman Kelsey Ferguson who landed the ball in the net.

Ferguson’s goal, hit off Seattle University’s goalkeeper Madison Goverde, would be the only one of the Oct. 16 game as SDSU beat the SU Redhawks, 1-0.

Senior Vanessa Paswaters was credited with the assist in the goal. Paswaters gave the ball to Ferguson in the open field with only one Redhawk defending. The goal was Ferguson’s fifth of the year.

Seattle University head coach Julie Woodward said the goal was allowed due in part to a “brain fart” by her team.

“It was a great goal by her part, I don’t want to discredit her by any means. As you can tell by the rest of the game, it was pretty even,” said Woodward. “They were a good team.”

Despite beating the non-league foe, head coach Lang Wedemeyer felt like his team was outplayed.

“They (SU) were the better team tonight, there’s no question about it,” he said. “They were fast, talented and also scouted us very well, they’re a very good squad.

Seattle University did something that no team playing SDSU at home has done yet. The Redhawks out shot SDSU.

SU held a 16-6 shot advantage and only allowed two Jacks’ shots to land on goal. Goverde made one save.

“They only had two shots on goal and one happened to go in, being opportunistic is a sign of a good team,” said Woodward.

Wedemeyer was impressed by goalkeeper Nicole Lograsso’s last home game play as a Jackrabbit.

“Niki had a good game in goal,” he said. ” Especially because she hasn’t been really challenged lately. The fact that she was able to step up tonight, make some big saves, she was very good tonight.

In the 18th minute, SU’s Kara Kuttler nearly had a goal, when the ball smacked off the post and landed on the grass. Late in the second half, Lorgasso was challenged twice in less than a minute when shots by Redhawks’ Megan Fogarty and Kassandra Riozzi had looks inside 15 yards out of net.

Fogarty and Riozzi’s shots were two of nine saves made by SDSU’s Ames, Iowa goalkeeper.

The physical game saw SDSU in “time kill” mode with 10 minutes remaining. The Jacks have worked on that move lately in practice. SDSU defenders/midfielders; Erin Kasmarik, Kellyn Farrell and Cori Bonte, managed to keep the ball on SU’s side off the field with timely kicks in the closing minutes.

“They know how to kill off a game, and they did exceptionally well with everything tonight,” said Wedemeyer.

The shutout was SDSU’s seventh in a row and the 17th of Lograsso’s career.

The non-league match ended SDSU’s 2008 home games. SDSU went 5-0 without giving up a goal in five straight matches. SDSU went 5-2 at home this year.