Heroic goalkeeping by Ezra Mendoza and a last minute goal by Dylan Glass launched the SF State Gators to a 1-0 victory over the UC San Diego Tritons at Cox Stadium on Oct. 20.

In the first half of the game, the Tritons’ offensive attack stomped all over the Gators’ defense, resulting in seven attempted shots on goal.

Junior goalkeeper Ezra Mendoza earned saves for all seven shots and ended the game with nine saves and another shutout.

“Phenomenal,” sophomore defenseman Jonathan Tarabini said of Mendoza’s performance. “He made the biggest saves I’ve seen him come up with all season.”

In the first 10 minutes of the game the Tritons came out firing, and had three near-goals that Mendoza had to dive to stop, then reposition himself immediately in to stop the deflections.

“This is a team that in the first 15 minutes of the game, they are going to come out like gangbusters,” said Gators’ coach Joe Hunter of the Tritons’ offensive attack. “When we needed the big saves he has been outstanding …. He saved us.”

The Gators were on the verge of playing their seventh overtime game of the season when the score was still tied 0-0 late in the second half. Then Tarabini threw the ball in to sophomore midfielder Anton Horwath with 1:39 left on the clock. Horwath then got the ball to freshman Dylan Glass who connected for his sixth goal of the season.

“Everything just opened, there were four of their guys there and it just came right through," Glass said. “I just tried to get a foot on it.”

The Gators’ goal was one of the 11 shots they attempted, compared to the 26 shots the Tritons took.

Glass, who is a candidate for the Freshman of the Year award, got a close look today at one of the leading vote getters, Triton Tony Choi.

“I told Dylan it’s going to come down to you or him today,” Hunter said of the vote for Freshman of the Year. “He had an opportunity and Dylan got the game winner so that might do it, a good player in key situations comes up big, and Dylan has done that.”

The Gators’ late goal gave them another victory against the Tritons, whom they defeated last year.

The Gators played their final game of the year on Oct. 22. They hosted the number 23 ranked Cal State Dominguez Hills Toros at Cox Stadium. The Toros won the game 3-1, leaving the Gators with seven wins, nine losses and four draws this season.