Boise State soccer upends defending Mountain West tournament champ for huge road win

The Boise State women’s soccer team proved it is a legitimate contender for the Mountain West Conference championship with a 1-0 victory at San Diego State on Sunday afternoon in San Diego, California.

The Aztecs eliminated the Broncos in the semifinals of last year’s conference tournament on their way to a championship, and Boise State hadn’t beaten SDSU in more than three years.

But senior keeper Tara Fisher made five saves for her seventh shutout of the season, and freshman Macie Nelson scored her first career goal off senior Eva Herrera’s corner kick in the 52nd minute for the win.

“When you come into the lion’s den and you’re trying to steal points from the current champion, that is not easy to do,” Boise State coach Jim Thomas said. “... (Boise State junior) Raimee (Sherle) is probably the most scouted and planned-for player in the league right now, and as a result, other people are going to have to showcase that they’re capable of carrying some of that load too.”

Nelson stepped up to the challenge against the Aztecs.

The graduate of Borah High corralled Herrera’s corner in front of the goal and then booted the ball past SDSU keeper Gabby English to help the Broncos (11-2-1, 5-0-1 MW) maintain the top spot in the conference standings. It was Boise State’s first goal off a corner kick this season, and the Broncos’ first victory over SDSU since Sept. 25, 2015.

“That is about as big a win as you can get,” Thomas said. “So we’re pretty darn excited.”

Sherle owns the Mountain West’s career goals record with 42, and her 17 goals this season is No. 1 in the nation.

Boise State continues a four-game stretch on the road at Air Force on Friday and at Colorado College next Sunday.

This story was originally published October 7, 2018 at 6:44 PM.