Jesus Garcia, Contributor

After going toe-to-toe with a physical Boise State team in the first half, a couple of Aztec defensive miscues opened the floodgates in what resulted in a 4-1 defeat Thursday night to open their Pac-12 era.

The Aztecs (6-3-1) dropped only their second home game of the season as the Broncos (9-1-1) came to San Diego and won at the Sports Deck for the second year in a row.

Boise State came out firing right from the start and they looked like the team more determined to score. The Broncos attack dominated possession on SDSU’s side of the field for the first ten minutes of play, forcing SDSU goalie Kailey Carlen into early action.

The scoring would open up in the 14th minute, and in a way, in an unlucky manner. SDSU had begun applying their own attacking pressure, but forward Alexis Leath was tripped up as she tried to fight for the ball near the box. Seconds later, Broncos defender Dalen Lau seemed to just clear the ball to avoid any further damage, but forward Mia Lane outraced the Aztec defense to strike the ball past Carlen.

SDSU would fight back, and after coming close on a number of chances, the Aztecs won a penalty in the 43rd minute after Lily Boudet’s shot attempt hit the left arm of Boise State’s Cindy Conner. Moments later, forward Victoria Miller would convert from the penalty spot on a strike placed perfectly on the bottom left corner of Broncos goalkeeper Ava De Leest. It marked Miller’s fourth goal of the season, yet only her second penalty goal in her collegiate career. 

However, Miller prioritizes staying calm and prepared for a moment like this.

“I love taking penalties, I had been practicing after training with Kailey [Carlen] and they were going pretty well,” Miller said. “So I told Katie [Senn] I got this one.”

After a 1-1 scoreline at the half, the first 20 minutes of the second half saw each team get good looks to take the lead. However, Boise State caught a break in the 68th minute, as Campbell Wilson’s shot attempt was deflected inside the box by Lane. Lane was able to stretch out for a left-footed strike past a diving Carlen.

Minutes later things unraveled for the Scarlet and Black, as Wilson placed a perfect free kick in the top corner of the net to increase the Broncos lead. Then, Boudet received a second yellow card, bringing the team down to 10 players for the final stretch of the contest. A Broncos penalty in the 79th minute ultimately put the game away, and the Aztecs walked off with a 4-1 defeat.

Ultimately, the scoreline suggests this was an uncompetitive match with the Broncos dominating, but a deeper dive into the match will prove otherwise. Outside of Wilson’s goal, the Broncos goals came off Aztec miscues throughout the run of play. Simply put, it was a rare showing by a defense that hadn’t given up more than two goals since August 21, 2025.

“I would want them as my backline in every and any game,” Miller said. “Some unfortunate mistakes that started up front put our defense in a bad position, so we can’t put it on them.”

The team will now look to flash this result down the drain, as they get ready for a two game road trip that takes them to #22 ranked Texas State on Oct. 4 and Oregon State on Oct. 7.

“I don’t think the score truly reflects the way we played tonight,” Miller said. “I think our response coming out [of the] second half needs to be better, but nonetheless, I believe we’re still a very good soccer team.”