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San Diego State’s Chloe Frisch, a Solana Beach native, capped her stellar career by being named the Mountain West Conference offensive player of the year. Photo courtesy of Edward Westney Photo
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Sports Talk: The kicker to Frisch’s SDSU career is player of the year honor

Nothing would be finer for Chloe Frisch than being in North Carolina next week. But she’s not and neither are her San Diego State women’s soccer teammates.

“That was heartbreaking,” Frisch said.

Welcome to sports.

The Aztecs’ dream of reaching the NCAA Championship in Cary, North Carolina, was kicked aside and it came with a punch in a gut on Saturday.

In the Mountain West title game against New Mexico, the Aztecs tied the score with but 4 seconds remaining, 2-2, and barged into overtime with a full head of steam. The winner would have its ticket punched to the NCAA women’s soccer championships in the Tar Heel state.

“That late goal gave us hope that we were going to win,” Solana Beach’s Frisch said. “But things don’t go your way sometimes. That’s why it is such a heartbreaker.”

Frisch was nearly an ankle-breaker during the season. The former Santa Fe Christian High star zigged and zagged her way around rivals with gusto.

She was among the conference leaders in every significant scoring category, which led to her being named the Mountain West offensive player of the year, only the third Aztec to be selected.

“It means a lot and I’m super honored,” Frisch said. “All that hard work paid off and it’s a validation when other people notice.”

Frisch, a senior, is hard to miss on the pitch. The catch is she’d rather her individual accomplishments take a back seat to the Aztecs’ successes.

“I’ve never been about that kind of stuff,” said Frisch, who was also named to the All-MW team for the second straight time. “For me that stuff is cool, but I’ve always been about being a part of the team and the group of amazing women I’m on the field with.”

Frisch, like her teammates, was off the field for more than a year because of the pandemic. Last season went by the boards and this season only came about after quarantines and a few queasy moments.

“The season was supposed to be in the fall and we quarantined and did everything right, then it got canceled and that was a huge bummer,” she said. “The season got bumped back to the spring, but the training didn’t look the same as we were socially distanced and all we did was a lot of running, which has never been my favorite.”

But athletics were a staple in the Frisch household. Her dad, Byron, played in the NFL and her brothers, Colton and Soren, were members of the NSS — Never Sit Still.

“Sports have always been a thing in my family,” she said. “I grew up with two brothers and I wanted to be tough and play a sport, too.”

Frisch’s love is soccer, but she’s fond at surfing Grandview or Pipes in Encinitas. Or if the mountains are calling, Frisch will be hauling down the slope snowboarding. She’s also taken up golf and if someone tells her to go take a hike, she’ll do just that with a wide smile.

She has mixed emotions about walking away from SDSU. Her next chapter awaits but only after a celebrated Aztecs career and, more importantly, the bonds of friendship she formed with teammates.

“It’s been incredible,” Frisch said. “College sports are such a great experience and something that not everyone gets to experience. I’m so grateful for that as it’s allowed me to grow and develop as a person and gain friends.”

Frisch also absorbed knowledge at SDSU by majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies, with an emphasis in psychology, sociology and child development. But with her soccer game still growing, she might play professionally, either in the U.S. or in Europe.

“The future right now is unknown for me,” Frisch said. “Hopefully that decision comes to me and I’ll take that next step wherever it may be.”

Regardless of where her road leads Frisch, she’ll put her best foot forward. She did it for the Aztecs in a career where few were finer.

Contact Jay Paris at [email protected]. Follow him @jparis_sports.