Aug. 21, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format
SAN DIEGO - Led by second-year head coach Mike Friesen, the San Diego State women's soccer team will open the 2008 campaign on Friday, Aug. 22, when it heads north to take on Cal State Northridge. Kickoff is set for 4:30 p.m. PT at Matador Soccer Field.
LAST TIME OUT
San Diego State's 2007 season ended in the semifinals of the Mountain West Conference tournament in Provo, Utah, as the Aztecs fell to host and eventual champion Brigham Young. The Scarlet and Black concluded the campaign with a 9-8-3 overall record and a 4-2-1 mark in MWC action, placing second in the regular season standings. SDSU returns 17 letterwinners and seven starters from last year's team.
SERIES HISTORY VS. CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE
The season opener for both the Aztecs and Matadors will mark the sixth meeting between the two programs. SDSU leads the all-time series by a 4-1 count and is 1-0 when playing in Northridge. The Scarlet and Black fell to CSUN, 2-1, in an exhibition match last year in San Diego. The Matadors also won the last regular season contest with a 2-1 overtime victory in 2005.
SCOUTING THE MATADORS
Cal State Northridge returns 15 letterwinners and seven starters from a squad that concluded the 2007 season with a 5-10-3 overall record and a seventh-place finish in the Big West Conference. Led by senior captains Nalena Betancourt and Tryna Tafoya, the 2008 Matadors will be bolstered by a defensive backline that returns three players who appeared in all 18 matches during the 2007 season.
FOR OPENERS
The San Diego State women's soccer team is 11-7-1 all time in season openers. Although the Aztecs are just 3-4 when kicking off a new year on the road, they are an impressive 5-0 when opening against schools in the Big West Conference.
SDSU SPLITS PAIR OF EXHIBITION GAMES
San Diego State opened exhibition play with a 2-1 loss to Long Beach State at George Allen Field on Saturday, Aug. 16. The Aztecs held an early 1-0 lead after Cat Walker found the back of the net at the 12:58 mark of the first period, but the 49ers came storming back with a pair of second-half goals from Hayley Bolt.
SDSU returned to action two days later, playing host to UC San Diego. After a scoreless first half, the Aztecs came out of the break firing, with goals from Walker and freshman Taylor Canatsey. SDSU's defense was able to shut down UCSD the rest of the way, holding on for the 2-0 victory.
FOLLOW AZTEC SOCCER ON THE WEB
Live Stats for Friday's game at Cal State Northridge are available by clicking on the link inside the calendar sidebar on the main page of GoAztecs.com.