Nov. 4, 2009
SAN DIEGO -
SDSU Women's Soccer Weekly Release in PDF Format
GAME WEEK RESET
(6) TCU (9-9-0; 2-5-0 MWC)/(3) UTAH (9-9-2; 4-2-1 MWC) vs. (2) SAN DIEGO STATE (12-3-5; 5-0-2 MWC)
MWC Championships Semifinals | South Stadium | Provo, Utah
Thursday, Oct. 5 | Noon MT/11 a.m. PT | The Mtn.
AZTEC STORY LINES
- The Aztecs enter the 2009 Mountain West Conference Championships as the No. 2 seed and will play Thursday at noon MT/11 a.m. PT against the Wednesday's winner between sixth-seeded TCU and third-seeded Utah. SDSU's 5-0-2 league record was second behind only BYU, which won the conference with a mark of 6-0-1.
- San Diego State wrapped up its regular season slate with a 4-1 road victory over TCU last Friday night. The win extended the Aztecs' single-season school-record unbeaten streak to 13 games and was their fifth straight victory.
- SDSU finished the Mountain West Conference season with an unbeaten record of 5-0-2. This is the first time in MWC history that an Aztec team navigated through conference play without suffering a loss. In fact, the last and only other time it has happened in school history was in 1998 when that team went 6-0 in the Western Athletic Conference.
- San Diego State set the school's single-season record for consecutive matches without a loss on Friday. The win at TCU pushed the Aztecs' streak to 13, which surpassed the 1998 team's 12-0-0 run. In its last 13 outings, SDSU is 9-0-4. The overall program record for most games without a loss is 16 when the 1995 group finished the campaign with a record of 8-0-2 and the 1996 squad open the season by winning their first six.
- SDSU's 13-game undefeated streak is tied for the fifth-longest in the nation (as of Nov. 3).
- The Aztecs head into the MWC Tournament having won a season-best five straight matches. The streak is the school's longest since winning six in a row in 1999.
- San Diego State's five Mountain West wins is its most since going 5-1-0 in 1999, the MWC's first year of existence. The Aztecs' 12 overall wins thus far is the most since the 2002 season when they finished 13-7-0.
- SDSU has scored 32 goals this year, which matches the 2008 total, and is the most since the 2002 campaign.
- SDSU continues to move up the NSCAA Pacific Region poll rankings. A week ago, the Aztecs were tied for seventh place with Oregon State. In the most recent poll, released on Monday, San Diego State was slotted in a tie for sixth along with the Beavers. Earlier this season, SDSU and OSU played to a 1-1 double-overtime tie.
- What a difference a year makes. Last year, San Diego State went a combined 1-6-1 on the road and 1-8-2 in road/neutral games. This season, the Aztecs are an impressive 6-2-2 in road contests and their 12 overall wins is three more than any Mike Friesen-coached team. Friesen's first squad won nine games in 2007. The five league wins surpasses the `07 team for the most in the Friesen era.
AZTECS AND THE MWC CHAMPIONSHIPS
San Diego State is receiving just its third quarterfinal round bye in the history of the MWC Championships (1999, 2007) ... Only the 1999 and 2004 teams reached the finals of the tournament ... SDSU has never won the league tourney in its history ... The Aztecs are 6-9-1 all time in MWC Championships history ... SDSU's last win in the league tournament came in 2005 when it beat BYU, 2-0, in the quarterfinal round ... San Diego State has not won in its last four MWC tournament outings ... In tournament games played in Provo, Utah, SDSU is 3-3-0 ... The last time the Aztecs reach the final was at the 2004 tournament held in Provo; SDSU breezed through the first two rounds before tying Utah, 0-0, and falling in shootout fashion, 4-3.
OPPOSITION NOTEBOOK
(3) Utah
The third-seeded Utes are 9-9-2 on the season and 4-2-1 in the Mountain West ... After jumping out to a 4-0 start, Utah finished the year by going 5-9-2 ... In their last five, the Utes are 3-2-0 ... Kelly Isleib and Erin Dalley share the team lead in goals scored with seven ... Isleib, however, leads the team in points with 19 (7 g, 5 a) ... Dalley, who scored twice against Air Force, is second in points with 14 (7 g, 0 a) ... Hannah Turpen has started 19 games in goal for Utah and has compiled a record of 9-8-2, a goals-against average of 1.24 and 65 saves ... Emalee Rogers has also seen time in net, seeing action in four games, while starting once.
(6) TCU
The sixth-seeded Horned Frogs are 9-9-0 overall and 2-5-0 in the Mountain West Conference ... The Frogs have lost five of their last six and most recently dropped a 4-1 decision to San Diego State in Fort Worth ... Jordan Calhoun leads the Horned Frogs offensively with her eight goals and six assists (22 points), while Lizzy Karoly has 11 points to her credit (5 g, 1 a) ... Kelsey Walters is one of three goalkeepers to see action this year and has compiled a goals-against average of 1.82, while playing and starting 15 games.
AZTECS VS. THE OPPOSITION
(3) Utah
San Diego State has had a tough time against the Utes, going 3-11-3 in 17 all-time meetings ... The Aztecs snapped a four-game losing streak to Utah earlier this season with a 1-1 tie at SDSU Sports Deck ... The Aztecs' last win in the series occurred on Oct. 11, 2001, when they defeated the Utes in overtime, 2-1, in San Diego ... In neutral site games, SDSU is 0-2-1 against Utah ... The last time the schools met at a neutral site was in 2004 in Provo when the game ended in a scoreless tie in the MWC Championships final ... The Utes won the tournament title after edging the Aztecs, 4-3, in penalty kicks.
(6) TCU
The Aztecs are 5-3-0 all-time against the Horned Frogs ... San Diego State snapped a two-game losing streak to the Horned Frogs in the regular season finale with its 4-1 victory at TCU ... During the Mountain West era, SDSU is 3-3-0 vs. the Horned Frogs ... In neutral site games, San Diego State is 1-1-0 against the Frogs ... The teams met in the 2008 MWC Championships with TCU emerging with the 2-1 overtime quarterfinal win in Las Vegas ... SDSU's neutral site victory occurred in 1998 when it dominated TCU, 6-0, in Provo.
AZTECS PICK UP A TON OF HARDWARE
San Diego State will take back some extra baggage when it returns to San Diego. On Tuesday, Cat Walker was named the Mountain West Conference's Offensive Player of the Year, while Mike Friesen was named Coach of the Year. Walker was also named to the all-conference first team along with freshman Niki Fernandes and sophomore Megan McQueeny. Junior goalkeeper Aubree Southwick, meanwhile, was named to the second team.
Walker is the school's first offensive player of the year in school history, while Friesen is SDSU's first coach of the year since Chuck Clegg earned WAC honors in 1998. The Aztecs' three first-teamers is the program's most since it had three in 2004 and the four overall all-conference selections is the most since 2007.
TOP DUO IN MOUNTAIN WEST
San Diego State, by far, has the top offensive duo in the Mountain West Conference. Junior Cat Walker and freshman Niki Fernandes have turned up their games during the conference slate and their names can be found at the top of the list of nearly every offensive category. The twosome share the league lead (MWC games only) in points (10) and points per game (1.43), while Walker is tied for first in goals (4) and goals per game (0.57), and Fernandes shares the conference lead in assists (4) and assists per game (0.57). Not only that, Walker is tied for second in shots (24) and shots per game (3.43), tied for fourth in assists (2) and assists per game (.29). For the season as a whole, Walker leads the team with 21 points (8 g, 5 a) and ranks just above Fernandes, who has 17 points (6 g, 5 a).
CONTRIBUTIONS FROM MULTIPLE SOURCES
Even though Cat Walker and Niki Fernandes have grabbed all the attention when it comes to scoring, the Aztecs have actually received scoring contributions from more than half the roster. A total of 14 players have scored goals, including seven with at least two goals. Overall, 16 players have recorded at least one point to date.
AMONG THE UNBEATENS
San Diego State is unbeaten in its last 13 outings and the streak is one of the longest in the nation as of Nov. 3. The Aztecs' current run is tied for the fifth longest in Division I with Notre Dame (12-0-1) and Charlotte (12-0-1). The three schools sit behind Dayton (19; 14-0-5), Stanford (19; 19-0-0), Central Michigan (15; 13-0-2) and BYU (14; 13-0-1).
STELLAR BACKLINE
The Aztec defense has been solid all season long, but none more so than in Mountain West Conference action. Since its league-opening 2-2 tie with BYU, San Diego State has allowed only three goals the rest of the way. In the 13 non-conference games prior to the start of conference play, SDSU allowed 15 goals (1.2 gpg). The backline features a healthy mix of players, including Megan McQueeny, Gretel Amman, Hayley Marsh, Britney Bennett and Rachael McGlinchy. It's the play of the aforementioned group that has made goalkeeper Aubree Southwick's job easy recently.
SOUTHWICK STRONG
As the season went on, the defensive unit not only got stronger, but goalkeeper Aubree Southwick did as well. In the first 12 games of the season, the junior only had four shutouts, while allowing 15 goals. In the eight games to follow, Southwick posted four shutouts and gave up just five goals. Down the stretch, the goalkeeper's efforts were rewarded as she was named MWC Defensive Player of the Week twice in a span of 14 days after shutting out Wyoming, Air Force and UNLV on the road.
MORE ON SOUTHWICK
In the game vs. Seattle, Aubree Southwick became the school's all-time leader in career saves. The junior entered the season with 159 career stops and made four saves against the Redhawks to up her total to 206 on that day. She surpassed Lorena Snyder's 204 saves, which were recorded from 1990-93. Entering SDSU's semifinal match, Southwick has 234 career denials. She is also 2.5 shutouts shy of tying Katherine Judkins (1996-99) for most shutouts in a career.
IN THE POLLS
For the second consecutive week, SDSU has earned recognition in a top 25 poll. In the most recent SoccerTimes.com poll, the Aztecs received four points, two more than it received the week before. With its four points, SDSU is ranked 34th in the nation. In the latest NSCAA Pacific Region Poll, San Diego State finds itself in a tie for sixth place with Oregon State, a team it tied 1-1 in early October. The Aztecs are on the heels of BYU, which is ranked fifth in the region. In the 2009 NCAA Women's Soccer RPI, San Diego State has the 41st best RPI rating and second-best in the conference.
FOURTH? CHILD, PLEASE
Back in August, the Aztecs were picked to finish in fourth place in the Mountain West Conference with 30 overall points and zero first-place votes. Like most preseason polls, this one did not shake out as predicted as SDSU finished two places higher and in second place.
MORE TO COME
If the Aztecs surprised anyone this season, that will not be the case next year as they lose just four seniors off this season's team. If the year ended prior to the semifinal game, San Diego State would return 84.4 percent of its goals, 80.8 percent of its assists, 83.3 percent of its total points and its No. 1 goalkeeper in Aubree Southwick.
HOMECOMING
The trip to Provo will serve as a homecoming of sorts for San Diego State's four Utah natives. Senior Allie Crowson (Sandy, Utah), Niki Fernandes (Bountiful, Utah), Julia Flores (Sandy, Utah) and Jaime Nelson (Sandy, Utah) all hail from the Beehive State. However, only Crowson and Fernandes are expected to play this week.
CHAMPIONSHIPS COMING TO SDSU IN 2010
San Diego State will play host to the Mountain West Conference Women's Soccer Championship in 2010 at SDSU Sports Deck. The Aztecs were awarded hosting rights by the MWC after their performance in league play this season. The tournament returns to San Diego after more than 10 years away from America's Finest City. The Aztecs last played host to the MWC Championships in 1999 at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif., one year prior to the opening of the Sports Deck, which opened in time for the 2000 campaign.