Oct. 30, 2013
SAN DIEGO -
SDSU Women's Soccer Weekly Notes
Game Week Reset
San Diego State (10-6-2; 8-1 MW) at New Mexico (8-9-2; 6-2-1 MW)
Friday, Nov. 1 | 5 p.m. MT | Mountain West Network | UNM Soccer Complex | Albuquerque, N.M.
Aztec Story Lines
- The back-to-back Mountain West regular-season champion Aztecs will play their conference finale Friday evening at New Mexico. First tap in The Duke City is set for 5 p.m. MT and the contest will stream live on the Mountain West Network.
- After posting a 2-0 road record last week, San Diego State secured its second straight Mountain West regular-season championship. The Aztecs beat Boise State, 1-0, before defeating Utah State, 2-0, to clinch the top seed in the MW Championship, which will take place in Albuquerque.
- The Aztecs, who are 8-1 in league play, have won the last three Mountain West titles. A year ago, San Diego State won the 2012 regular season before capturing the tournament crown and automatic bid to the NCAA tournament where they ultimately advanced to the Sweet 16.
- The back-to-back regular-season titles marks the first time the program has accomplished the feat since winning two in a row in 1998 and 1999. SDSU won the WAC in 1998 before doing the same in the Mountain West in 1999.
- Winning the regular-season trophy ensures San Diego State a bye into the semifinals of the 2013 Mountain West Championship. SDSU will also play host to the Championship in 2014.
- San Diego State has won 10 games this season, marking the third consecutive year in which it has posted a double-digit win total. It is the first time the Aztecs have accomplished the feat since recording seven straight 10-win seasons from 1993-99.
- At 8-1 in league play, San Diego State has gone 15-1 over the last two seasons entering the Friday's finale. Since 2011, the Aztecs have posted a 19-2-1 MW record and since 2009, SDSU has gone 29-4-3 in the regular season vs. conference opponents.
- With the 2013 regular-season league title wrapped up, head coach Mike Friesen has won a program-record four conference titles (regular season and tournament). He surpassed long-time Aztec coach Chuck Clegg, who won the 1995 WAC tournament and the 1998 WAC reuglar-season and tournament championships.
- San Diego State was led in scoring by two seniors in Sophie Metz and Haley Palmer. Metz scored the winner in the 81st minute at Boise State to post her second of the year. Palmer, meanwhile, scored both goals in a 2-0 victory at Utah State.
- For her offensive effort from her backline position, Palmer was named the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week. In addition to her two goals, Palmer led the Aztecs in goals (2), game-winners (1), shots (6) and shots on goal (4), while playing all 180 minutes.
- Melanie Vaughn was solid in net again for the Aztecs as she posted her seventh and eighth shutouts of the season last week. The Harbor City, Calif., native, who was named the College Sports Madness MW Player of the Week, made only four saves as she was rarely tested. Vaughn has been outstanding against MW foes, allowing just four goals in nine games. She enters the New Mexico game with a goals-against average of 0.47.
- With the two wins last week, San Diego State improved to 16-1 in its last 17 regular-season road games vs. Mountain West foes.
- SDSU enters the New Mexico game with a 9-5-7 all-time record vs. the Lobos. The Aztecs are unbeaten in their last three vs. UNM and have won the last two. In its last three outings vs. New Mexico, San Diego State has not allowed a goal.
- Albuquerque has been an unfriendly place to play for the Aztecs. San Diego State fell to the Lobos in its last trip to New Mexico, 2-1, in 2010, and has not won in Albuquerque since 1999, which is the program's lone victory in the series. SDSU is winless in its last six visits (0-3-3). Overall, the Aztecs are 1-4-4 all-time on the road vs. the Lobos.
Opponent Notebook
New Mexico
The Lobos are fresh off their first winless week in over month after a double-overtime scoreless tie at Utah State and a double-OT 2-1 loss at Boise State... The 0-1-1 effort took New Mexico out of the running for the conference title... The Lobos are 5-3-1 at home this season, including 4-0 vs. conference foes... UNM's last home loss occurred on Sept. 20, to UC Santa Barbara... Lindsey Guice and Dylann O'Connor lead the Lobos with 11 points... Guice leads the team with five goals... O'Connor, meanwhile, shares the team lead in assists (3) with Elba Holguin... Cassie Ulrich has played every minute in net for New Mexico... Ulrich has a goals-against average of 0.90 to go with 82 saves.