Oct. 16, 2016
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State women's soccer head coach Mike Friesen became the Mountain West's all-time leader in conference victories after his team defeated Utah State, 2-1, on Sunday afternoon at SDSU Sports Deck.
"It's certainly a cool milestone, but what makes it most special is that it represents 10 years of contributions from so many people," Friesen said. "I think back on the faces of the players, staff and support staff who all had a hand in those wins. Any sort of record feels great, but just because of the relationships and memories behind it. I feel really fortunate to have worked with some great people and have coached some phenomenal players. We are proud of the tradition we are building here and are excited to keep working and adding to it."
With Sunday's triumph, Friesen has been on the winning side in MW games 60 times. The 10th year head coach owns a conference record of 60-12-9 and surpassed Jennifer Rockwood's 59 victories at Brigham Young from 1999-2010 (59-11-8).
Overall, Friesen has a career record of 119-63-25 and is closing in on San Diego State's all-time wins record currently held by Chuck Clegg, who has 122 victories to his credit. Friesen already owns the school record for career winning percentage at .635. Clegg won games at a .597 clip over two stints (1989, 1994-2003) and finished with an overall record of 122-81-8.
During his time at San Diego State, Friesen has guided the Aztecs to eight Mountain West championships (4 regular season, 4 tournament), including four straight regular-season titles, and four NCAA tournament appearances, all of which have occurred in the last five years.
Friesen, who has the Aztecs within striking distance of a fifth consecutive MW regular-season crown, and his Aztecs continue their quest for another championship on Friday, Oct. 21, when they play at Colorado State. The 3 p.m. MT/2 p.m. PT game will stream live on the Mountain West Network and GoAztecs.com.