SAN DIEGO – The Aztec men's soccer team (1-0-1) hosts Cal Poly (0-1-0) Friday evening at 7 p.m. Admission is free, and the first 100 fans will receive a SDSU clear tote bag.
Aztec Tidbits
- San Diego State went 1-0-1 in the opening week. They played Denver, who is receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches poll, to a 0-0 draw on the road last Thursday. The Aztecs then beat Cal State Bakersfield 1-0 in their home opener Monday evening.
- SDSU limited Denver, the preseason favorite to win the Summit League, to three shots on goal.
- Against Cal State Bakersfield, the Aztecs didn't allow a shot on goal in the final 66 minutes. Lorenzo Hernandez scored the game-winner in the 82nd minute following a Jules Anderson corner kick.
- This is the second time in the last three years that SDSU has recorded shutouts in each of its first two matches. If the Aztecs can blank Cal Poly Friday, it will be the first time since 2005 that SDSU has posted clean sheets in each of its first three games.
- The Aztecs are undefeated (5-0-2) in their last seven non-conference matches.
- SDSU is also undefeated (1-0-3) in their last four non-conference meetings against teams that are ranked or receiving votes.
- The Aztecs are one match into a stretch where they will play eight straight at home, which is the longest streak of consecutive home games in the program's 55-year history.
- Under head coach Ryan Hopkins (4th season), the Aztecs are 10-1-0 in non-conference home matches.
- The Aztecs are ranked No. 7 in the United Soccer Coaches Far West Region.
- SDSU is playing three Big West schools in a four-game stretch (CS Bakersfield, Cal Poly & UC Riverside)
- The Aztecs are one win away from their 500th victory in program history (499-384-122).
- 14 different Aztecs have started a match this season. Of that group, nine were making their first career start for SDSU.
- The Aztecs have 10 newcomers in 2023 with six transfers and four freshmen. Top Drawer Soccer ranked SDSU as having the 14th best incoming class in the country. SDSU was rated as the best incoming class in the nation a year ago.
- Of the six transfers new to SDSU in 2023, four are fifth-year seniors, one is a fourth-year senior and the other is a junior. In total, the Aztecs have 10 players in their fourth or fifth year of college.
- The Aztecs also have eight players who are true or redshirt freshmen and four of them already have made a start this season.
- SDSU had 15 players playing in the USL League Two over the summer. Nine of them played for clubs that made the playoffs including Christian Engmann, a transfer from Saint Mary's, who won the championship with Ballard FC.
- SDSU recently hired Adrian Dubois as an assistant coach. He comes from Vermont who made the Elite Eight and finished No. 4 in the country last year. Dubois was tabbed as one of the top 12 assistant coaches in the country by College Soccer News.
- Following last season five Aztecs signed professional contracts, believed to be the most in program history. CJ Fodrey, the Top Drawer National Freshman of the Year, became the highest selection in the MLS SuperDraft in school history when Austin FC drafted him No. 13 overall. Blake Bowen (Seattle Sounders), Jacob Castro (Seattle Sounders), Kyle Colonna (New Mexico United) and Elias Katsaros (Tacoma Defiance) also moved to the professional ranks.
Player Notes
- Sophomore goalkeeper Logan Erb (Houston, Texas) has started two matches in his career and recorded a shutout in both of them.
- Defender Reid Sproat (Auburn, Ind.) was named to USL League Two First Team for his play with Fort Wayne FC over the summer. A three-time All-Horizon League selection at Oakland University, Sproat was also listed by Top Drawer Soccer as the 45th best player in the country.
- Freshman forward Alex Soukup (Canoga Park, Calif.) was tabbed as one of the top freshmen in the Pac-12 by Top Drawer Soccer.
- Midfielder Beto Apolinar (Los Angeles) was listed as a Pac-12 Breakout Player by Top Drawer Soccer.
- Midfielder Henry Smith-Hastie (Los Angeles), along with Apolinar, is one of two returners that played in all 18 matches a season ago. Smith-Hastie is the team captain this season.
- Forward Alexander Levengood (Richmond, Va.), a four-year starter and three-time All-CAA First-Team selection at William & Mary, led the nation in shot accuracy last year (.659). He tallied 62 points on 24 goals and 14 assists across 58 matches at William & Mary.
- Defender Noah Crétier (Nice, France) and midfielder Tristan Viviani (Redwood City, Calif.), who were part of the heralded 2022 recruiting class, were named Top 75 freshmen in the nation by Top Drawer Soccer last season.
Coach Hopkins' Take on Cal Poly
"Cal Poly will be an interesting test for us. They hired Olge Kennedy in the offseason, who I really respect, and I know he will have them disciplined and organized. They also have two very good front runners who can cause any defense trouble. It will be a full test of our credentials."
Opponent Notebook (Cal Poly)
Cal Poly lost their season opener 5-3 to Oral Roberts. They scored three goals in the first 13 minutes but then allowed ORU to score four unanswered… They were picked to finish ninth in the Big West preseason coaches poll… The Mustangs return five starters and 14 letterwinners from last year's squad who went 2-11-4… They went 1-1-1 in their three preseason friendlies… Olge Kennedy, the longtime Stanford assistant, is in his first year as Cal Poly's head coach… The Aztecs are 6-5-4 all-time against Cal Poly. They last played Sept. 3, 2021, a 1-1 draw at Cal Poly. The Mustangs' goal would be the only goal the Aztecs allowed in their first eight matches.
Aztecs Host Cal Poly Friday Evening
