SAN DIEGO – San Diego State head men's soccer coach Ryan Hopkins has announced the schedule for the 2024 season. The 18-match slate features six matches against 2023 NCAA tournament teams.
The 2024 season marks the Aztecs' first as an affiliate member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). SDSU, who spent the last 19 years in the now-defunct Pac-12, played in the WAC from 1996-98.
The Aztecs will play two road friendlies prior to the regular season. First, they'll play across town at UC San Diego on August 14 and then up the coast at UC Santa Barbara August 17.
The season officially gets underway on August 23 when SDSU hosts UC Riverside August 23. The Aztecs shutout the Highlanders 2-0 last year and are 8-3-2 all-time against UCR.
On August 26, SDSU plays at San Diego. The Toreros have made the NCAA Tournament in each of the past two seasons and are coming off an 11-4-4 (5-1-1 WCC) campaign. Last year SDSU played USD to a 1-1 tie in front of a record-breaking crowd of 3,632 fans at Snapdragon Stadium. The Aztecs are 6-1-1 in their last eight meetings with the Toreros.
SDSU will play the next three matches at home. On August 29 they'll host Mercyhurst who is in their first year competing as a DI school. The Lakers went 14-3-1 last year as a DII program.
Then on Sept. 2, SDSU will welcome in Vermont. The Catamounts have gone 29-10-4 over the last two years while making the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight. Aztec assistant coach Adrian Dubois was an assistant at Vermont for five years (2018-23) before coming to SDSU last season.
Later in the week, SDSU hosts Sacramento State (Sept. 9). This will be SDSU's first time playing the Hornets in 20 years.
The Aztecs will then play six of their next seven games on the road, beginning with a cross-country trip to Maryland, a perennial powerhouse, on Sept. 9. The Terrapins have made 22 of the last 23 NCAA tournaments and won three national championships in that span.
SDSU will face another tough test Sept. 15 when they play at Oregon State, their old Pac-12 foe. The Beavers advanced to the College Cup last year. The Aztecs are 1-1-2 against the Beavers the past two seasons and 1-0-1 in Corvallis.
The Aztecs return to San Diego Sept. 21 when they'll host UC Davis for their annual Snapdragon match. SDSU has set all-time attendance records in each of their previous two matches at Snapdragon Stadium. The Aggies were Big West Tournament runner-ups last season.
On Sept. 28, SDSU plays at UC Irvine, the reigning Big West Tournament champions. The Aztecs are 13-7-5 all-time against the Anteaters.
The addition of San Diego State gives the WAC 10 teams for men's soccer, including Mountain West counterparts Air Force, San Jose State and UNLV. The conference slate will feature a single round-robin schedule.
The Aztecs begin their WAC schedule with games at UNLV (Oct. 3) and Utah Tech (Oct. 6). This will be SDSU's 39th meeting with the Rebels (22-11-6) and the Aztecs beat them 5-0 in their last meeting in 2022. UNLV was the WAC Tournament runner-up last season.
SDSU then plays at California Baptist (Oct. 12), the reigning WAC Tournament champions. The Lancers advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season.
The Aztecs return home to host Seattle (Oct. 17) and San Jose State (Oct. 20). The Redhawks went undefeated in the WAC last year (7-0-1) and were 12-4-3 and secured an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
SDSU will wrap up its road schedule with matches at UTRGV (Oct. 24) and Grand Canyon (Oct. 27).
The Aztecs finish their regular season with home contests against Utah Valley (Oct. 31) and Air Force (Nov. 3).
The top six teams will qualify for the WAC Tournament with the top two seeds receiving a bye. The tournament runs Nov. 10-16 at Grand Canyon University.
The WAC, which reintroduced men's soccer in 2013 after a 13-year hiatus, has sent multiple teams to the NCAA tournament in five of the last seven years. The conference has also produced MLS Superdraft picks in five of the last six seasons, including a WAC-record six in 2022.
The Aztecs have been nationally ranked in two of the past three seasons while boasting some of the best recruiting classes in the country, which helped SDSU garner back-to-back Pac-12 Freshman of the Year awards (CJ Fodrey and Reid Fisher).
2024 San Diego State Men's Soccer Schedule
Aug. 14 – at UC San Diego (friendly), 7 p.m.
Aug. 17 – at UC Santa Barbara (friendly), 7 p.m.
Aug. 23 – UC Riverside, 7 p.m.
Aug. 26 – at San Diego, 7 p.m.
Aug. 29 – Mercyhurst, 7 p.m.
Sept. 2 – Vermont, 7 p.m.
Sept. 6 – Sacramento State, 7 p.m.
Sept. 9 – at Maryland, 4 p.m.
Sept. 15 – at Oregon State, 2 p.m.
Sept. 21 – UC Davis (at Snapdragon Stadium), 7 p.m.
Sept. 28 – at UC Irvine, 6 p.m.
Oct. 3 – at UNLV*, 8 p.m.
Oct. 6 – at Utah Tech* Noon
Oct. 12 – at California Baptist* 7 p.m.
Oct. 17 – Seattle*, 4 p.m.
Oct. 20 – San Jose State*, 3 p.m.
Oct. 24 – at UTRGV*, 4 p.m.
Oct. 27 – at Grand Canyon*, 7 p.m.
Oct. 31 – Utah Valley*, 7 p.m.
Nov. 3 – Air Force*, Noon
Nov. 10 – WAC Tournament First Round
Nov. 13 – WAC Tournament Semifinals
Nov. 16 – WAC Tournament Championship Match
* Indicates WAC match
Home games in bold
All times listed Pacific
The WAC Tournament will take place at Grand Canyon University (Phoenix, Ariz.)
All matches at the SDSU Sports Deck are free to attend
Aztecs Release 2024 Schedule
