SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State men’s soccer team hosts San Jose State Sunday at 3 p.m. The match will be streamed on WACInternational.tv and is the second game of a doubleheader with the Aztec women’s team (noon start).
Aztec Tidbits
- The Aztecs are coming off a 2-1 win over Seattle Thursday and took sole possession of first place in the WAC with a 4-0-0 record.
- That was Seattle’s first conference loss since the 2022 season.
- This is the first time in school history that the Aztecs have won their first four games of conference play.
- SDSU was outshot 20-5, but just 5-3 in shots on goal.
- The Aztecs received goals from Terence Okoeguale and Robbie Matei.
- Thursday was SDSU’s first match on the SDSU Sports Deck since Sept. 6, a span of 42 days.
- The Aztecs have been outshot 35-12 over their last two matches yet won both times.
- The Aztecs lead the WAC in assists (20), shot accuracy (44.7%) and win-loss-tied percentage (61.5%).
- In conference play, SDSU is allowing 0.50 goals per game, the best in the WAC.
- The Aztecs have the top RPI in the WAC at No. 42, 41 spots ahead of No. 2 Seattle.
- SDSU is undefeated when scoring first (6-0-2) and undefeated when tied or leading at the half (6-0-2).
- The Aztecs are 22-11-5 at home since the beginning of the 2021 season.
- SDSU has won their last three road matches for the first time since 1989.
- 13 different Aztecs have recorded a point this season and 10 have at least two points.
- The Aztecs used the same starting lineup in each of their last four matches, breaking a streak of nine consecutive matches with a different starting XI.
- San Diego State is third in the United Soccer Coaches Far West Region rankings, trailing UC Santa Barbara and Seattle.
- The Aztecs will be competing in the WAC as an affiliate member this year following the demise of the Pac-12. SDSU, who played in the Pac-12 for the past 19 years, played in the WAC from 1996-98. The WAC has sent multiple teams to the NCAA tournament in five of the last seven years.
- San Diego State is second in the WAC in attendance, averaging 1,029 fans per match.
- SDSU’s match vs UC Davis on Sept. 21 at Snapdragon Stadium set a program record for attendance with 3,802 fans. All three of SDSU’s games at Snapdragon Stadium have resulted in new school records for attendance.
- The Aztecs ended non-conference play with a 3-4-2 record, their first time having a losing record in non-conference play since 2013. SDSU had gone undefeated in their non-conference slate in two of the previous three years.
- San Diego State has lost just four non-conference matches over their last 23 chances (14-4-5) and is 18-2-2 in non-conference home matches under head coach Ryan Hopkins (5th season).
- The Aztecs were picked to finish third in the WAC Preseason Coaches poll, trailing Seattle and California Baptist.
- SDSU’s five goals against UC Riverside in their season opener tied for their most vs. a DI opponent in the Ryan Hopkins era (5th season).
- San Diego State has been in the national rankings in two of the last three seasons.|
- Last season was the first since 2012 that SDSU had four players with at least 10 points. Three of those players return: Austin Brummett (17), Rommee Jaridly (13) and Terence Okoeguale (10).
Player Notes
- Terence Okoeguale, Austin Brummett and Robbie Matei are all tied for the team lead with five goals. It’s the first time since 2012 that three Aztecs have had at least five goals.
- Okoeguale leads the team with 14 points and has totaled five in the last two matches.
- Three of Matei’s five goals have been game-winners. He leads the WAC in game-winning goals and is tied for 12th in the nation.
- Brummett is tied with Matei for second on the team with 11 points.
- Brummett’s 12 goals over the last two seasons are tied for the most by an Aztec over a two-year span since Jeroen Meefout across the 2015 and 2016 seasons.
- Brumett is second in the WAC in shot accuracy (57%) and third in shots on goal per game (1.2).
- In conference play, goalkeeper Djibril Doumbia leads the WAC in goals against average (0.50).
- Long Island transfer André Puente scored his first goal as an Aztec at California Baptist Saturday.
- Puente was named a “Defender to Watch” by the United Soccer Coaches before the season, one of 16 players to be highlighted. Puente has been an All-NEC First Team selection each of the past three seasons and made the All-Northeast Region Team the past two years.|
- Redshirt sophomore defender Reid Fisher was named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and a Freshman All-American (College Soccer News) last season.
- Both Puente and Fisher were named top 100 players in the nation by Top Drawer Soccer in the preseason.
- Fisher was tabbed the WAC Preseason Defender of the Year by the league’s coaches.
- Rommee Jaridly, a Pac-12 honorable mention selection a year ago, is tied with Okoeguale for the team lead with four assists. Last year he was second on the team with 13 points (4 goals and 5 assists).
- Three players have started every match for SDSU: Brummett, Fisher and Jaridly.
- Fisher is the only Aztec to play every minute this season.
- Four other Aztecs have played at least 1,000 minutes this year (75/match): Beto Apolinar, Tristan Viviani, Jaridly, Israel Carrillo and Brummett.
- Beto Apolinar, the team captain, is second on the team in minutes played (85 per match).
- SDSU has 10 players in their fourth, fifth or sixth year of college.
Opponent Notebook (San Jose State)
The Spartans are 3-5-6 on the year and 2-1-2 in WAC play… They are 2-5-0 on the road… They are coming off a 3-0 loss at California Baptist… They have been outscored 19-14 but are outshooting their opponents 160-144… Angel Iniguez leads the team in points (16), goals (6) and assists (4)… Goalkeeper Edgar Guerra has a goals allowed average of 1.36… Head coach Simon Tobin is in his 11th season at SJSU and has over 377 wins in his career… The Aztecs are 5-10-1 all-time against the Spartans, but this will be their first meeting in 20 years (2004).
Coach Hopkins Take on San Jose State
“San Jose State will provide a unique test for us with the way they dominate possession to create scoring opportunities. They also have one of the best attacking players in the conference in Angel Iniguez that we will have to pay special attention to.”