Dec. 13, 1999
SAN DIEGO - A second straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. A share of the Mountain West Conference championship. An All-American. Five All-Conference players. Three Mountain West Conference Players of the Week. Two players named to Soccer America's Team of the Week. Two players who played for their countries' national teams. Two school records broken and another one tied. These are just a few of the accomplishments of the 1999 San Diego State women's soccer team.
The Aztecs (15-7 overall, 5-1 Mountain West) once again proved that they are one of the elite teams on the west coast, posting a second straight season with at least 15 wins. Included in those victories were two wins over ranked opponents and a perfect 4-0 record against conference rivals on the road.
SDSU was led by arguably the best player in Aztec history, senior forward and First Team All-Mountain West Conference selection Lori LaCoursiere. The San Jose, Calif. native paced the squad with 11 goals and a school record 14 assists. LaCoursiere, who leaves SDSU with the career records for goals (52), assists (44) and total points (148) as well as the single-season marks for goals (18), assists (14) and total points (46), is the only player in Aztec history to have recorded double figures in both goals and assists in each of her four years.
LaCoursiere was named to the All-Conference team for a fourth straight time and earned Mountain West Conference Player of the Week accolades after scoring two goals and tallying two assists in games against Air Force and Wyoming. In addition, she secured Mountain West Conference All-Tournament team accolades and was named to Soccer America's Team of the Week after scoring the game-winning goal against conference rival and 11th-ranked Brigham Young on Oct. 16. LaCoursiere was also named to the All-Tournament team at the Cal Tournament early in the season, and tied a school record for assists in a single game when she tallied three in State's 3-1 win over Air Force in the opening round of the Mountain West Conference tournament. Both the NSCAA and Soccer Buzz magazine named LaCoursiere to their West Region All-America teams.
Another key piece of the puzzle for SDSU was senior midfielder Megan Mattes. Mattes, who came to the Aztecs after spending three illustrious seasons at the University of Vermont, scored 10 goals on the season to go with her four assists. Mattes, who was a regional All-American while at Vermont and left the school as the Catamounts' all-time leading scorer, earned Second Team All-Mountain West Conference honors in 1999 and was named the Mountain West Conference's Player of the Week after recording a hat trick in SDSU's 3-1 win over New Mexico in Albuquerque. Mattes caught fire late in the season, scoring six goals and tallying three assists in State's last seven games. She was named to the Mountain West Conference All-Tournament team.
Also earning All-Conference recognition for SDSU was sophomore midfielder Kaycee McElree. After contributing immediately as a freshman in 1998, McElree once again showed why she is one of the most well-rounded players in the Mountain West, scoring four goals and dishing out six assists in addition to dropping back and playing solid defense. McElree also served as a dangerous weapon in the air, getting a head on several corner kicks which eventually led to goals. The Davis, Calif. native displayed a flair for the dramatic in the Aztecs' game against Mississippi at the Ole Miss Soccer Classic, scoring on a back heel with her back to the net. In addition, only a phenomenal save from New Mexico's goalkeeper kept McElree from scoring on a bicycle kick against the Lobos.
Sophomore defender/midfielder Fay deLeon and sophomore forward Kate Qually both enjoyed a breakthrough year for SDSU, with deLeon finishing second on the team with nine assists and Qually finishing third on the squad in points (16) and assists (6).
deLeon, who earned Second Team All-Mountain West Conference honors and was named to Soccer America's Team of the Week after assisting on both of the Aztecs' goals against 19th-ranked Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles, scored SDSU's most memorable goal of the season when she bent a corner kick directly into the net to open the scoring in the MWC Championship game against BYU.
Qually, who saw limited action as a freshman in 1998, exploded onto the scene in 1999, turning in one of the most remarkable individual performances in Aztec history when she scored three goals and recorded an assist in SDSU's 5-0 pounding of then-unbeaten Cincinnati. The seven points that Qually recorded against the Bearcats was the highest single-game total of any player in the Mountain West Conference and the second best single game showing in Aztec history.
Bringing an international flavor to the SDSU lineup was junior defender/midfielder Danielle Small. Small, who missed four games at the end of the season to join the Australian National Team for two games in China against the 1999 Women's World Cup runners-up, recorded an assist in her first-ever international game and started in both games against the Chinese side. Small, who is one of two Aztecs with international experience (sophomore goalkeeper Linnea Qui?ones is the Mexican National Team's starting goalie), was a mainstay on the SDSU defense. The Wangi Wangi, New South Wales Australia native scored two goals and recorded an assist en route to securing Second Team All-Mountain West Conference honors.
As she has been throughout her career, senior goalkeeper Katherine Judkins was one of the main reasons for the Aztecs' success. Judkins, who posted a 1.04 goals against average, leaves SDSU as the best goalie in school history. The Dana Point, Calif. native owns the career record for saves and goals against average. In the championship game of the Mountain West Conference Tournament, Judkins turned in what head coach Chuck Clegg called one of the best individual performances he had ever seen. Judkins was under a constant barrage of shots from BYU, and she was more than equal to the task, making 12 saves -- many of which came in spectacular fashion.
Although Judkins enjoyed a phenomenal year, she received a good deal of help from her defense. Despite the fact that four of the Aztecs' seven regulars on defense were underclassmen, the defense proved to be one of the best in the Mountain West Conference. Sophomore Carrie Hawkins anchored the unit which looks as bright as any for the future. Coming in and making an instant impact were freshmen Hannah Garl and Serena Pearson, both of whom are expected to contend for All-Conference recognition in years to come.
A pair of wide midfielders should also challenge for All-Conference accolades in the near future. Freshman Michele Wagner and junior Elicia Petre wreaked havoc on opposing defenses all year with their speed and tenacity. Wagner and Petre constantly kept pressure on the opposition and helped stretch defenses and create chances in the middle for LaCoursiere and Mattes. Petre, who was a First Team All-Western Athletic Conference selection as well as a Soccer Buzz Far West Region All-American in 1998, started all 22 of the Aztecs' games in 1999, matching her previous career high with six goals scored. By the time she leaves SDSU, Petre will likely rank in the top five all-time on the Aztecs' career goals and total points lists.
With 17 players and 10 regulars from the 1999 team returning in 2000, the Aztecs should once again contend for the Mountain West Conference title next year and in years to come.