Oct. 31, 2001
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The Turnaround
Winner of six of its last 10 matches and unbeaten in its last four contests, the San Diego State men's soccer team (7-6-3, 3-1-2 MPSF) sits in a second-place tie with CSU Sacramento (4-7-4, 3-1-2) in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation standings. The Aztecs and Hornets are only a point behind league-leader Air Force (11-3-0, 4-1-0). SDSU and CSUS meet Sunday at 3 p.m., in Sacramento. Prior to Sunday's match, SDSU travels to CSU Fullerton for a 7 p.m. match on Halloween. The Aztecs come off a pair of double-overtime MPSF matches this past weekend that resulted in a tie 2-2 with UNLV and a 2-1 win over New Mexico.
MPSF Standings
W L T Pts.1. Air Force 4 1 0 122t. SDSU 3 1 2 112t. CSU Sacramento 3 1 2 114. Denver 3 2 0 95. San Jose State 2 1 2 86. UNLV 2 3 1 77. Fresno State 0 3 2 28. New Mexico 0 5 1 1
New Territory
Sunday's win pushed the Aztecs to a game above .500 for the first time this season and for the first time since the team was 5-4-1 during the 1998 season. That year the Aztecs moved to at least a game over the even mark on five occasions. (Note: SDSU opened the the 1999 and 2000 season 1-0).
New Territory...In League Play
The last time the Aztecs posted an above .500 mark in league play was in 1993 when they opened conference action with a 2-1 record, however the team would finish 2-4-1 in league. The program finished 5-5 in the MPSF in 1994. SDSU has only been affiliated with a conference since 1992. The Aztecs were part of the MPSF from '92-95, with the WAC from '95-98, and back with the MPSF the last three seasons.
Hot Streak
The Aztecs' current unbeaten streak is the longest since 1997 when the program went five consecutive matches without a loss. The longest prior to that came in 1991 when the Aztecs opened the season 7-0. Later that season the team also posted a five-match unbeaten streak.
Scoring Turnaround
Another sign of the turnaround the Aztec program is making this season comes in terms of scoring. SDSU scored a total of 26 goals during the 2000 campaign compared to the 30 the team has scored thus far this season. The Aztecs are also outscoring their opponents by eight goals.
The Initial Strike
Thirteen of the Aztecs' 30 goals this season have come in the first half. SDSU has been the first team to score eight times this season and has a 7-1 mark when doing so.
Working Overtime
Fans have certainly gotten their money's worth watching the Aztecs this season. The team has played in five overtime matches, three of which went into a second-overtime period. Last week marked the fourth time SDSU played in back-to-back overtime matches on its home field. The Aztecs have played in three-straight OT matches three times and four straight once (1986). The squad is 2-1-2 in extended play this season and 19-21-57 all-time when playing past regulation.
Scoring Punch
Junior forward Enrique Tovar is the team's leading scorer this season. His goal in Friday's match and assist on Sunday give him six goals and seven assists (19 points) on the year. Those 19 points rank him tied for second in the league in scoring. He is also 3-for-3 in penalty-kick situations this season and earned the MPSF player of the week award on Oct. 1.
Netminder
A large part of the Aztecs' success this year has come by way of senior goalkeeper Tim Edwards. Edwards is responsible for both of the team's conference shutouts. Through 11 matches played, Edwards has allowed 10 goals and recorded 37 saves. He is 4-1-3 and boasts a 0.98 goals-against average, second best in the league this season. He has started in all five of the team's conference matches this year as well as the UC Santa Barbara and Notre Dame de Namur contests and has been the Aztecs' nominee for MPSF player of the week twice.
Scouting CSU Fullerton
The Titans have won three of their last five matches and an come off a 4-0 blanking of St. Mary's on Sunday. CSUF (6-7-1, 3-2 Big West) competed in the NCAA Tournament last season and was picked by the league's coaches to win the Big West championship in 2001. Hector Orellana is the team's leading scorer with seven goals and three assists (17 points).
Scouting CSU Sacramento
The Hornets posted wins over UNLV and New Mexico this past weekend to extend their unbeaten streak to five matches. The team lost to Santa Clara 1-0 on Tuesday and meets with California on Friday. The program's leading scorer, Sean Luigs, scored three times over the weekend, helping the Hornets pace the Aztecs and leads the team in scoring with seven goals and two assists (16 points).
Things To Come
The MPSF tournament will be held Nov. 8-11 at Fresno State. SDSU closes its season at home versus USD on Nov. 18 at 2 p.m.