Nov. 6, 2001
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
November Madness
After posting a program best 3-2-2 mark in conference play, eclipsing the previous best of 5-5 set during the 1994 season, the San Diego State men's soccer team heads to Fresno, Calif., for the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championship. The Aztecs (7-8-3, 3-2-2 MPSF) enter the tournament as the league's No. 4 seed and will faced No. 5 seed UNLV (8-7-1, 3-3-1 MPSF) Thursday at 2:30 p.m. in the championship's first round. All matches in the single elimination tournament will be held in Fresno State's Bulldog Stadium. An Aztec win puts them in Friday's semifinal round against the winner of the No. 1 CSU Sacramento and No. 8 New Mexico match at 5 p.m. on Friday. The tournament champion receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Tournament Schedule
Thurs., Nov. 8 - First RoundGame 1 Noon No. 1 CSU Sacramento vs. No. 8 New MexicoGame 2 2:30 p.m. No. 4 SDSU vs. No. 5 UNLVGame 3 5 p.m. No. 3 Denver vs. No. 6 San Jose StateGame 4 7:30 p.m. No. 2 Air Force vs. No. 7 Fresno State
Fri., Nov. 9 - Semifinal RoundGame 5 5 p.m. Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2Game 6 7:30 p.m. Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4
Sun., Nov. 11 - Championship RoundGame 7 1 p.m. Winner of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 6
Need Tickets?
For ticket information, contact the Fresno State ticket office at (559) 278-DOGS or at www.BulldogTix.com.
Scouting UNLV
The Rebels closed out their season with a 4-1 win over MPSF foe New Mexico on Sunday. The team's leading scorer is senior Jasen Melendez who is responsible for 21 of the team's points this season (seven goals, seven assists). Those numbers rank him as the league's third-most prolific scorer. SDSU leads the all-time series between the two programs 14-9-4. The series' fourth tie came this year in the form of a 2-2 double-overtime affair in San Diego on Oct. 26. That match was halted due to darkness with five minutes remaining in the second overtime period leaving the contest a draw.
SDSU Vs. Possible Semifinal Opponents
vs. No. 1 CSU Sacramento
The Aztecs are 2-1-1 all-time versus the Hornets following a 3-1 loss at Hornet Soccer Field this season. The team is led by senior Sean Luigs and sophomore David Fraser who have 18 and 16 points, respectively, on the season. Two of Luigs assists and two of Frasers goals this season came against the Aztecs. The Hornets have won three of their last five contests.
vs. No. 8 New Mexico
The Lobos enter the league championship losers of their last six matches. SDSU picked-up its ninth win all-time over UNM with a 2-1 double-overtime affair on Oct. 28. The all-time series between the two program sits at 9-2-1 in favor of the Aztecs. Junior Ty Hibbert is the team leading scorer with six goals (12 points).
SDSU Lately
The Aztecs enter the conference championships looking to rebound from a pair of losses this past weekend. SDSU posted a 3-2 double-overtime loss at CSU Fullerton on Halloween before closing out the league portion of its schedule at CSU Sacramento on Sunday with 3-1 loss.
Recapping The CSU Sacramento Match
With the Hornets and Aztecs tied going into Sunday's match along with Fresno State's upset over first-place Air Force, the league's top seed was up for grabs. Sunday's result did not go the Aztecs' way, however. SDSU's lone goal in the team's 3-1 loss to the Hornets came from freshman Eric Wohl, whose fourth goal of the season, off a header, moved SDSU within a point and spoiled a Hornet shutout. But an insurance goal at 80:15 would would help CSUS secure a win.
New Territory
The Aztecs have been flirting with .500 all season, achieving that mark four times this year. The team's Oct. 28 win over New Mexico pushed them to a game above the even mark for the first time this season and the first time since the team was 5-4-1 during the 1998 season. That year the Aztecs moved to at least a game above the even mark on five occassions. (Note: SDSU opened the 1999 and 2000 season 1-0).
New Territory...In League Play
The last time the Aztecs were above .500 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 that year. 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.
Scoring Turnaround
Another sign of the turnaround the Aztec program is making this season comes in terms of scoring. SDSU scored a total of 25 goals during the 2000 campaign compared to the 33 the team has scored thus far this season. The Aztecs are also outscoring their opponents by 11 goals this season. SDSU has also surpassed its total points from last season, having scored 99 this year in comparison to 74 a season ago.
The Initial Strike
Fourteen of the Aztecs' 33 goals this season have come in the first half. SDSU has been the first team to score nine times this season and has a 7-2 mark when doing so.
Hot Streak
Prior to last week's pair of losses, the Aztecs' were holding onto a four-match unbeaten streak. 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.
Working Overtime
Fans have certainly gotten their money's worth watching the Aztecs this season. The team has played in six overtime matches, four of which went into a second-overtime period. Last week marked the fourth time in the program's history that SDSU has played in three-straight OT matches. The squad is 2-2-2 in extended play this season and 19-22-57 all-time when playing past regulation.
The New Guys
SDSU has gotten plenty of help from its incoming class thus far this season and has started anywhere from four to six newcomers throughout the year. Players prominent in the starting lineup have been senior Aaron Frimkess, junior Mauricio Soler and freshmen Drew Picone, Paul Szefler, Patrick Strait and Eric Wohl. Eight of this year's new faces have scored at least two points and account for 37 (11 goals, 15 assists) of the Aztecs' 99 points this season. Two of the Aztecs' top-five scorers are freshmen, with Wohl being credited with 12 points (four goals, four assists) and Strait 10 points (four goals, two assists). Three of Strait's goals came in the Oct. 4 win over Christian Heritage.
Home Field Advantage
To say SDSU has a home field advantage in 2001 would be an understatment. The team hosted 11 home matches at the Sports Deck this season, including three straight to start the year. From Sept. 30-Oct. 14 the team played five consecutive home contests. Five of the team's eight matches in September and six of nine in October came on its home turf. SDSU hosts San Diego at the Sports Deck on Nov. 18 in the season finale for both teams. Thus far the Aztecs have posted a 5-4-2 record at the Sports Deck this season, a win on Nov. 18 would mark the first time the program has posted winning records at home in back-to back seasons since doing so in 1997 (5-2-1) and '98 (7-6-1).
Strength Of Schedule
Not only was the Aztecs' 2001 schedule full of home dates it also brought some of the nation's most competitive teams to San Diego. In its non-conference slate SDSU faced 2000 NCAA tournament participants UCLA, Brown and CSU Fullerton and is scheduled to face San Diego on Nov. 18. The Aztecs defeated Brown 2-1 in a thrilling overtime contest. Three of the Aztecs' opponents this season were ranked at the time of their meeting. SDSU suffered a season opening 1-0 overtime loss to 13th-ranked Santa Clara, lost a 2-1 decision against 23rd-ranked UCLA and defeated MPSF opponent and 25th-ranked Denver, 2-0. San Diego is currently ranked 16th in the Soccer Times poll and and 19th in the NSCAA/adidas poll.
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 13 matches played, Edwards has allowed 16 goals and recorded 50 saves. Those 50 stops put him in seventh place on the team's all-time season saves list. He surpasses Felipe Hernandez who recorded 48 in 1986. Edwards is 4-4-3 with a 1.29 goals-against average, fourth best in the league this season. He has started all six 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.
Scoring Punch
Junior forward Enrique Tovar is the team's lead scorer this season. His six goals and seven assists (19 points) on the year rank him fifth in the conference in scoring. Tovar was the only Aztec to receive the league's player of the week honor this season doing so on Oct. 1. The occasion also marks the first time Tovar has earned the weekly award. Earlier this season, he scored the fastest goal in program history, finding the net just 15 seconds into the match versus UC Santa Barbara on Sept. 6. Tovar is also 3-for-3 in penalty kick situations this season.
Another Scoring Punch
Also setting the tone of the Aztec offense this season has been a local product, sophomore midfielder Kevin Sapanli. Sapanli scored his sixth goal of the season in the Fresno State match, coupled with his three assists he is second on the team in scoring with 15 points. Sapanli has score at least a point in nine matches this season and had six multiple point games.
Aztec Coaching Staff
San Diego State is led by second-year head coach Lev Kirshner. Kirshner is assisted by Matt Hall, in his second season, and Dave Siracusa, in his first year. Hall, who serves as goalkeeping coach, defended the Aztecs nets for three seasons. Former Aztec Rene Miramontes serves as volunteer coach and advises the team on technical aspects of the game. Miramontes played for the scarlet and black in 1976-77 and '79-80.
Not Done Yet
Following the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championship the Aztecs will face San Diego on Nov. 18 at 2 p.m. at the SDSU Sports Deck. The contest serves as senior day for the Aztecs.