Sept. 16, 2002
SAN DIEGO - Coming off its first victory of the season, the San Diego State men's soccer team will host matches against two Midwestern schools this weekend as part of the SDSU/USD Tournament.
- SDSU (1-2-1) welcomes IUPUI (0-5-1) from the Mid-Continent Conference for a 4 p.m. match at the Sports Deck on Friday, while USD (5-1) hosts Missouri Valley Conference team Drake (1-2-1) at 7 p.m. The teams switch opponents on Sunday, as SDSU takes on Drake for a noon match at the Sports Deck while USD hosts IUPUI at 2 p.m.
Recapping the USD Match
- Despite an outstanding effort by goalkeeper Brian Barnes, San Diego State dropped a 3-0 decision to crosstown rival No. 11 San Diego Thursday night at Torero Stadium. Barnes was under constant pressure after the game's opening minutes and registered 12 saves, but the Toreros finally broke through with their first goal in the match's 73rd minute and tacked on two more late tallies to win their third straight in the all-time intercity series.
- The dozen-save effort represented Barnes' most saves in a match since he was credited with 14 stops against Washington in his all-MPSF keeper season in 2000.
Recapping the Westmont Match
- The Aztecs claimed their first victory of the season by defeating Westmont, 2-1, on Saturday at the Sports Deck. Junior goalkeeper Colin Hanke recorded his first collegiate victory in his first start as he and the Aztec defense made two early goals stand up against a fierce Westmont attack.
- The Aztecs took the lead less than a minute into the match. Sophomore Paul Szefler was tripped as he dribbled into the Westmont penalty box and drew the foul. Senior Tyler Tinling easily converted the ensuing penalty kick to put the Aztecs up, 1-0. The goal was Tinling's second of the season.
- In the 13th minute, the Aztecs extended their lead to 2-0 when Szefler took a pass from freshman Matt Couch, dribbled into the box and shot past goalkeeper Jonathan Rinn for his third goal of the season. Szefler has scored in three of the Aztecs' four matches this season.
Hanke Makes Winning Debut
- The Westmont match marked a day of firsts for goalkeeper Colin Hanke. The junior, in his third season with the Aztecs after transferring from Washington, made his first collegiate appearance by starting Saturday and earned the win in the Aztecs' 2-1 victory over Westmont.
- Hanke, who redshirted last season for SDSU, faced 14 shots from a ferocious Westmont attack and made three saves while allowing just one goal. The 6-foot-2-inch Edmonds, Wash., native's performance helped the Aztecs gain their first victory of the season.
Too Close For Comfort
- The Aztecs seem to have picked up right where they left off last season by playing three of their four 2002 matches down to the wire. The Aztecs opened this season with a 1-1 draw against UC Riverside and then were on the short end of four lead changes in dropping a 4-3 decision to St. Mary's in the waning minutes of regulation. On Saturday, the Aztecs scored two early goals and held on for a 2-1 victory over Westmont.
- A year ago, the Aztecs played seven overtime matches - including five that went two extra periods - and were 2-3-2 in those contests. SDSU also registered five ties and was involved in eight matches decided by one goal.
Off and Running
- Midfielder Paul Szefler, the Aztecs' most durable player a season ago when he appeared in all 20 matches, is off to a great start in his sophomore campaign. The Aurora, Colo., native has scored in three of SDSU's four matches and leads the Aztecs with seven points on three goals and an assist. "Paul's given us a great performance thus far," said Kirshner "He's a tireless worker, one of our most skilled players, and is showing his effects early in the season."
The Schedule
- The USD match marked the first of eight 2002 opponents for SDSU that made the NCAA tourney or were ranked a year ago. The Aztecs hit the road to face 2001 tournament teams San Diego, UCLA, Santa Clara and New Mexico and host 2001 NCAA participants Loyola Marymount and Gonzaga. The Aztecs' final regular season road trip takes them to Air Force and Denver, teams that appeared in last season's rankings. "One of the first things that I wanted to accomplish as head coach was to make our schedule more competitive and play more national contenders," Kirshner said. "I don't know the last time that we've played a schedule that's as good as this from game one to game 19."
Scouting IUPUI
- The IUPUI Jaguars enter the tournament with a record of 0-5-1. They are led by senior Ben Higginbotham's four goals and nine points, while goalkeeper Drew Deffner has a 2.91 GAA to go along with 20 saves. Friday's contest will be the first meeting between SDSU and IUPUI.
Scouting Drake
- Drake comes into the weekend with a 1-3 record. Sophomore Andrew Kewley has tallied two of the Bulldogs' three goals on the season, all of which came in a 3-0 victory over Drury on Sept. 3, while junior Zach Brennan has allowed just four goals while logging all of Drake's 364:58 minutes of action in goal. Sunday's match will be the first meeting between SDSU and Drake.