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Sept. 30, 2002
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State men's soccer team looks to end a three-match losing streak when it takes on a pair of Big West opponents this weekend.
- SDSU (2-5-1) completes a three-match road stretch and will look for its first victory away from home this season when it travels to UC Santa Barbara (7-0) Friday night for a 7:05 p.m. match against the Gauchos. The Aztecs then return home for a 2:00 p.m. match Sunday at the Sports Deck against CSU Fullerton (3-4-1).
Recapping The Weekend's Matches
- San Diego State suffered its third one-goal loss of the season when it fell to CSU Northridge, 2-1, in double overtime Friday. Sophomore Paul Szefler gave the Aztecs a 1-0 lead in the 72nd minute with his fifth goal of the season, but the Matadors, ranked No. 7 in the Far West region, sent the game into overtime with a goal in the 83rd minute and received the game-winner from Peabo Woodson in the 110th minute to gain the victory.
- On Sunday, SDSU traveled to No. 16 UCLA and fell to the Bruins, 7-0. Tim Pierce recorded his first career hat trick for the Bruins while Matt Taylor added two goals. UCLA broke open a 2-0 match at halftime with five second-half goals while pressuring Aztec goalkeeper Brian Barnes with 20 shots. Barnes was credited with five saves, marking the fifth straight match and the sixth time out of seven appearances this season that the senior keeper registered five or more saves in a game.
Record-Breaking Barnes
- With 45 saves already this season, senior goalkeeper Brian Barnes has became SDSU's career saves leader with 229. The Aurora, Colo., native surpassed his goalkeepers coach and 1996-98 Aztec netminder Matt Hall's total of 213 with a nine-save effort against Drake Sept. 22. The 2000 MPSF first-team keeper selection, Barnes missed much of last season with injuries but has returned strong in 2002 by recording five or more saves in his last five games and in six of seven appearances overall. Through matches of Sept. 23, Barnes was ninth in the NCAA at 6.6 saves per game and his 12-save match against then-No. 11 San Diego on Sept. 12 was tied for the third-highest individual performance of the season. With a MPSF-leading 45 saves thus far in 2002, he is halfway to his school single-season record of 90 saves set in 2000.
The Szefler Watch
- Sophomore Paul Szefler has supplied the scoring punch for the Aztec offense this season with five of the team's 11 goals. The Aurora, Colo., native has scored in each game that SDSU has a goal. Szefler currently ranks second in the MPSF in both points per game (1.38) and goals per game (0.63).
Fast Starters
- The Aztecs have scored first in all five matches in which they have a goal and are 2-2-1 in those games. Sophomore Paul Szefler has three of those goals while senior Tyler Tinling claims the other two scores.
Schedule Update
- SDSU's non-conference schedule has become one of the toughest in the west. The Aztecs' schedule contains five of this week's top-10 teams in the NSCAA/adidas Far West regional rankings, as SDSU has already played No. 3 San Diego, No. 4 UCLA and No. 8 CSU Northridge and still has matches on tap with No. 2 Loyola Marymount and No. 5 UC Santa Barbara.
Scouting UC Santa Barbara
- The Gauchos, who defeated CSU Sacramento, 3-0, on Sunday, are off to their best start in 21 years and lead the Big West at 7-0. Forward Rob Friend leads the conference with nine goals and 21 points, while Gaucho keepers have been forced to make only 20 saves while giving up nine goals as UCSB has out-shot its opponents on the season, 161-60.
- SDSU leads the all-time series, 17-7-3, including a 9-3-2 mark in Santa Barbara. Last season at the Sports Deck, Aztec senior Enrique Tovar scored 15 seconds into the contest off assists from Pat Strait and Ryan Curtis for the fastest goal in SDSU history, but UCSB rebounded to score three unanswered goals and claim a 3-1 victory.
Scouting CSU Fullerton
- The Titans are coming off their biggest victory of the season, a 2-1 win over previously undefeated New Mexico on Sunday. Hector Orellana leads CSUF with four goals and 10 points, while goalkeeper Sam Reynolds has made 30 saves and allowed 15 goals in seven matches.
- CSUF leads the all-time series, 16-14-2, but SDSU owns a 10-6 edge at home. Last season at Fullerton, the Aztecs scored a late goal to get to overtime, but the Titans scored in the 107th minute to take a 3-2 win.
MPSF Standings
- Sept. 30: 1. New Mexico (8-1-0), T-2. UNLV (6-4-0), T-2. Denver (6-4-0), 4. Air Force (5-4-1), 5. San Jose State (4-5-0), 6. Sacramento State (2-4-2), 7. San Diego State (2-5-1)