Nov. 5, 2002
SAN DIEGO - It's Tourney Time * The San Diego State women's soccer team closed out the 2002 regular season boasting a 12-6-0 record, 3-3-0 in Mountain West Conference action. The team travels to Provo, Utah, this week to compete in the MWC tournament, hosted by No. 22 BYU. * The Aztecs enter the conference tournament as the fourth seed and will play fifth-seeded UNLV (10-7-1, 2-4-0) in the first round on Wednesday at 2 p.m. SDSU defeated UNLV in its final regular-season match last Saturday, 2-1. * Should SDSU advance past the Rebels, the Aztecs will face Mountain West Conference regular-season champion BYU in the semifinals on Thursday at 7 p.m. The Cougars have a bye in the first round.
Tournament Seeding#1 BYU#4 SDSU vs. #5 UNLV
#2 Utah vs. #7 Wyoming#3 New Mexico vs. #6 Air Force
Postseason History * The Aztecs are 2-3 all-time at the MWC tournament. SDSU advanced to the second round in 1999 and 2000 and fell to Utah in the first round in 2001. * San Diego State advanced to the round of sixteen at the NCAA tournament in 1998 and qualified for the first round in 1999. * SDSU is 10-6 all-time in postseason action.
A Splendid Senior Send-off * The Aztec seniors finished their SDSU careers on a high note, ending the 2002 regular season with a 2-1 overtime win against UNLV. The victory was the final regular-season match for seniors Arinda Alvarez, Nicole Findlay, Shawni Flint, Jamie Harlor, Boo Tinling and Michele Wagner. * "The time goes by so quickly and we're really going to miss them," said head coach Chuck Clegg said. "It is hard to let go and it's a little sad, but the positive thing is that now we get to see them go on and grow in their professional lives."
Home, Sweet Home * The Aztecs posted an 8-1 record at the SDSU Sports Deck this year, the best home mark in program history.
Time Is On Their Side * The Aztecs were 2-1 this year in games that went into overtime. * SDSU is 11-4-1 (.718) all-time in overtime matches.
SDSU in the Mountain West * Since its arrival into the MWC in 1999, the Aztecs own a 16-12-1 (.568) record in league matches, and a 25-25 (.500) mark in non-conference games. * San Diego State is on the rise in the Mountain West. Tabbed to finish fourth in the league by the coaches poll earlier this year, the Aztecs did finish in the No. 4 spot, one notch higher than last year's fifth-place finish.
Record Watching * Junior Kim Castellanos is climbing her way to the top of the SDSU record books. She is currently third in career goals (29) and total points (67). * Goalkeeper Stephanie Pearson is now in the record books, as her 47 career saves are sixth-most in Aztec history.
Aztec Triva * Since joining the MWC in 1999, the Aztecs are 4-0 all-time in their final league game of the regular season before heading into the conference tournament...With San Diego State's victories over Wyoming and Air Force, the Aztecs notched their first back-to-back MWC wins since defeating New Mexico and UNLV in October of 2000...The Aztecs' 11 saves against BYU were a season-high...San Diego State's 24 shots against the Rebels are a season-high...The Aztecs' losses to Utah and BYU were just the second back-to-back losses of the season... Fourteen different Aztecs scored goals or were credited with assists this season.
Conference Notables * SDSU grabbed the No. 1 spot in the Mountain West Conference in assists with 37 and assists per game (1.88). * The Aztecs are second only to BYU in total points (107) and tied for second in goals with 35 this season. * SDSU notched a league-high when it posted six assists in its season-opener against UC Riverside. * Kim Castellanos ended the 2002 regular season listed among the top-5 in the league in all individual statistical categories except game-winning goals.
Points per Game - 1.50 (1st)Points - 24 (2nd)Goals per Game - .56 (2nd)Goals - 9 (3rd)Assists per Game - .38 (2nd)Assists - 6 (T-2nd)Shots per Game - 2.88 (4th)Shots - 46 (5th)* Senior Nicole Findlay is also ranked in the conference. She is tied with Castellanos for second in assists (6) and is tied for eighth in total points (16). * Findlay has twice tied a conference-high by being credited with two assists in a match (versus Cal State Northridge and USF). * Erica Lopez, Gina Salinas, Lisette Martinez and Castellanos are also listed among the names of league players who have posted two assists in a single game.