Oct. 27, 2003
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SDSU ends regular season this week with two games
* The San Diego State women's soccer team plays its final home and away games of the 2003 regular season this week, hosting Gonzaga (10-7-0) in a non-conference game at 1 p.m. Friday before playing their final Mountain West Conference game of the season at UNLV (7-9-2, 1-4-0 MWC) at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
Pearson and SDSU shut out two more opponents
* San Diego State shutout both Air Force (1-0) and New Mexico (a 0-0 double-overtime tie) last weekend, giving the Aztecs seven shutouts this season, the highest total for a SDSU team since the 1999 team also had seven.
* San Diego State has now held opponents scoreless for a span of 217:30, it's longest stretch since a 255:57 span earlier this season. If the Aztecs hold Gonzaga scoreless on Friday past the 80:53 mark, it will mark the longest scoreless stretch for Aztec opponents since a four-game span in 1999. The last time SDSU recorded three consecutive shutouts occurred in October 1998 against San Jose State, Fresno State and UNLV. The Aztecs have never recorded four consecutive shutouts.
* San Diego State ranks second in the conference for goals against in MWC games (0.96). Utah is first with a 0.20 goals against average.
* Goalkeeper Stephanie Pearson's seventh shutout of the season gives her the MWC lead in that category, surpassing Wyoming goalkeeper Lori Scheider's six. Pearson's GAA in MWC games of 0.96 is second in the MWC behind Kaycie Zimmerman of Utah (0.00). Pearson also has 57 saves, placing her seventh on the all-time SDSU list in that category. She has doubled her career SDSU save output this season alone (she had 54 last season and three the year before).
* Defender Alexis Solovij played especially strong against Air Force and New Mexico. "Alexis was steady and consistent all weekend and solidified the defense," head coach Chuck Clegg said. "She did a great job clearing dangerous through balls and passes."
Aztecs set a team record for playing extra sessions
* San Diego State's double-overtime match against New Mexico was the team's fifth of the season to go past the 90-minute mark, the first time that has occurred in SDSU history. The 1998 squad went to overtime four times.
MWC Tournament breakdown
* The Aztecs will receive either the No. 4 or 5 seed at the MWC Tournament and face either New Mexico or UNLV at either 9 a.m., 11:30 a.m. or 2 p.m. MST on Nov. 5 in Salt Lake City. The winner of that game would advance to a semifinal contest at 11 a.m. or 2 p.m. on Nov. 6. The championship is slated for a noon kickoff on Nov. 8.
* Every scenario has SDSU facing New Mexico in the MWC quarterfinals except for one. If New Mexico loses to Air Force on Friday and UNLV defeats the Aztecs on Saturday, SDSU would earn the No. 4 seed and UNLV would be No. 5 and those teams would face off in a MWC quarterfinal match-up.
Scouting Gonzaga
* The Bulldogs (10-7-0) are coming off two monumental road victories. Gonzaga defeated Loyola Marymount, 4-0, on Friday to end a 26-game West Coast Conference losing streak and earn their first-ever road WCC victory. The win was their first WCC victory since Oct. 29, 1999, a 3-2 victory over San Francisco. Gonzaga entered the contest with a 2-68-2 all-time WCC record. The Bulldogs were 0-32-0 in WCC road contests since joining the league in 1993 and had never beaten the Lions (0-10-1 all-time)
* To top that off, Gonzaga defeated No. 11 Pepperdine on Sunday, 1-0, marking the program's first-ever victory over a ranked opponent. The win gave the Bulldogs a two-game WCC winning streak, the longest in school history and their first-ever victory over Pepperdine (0-9-1 all-time against the Waves).
* Gonzaga is in the middle of a historic season for the program. The Bulldogs have endured 12 losing seasons to start the program's history but, with three games remaining on the Gonzaga schedule, the Bulldogs will finish with a .500 or better record for the first time ever. They are 46-158-8 all-time (4-68-2 WCC) with their best previous record occurring in 1997 (8-12-0, 1-6-0 WCC).
* The Bulldogs are led by forward Annie Hawkins and her twin, Sarah, a midfielder. Annie has 12 goals and three assists for 27 points, while Sarah has five goals (including three against LMU on Friday) and three assists, good for 13 points. Midfielder Walker Loseno, a member of the 2004 Greek Olympic team, has two goals and six assists for 10 points. Goalkeeper Ashley Haugen has a 1.36 goals against average with four shutouts.
* In the school's only meeting, San Diego State out-scored Gonzaga, 4-0, on Sept. 17, 1995, in a game played at the Tomato Cafe Soccer Showcase in Albuquerque, N.M.
Scouting UNLV
* The Rebels are 7-9-2 overall and 1-4-0 in MWC action. UNLV defeated Air Force in double-overtime on Sunday, 1-0, to earn their first MWC victory of the season after falling 1-0 in overtime on Friday against New Mexico.
* UNLV is led by forward Annii Magliulo, who has eight goals (including the game winner against Air Force on Sunday) and three assists for 19 points. Defender Erin Egertson has three goals and four assists (10 points). Goalkeeper Jenna Huff has a 1.26 goals against average with five shutouts.
* The Aztecs hold a 6-0-0 advantage over the Rebels. Last season, forward Kim Castellanos scored an overtime game winner in the regular season finale, a 2-1 win on Nov. 2. Four days later, the Aztecs topped UNLV again by a 2-1 count, this time in regulation at the MWC Tournament in Provo, Utah.