Aug. 11, 2004
SAN DIEGO - There's no question that the 2004 season will be a transitional year for the San Diego State women's soccer team. There is a new head coach, two new assistant coaches and 15 newcomers on the roster.
But if there is one person who can turn transition into success, it is first-year head coach Mike Giuliano.
Giuliano comes to SDSU after spending the past 11 seasons with NAIA-powerhouse Westmont College, where he guided the Warriors to four national championships, including one in each of the past three seasons.
"The idea of taking a program from where it is now to a position of national power thrills me," said Giuliano.
"There is no reason this program cannot be a perennial top-25 team every year. The facilities are less than three years old, the campus is amazing and San Diego is a great city."
With 13 returning letterwinners and 15 newcomers, the 2004 squad will hope to use its blend of youth and experience to improve on last year's 7-10-2 record.
"I'm excited to see the dynamics between the upperclassmen and the freshmen. If they can mesh well early, we could have a good year," Giuliano said.
Giuliano has brought a new style of play to the Aztecs in his first season. "We will play a fly-over-the-field, pressure-every-step, outrageous in-the-face defense," said Giuliano. "The upperclassmen really surprised me how fast they learned the system in the spring. It will be an exciting year and a lot of fun to watch."
In goal, San Diego State is relying on senior goalkeeper Sophia Perez, who has battled injuries the past two years, to regain her form from the 2002 season.
"The key is Sophia staying healthy," Giuliano said. "If she stays healthy, we'll be in good shape in the net."
Perez missed the entire 2003 campaign after playing in seven games in her first year at SDSU in 2002. That year she started four times, helping the team to a 3-1 record during that span.
Backing up Perez will be freshman Melissa Deckers. Deckers was a four-year letterwinner at Hart High School, where she was a two-time all-league selection.
The defense will be the strength of the Aztecs this season, led by 2003 all-MWC performers Alexis Solovij and Amanda Swiader. Solovij earned first-team all-MWC honors, while Swiader was named to the second team.
"Clearly the strength of our team is in the backfield," Giuliano said. "Alexis is one of the finest sweepers I have ever seen and she is brilliant tactically. Amanda is a poster child of the way I want the game to be played. She is physical, but fair and her work-rate is outstanding."
Noelle Jouglet scored arguably the biggest goal of the 2003 season in a 1-0 victory over BYU on Oct. 16. The 1-0 win marked the first time SDSU had topped the Cougars in four years.
Giuliano is counting on Jouglet, Shannon McBride and freshman Kelly Carter to solidify a strong backfield.
"Noelle and Shannon will provide much needed leadership to the younger players," Giuliano said. "We are also really excited about Kelly. She is a very strong, athletic and physical defender who could contend for a starting spot."
Junior Erica Lopez, sophomore Heather Sullivan and freshmen Jenae Gibbens, Erin Quinones and Nakita Westrich could also contribute on the defensive end for the Aztecs.
Seniors Jess Korpela and Gina Salinas will lead the midfielders in 2004. Korpela, a 2002 transfer from San Jose State, appeared in 17 games for the Aztecs last season and registered one goal and two assists. A two-year starter, Salinas finished second on the team in 2003 with 25 shots.
"We have a lot of people competing and a lot of talent at the midfielder positions," Giuliano said. "Jess is our returning center midfielder and Gina will contribute from one of the outside spots. We expect Jen Klunder, who could see some time at forward, and Ashley Cooper to step up as well. We are trying to upgrade our speed and make it a top priority this year."
Other midfielders who could make an impact include sophomores Amanda McKay, Lindsay Minor and Kristi Robusto. Robusto, a transfer from the University of Idaho, had two goals and one assist for the Vandals in 2003.
Freshmen Jessica Girdner, Kristin Klunder, Danielle Mullen and Ashley Young could see valuable minutes in their first season at SDSU.
Lisette Martinez, a junior, is the top returning scorer for the Aztecs. She registered one goal and four assists for six points in 2003. Senior Courtney Burns and Jen Klunder will join Martinez up front and will compete for the other starting forward spot.
"Heading into the season, it will be Lisette and either Courtney or Jen at the forward spots," Giuliano said. "We have a lot of experience, but a lot of freshmen as well. We need to score more goals this year. I'm counting on Lisette to score a lot more this year. Hopefully our pressure style of defense will create a lot more scoring chances up front."
Other forwards on the roster include freshmen Casey Davidson, Tiphanie Elliott, Lisa Nielsen and Alicia Piz.
Giuliano has put together a much tougher schedule in 2004, competing against several nationally-ranked teams. In fact, SDSU will play eight teams that made the NCAA tournament in 2003, including six in non-conference games.
The Aztecs will travel to play San Diego on Sept. 11, and will play three times in Tempe, Ariz., against Oklahoma, Dartmouth and Arizona State.
SDSU will also play host to 2003 NCAA participants Navy and Washington.
The Aztecs begin their Mountain West Conference schedule versus two more 2003 NCAA participants in BYU and Utah on Oct. 7 and 9. The team will finish off the conference schedule with four straight home games against Wyoming, New Mexico, Air Force and UNLV.
Utah won both the MWC regular season title and the MWC tournament last season, while BYU advanced to the fourth round of the 2003 NCAA tournament. Wyoming, San Diego State, UNLV, New Mexico and Air Force followed Utah and BYU in the final league rankings a year ago.
This season could be just as tight. "All the teams are fairly close and it is a very competitive league," Giuliano said. "The road to the NCAA's goes through Utah and BYU and we know it's going to be tough, but we are ready for the challenge."
After opening their season at Oregon State at the end of the month, the Aztecs will make their 2004 home debut on Friday, Sept. 3, when they face Davidson at 1 p.m. at the SDSU Sports Deck. That contest is part of the SDSU Invitational, which will also have the Aztecs facing Navy on Sunday (Sept. 5) at 1:30 p.m.