Aug. 24, 2004
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Aztecs Open Against Beavers, Ducks *San Diego State opens its 2004 campaign on the road Friday against Oregon State at 5 p.m, followed by a 1 p.m. game on Sunday at Oregon. A Glance at the Beavers *Oregon State comes into the 2004 season looking to improve on its 2003 campaign, where it finished 7-11-2 overall and sixth in the Pacific-10 Conference with a 3-5-1 record. The Beavers return 10 starters, including 2003 all-Pac-10 second team selection forward Tessa Baker. Baker led the squad in scoring with 25 points (11 goals, three assists.) Other top players for the Beavers include sophomore forward Brianna Monka (six goals, two assists), junior forward Stacey Mescher (three goals, three assists) and senior defender Melena Ertler. SDSU vs. OSU *The Beavers lead the all-time series, 5-1. Last season, Oregon State defeated the host Aztecs, 1-0. Brianna Monka scored the lone goal of the game at the 61:58 mark, when her shot from eight yards out found the lower right corner of the net. Stacey Mescher was credited with the assist. SDSU is 17-28-3 all-time against Pac-10 opponents. SDSU in Season Openers *Heading into the 2004 campaign the Aztecs own a 9-6 record in season-opening games, including wins in five out of the last six seasons. A Glance at the Ducks *Oregon finished 2003 with a 9-11-0 overall record. The Ducks return nine starters from a team that took seventh place in the Pac-10 with a 3-6-0 record. Junior midfielder Nicole Garbin, a 2003 season second team all-Pac-10 selection, is the top returnee for Oregon in 2004. Garbin led the Ducks in scoring with 22 points on seven goals and eight assists. Other top returnees for Oregon include sophomore forwards Andrea Valadez (seven goals, five assists) and Mele French (four goals, one assist) and sophomore defender Carlie Ashcraft. SDSU vs. Oregon *This year will be the first meeting between the Aztecs and the Ducks. Against common opponents last season, Oregon finished 3-1-0, while SDSU was 2-1-1. 2004 Aztec Outlook - "A New Era" *There will be many new faces this year on Montezuma Mesa. A new head coach, two new assistant coaches and 15 newcomers highlight the new-look Aztecs. Dr. Mike 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 the past three seasons. With 13 returning letterwinners to go along with the 15 newcomers, the 2004 squad will hope to use its blend of youth and experience to improve on last year's 7-10-2 overall record and 2-3-1 fourth-place finish in the Mountain West Conference. The Aztecs are relying on senior goalkeeper Sophia Perez, who has battled injuries the past two years, to regain her form from the 2002 season, when she had a 3-1 record in four starts. 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. Seniors Noelle Jouglet and Shannon McBride, junior Erica Lopez and freshman Kelly Carter will compete for the other two starting spots. 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. Other midfielders who could make an impact include junior Ashley Cooper, and sophomores Jen Klunder and Kristi Robusto. Robusto, a transfer from the University of Idaho, had two goals and one assist for the Vandals in 2003. 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 could also provide depth at the forward spot. The Schedule *SDSU will be tested this season by several nationally-ranked opponents. The Aztecs will play eight teams that made the NCAA tournament in 2003, including six in non-conference games. SDSU will travel to play San Diego on Sept. 11, and will play three times in Tempe, Ariz., against Oklahoma, Dartmouth and Arizona State. The Aztecs will also play host to 2003 NCAA qualifiers Navy and Washington. SDSU will begin their Mountain West Conference schedule versus two more 2003 NCAA participants in BYU and Utah on Oct. 7 and 9. The team finishes off the conference schedule with four straight home games against Wyoming, New Mexico, Air Force and UNLV. SDSU in the Mountain West Conference *Head soccer coaches from the MWC have predicted the Aztecs to finish third in the league in 2004, the team's highest preseason ranking since the 2001 season. Utah was selected to repeat as MWC regular-season champions with 35 points, followed by BYU (32), SDSU (25), UNLV (21), Wyoming (14), New Mexico (11) and Air Force (9). Did You Know? *The Aztecs were 7-0 when scoring the first goal of the match in 2003.