Sept. 1, 2006
SAN DIEGO -
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No. 21 Aztecs to Meet No. 14 UC Santa Barbara in 2005 NCAA Tourney Rematch
The 21st-ranked San Diego State men's soccer team will be looking for redemption when it travels to No. 14 UC Santa Barbara for a match at 7 p.m. The Aztecs come into the match with a 2-0 record, while the Gauchos are 1-1. Last season in the first round of the NCAA tournament, UC Santa Barbara defeated San Diego State, 2-0, before 3,453 fans.
Aztecs Move Up to No. 21 in Latest College Soccer News Poll
With a pair of wins at The Soccer Post/Aztec Classic over the weekend, SDSU moved from No. 24 to No. 21 in the latest College Soccer News poll.
Four of the Aztecs' remaining poll are ranked ahead of SDSU, including No. 5 UCLA, No. 14 UC Santa Barbara, No. 19 California and No. 30 Oregon State. Washington is also receiving votes in the weekly poll.
Tally Hall Named to M.A.C. Hermann Award Watch List
Senior goalkeeper Tally Hall has been named to the 2006 Missouri Athletic Club's Hermann Trophy Watch List for the upcoming season. The M.A.C. Hermann Award is give annually to the top collegiate player in the nation. The complete list of 25, announced by the Missouri Athletic Club, was compiled by a panel of coaches from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA). Hall is one of 14 seniors and one of only three goalkeepers on the list.
Hall, an All-America selection by three publications last season, led the country with an 88.9 shots-on-goal save percentage and was second with a 0.49 goals against average in 2005. He was also selected first-team all-Pac-10 and all-Far West Region after setting a school record with 12 shutouts.
This season, Hall is 2-0 with a 0.99 goals against average and 71.4 shots-on-goal save percentage. He was named Co-Most Valuable Player of The Soccer Post/Aztec Classic after leading SDSU to a pair of victories.
Four Aztecs - Chris Keenan (1987), Marcelo Balboa (1988-89) and Kyle Whittemore (1988) - have been named Hermann Award finalists, but no SDSU athlete has ever won the award.
The Fountain of Youth
Just because the 2006 Aztecs are a young squad (19-of-30 are underclassmen), that doesn't mean they aren't talented.
Through two games, the SDSU underclassmen have attempted 52.4 percent (22-of-42) of the shots, scored 50 percent (2-of-4) of the goals and have registered 46.2 percent (6-of-13) of the team's points. The underclassmen are also averaging 5.0 starts per game.
This really isn't surprising considering the last two recruiting classes by head coach Lev Kirshner and the rest of the Aztec staff. This year's recruiting class was ranked No. 17 by College Soccer News, a year after being mentioned in the top 40 (No. 39) by the same publication. The 22-place improvement is the largest jump of any school on either list.
In addition, College Soccer News named Daniel Ortega and Evan Toft to the 100 freshmen to keep an eye on list in 2006.
A Glance at the Gauchos
UC Santa Barbara is off to a 1-1 start after competing in the University of Virginia Classic over the weekend.
In the first game, the Gauchos shut out No. 7 Akron, 5-0. Eric Avila and Bongomin Otii each tallied two goals for UC Santa Barbara and Tino Nunez added a goal. The Gauchos fell in the final to No. 3 Virginia, 1-0.
Through two games, Avila and Otii lead the team in goals (two) and shots (five). Kyle Benish has played all 180 minutes in net for UC Santa Barbara and is 1-1 with a 0.50 goals against average and 90.9 save percentage.
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