Sept. 21, 2006
SAN DIEGO -
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What's On Tap
The Aztecs (4-5) look to get back to their winning ways when they travel to Malibu, Calif., to take on the Pepperdine Waves (5-1-2) on Friday, Sept. 22 at 3 p.m. and the Stanford Cardinal (5-3) in Palo Alto on Sunday, Sept. 24 at 1 p.m. With the two matches against the Waves and the Cardinal, San Diego State will have played seven opponents who advanced to the 2005 NCAA tournament.
Series History
- SDSU is 2-3 all-time against Pepperdine, with their last meeting coming in 2002 and ending in a 4-1 defeat. San Diego State has not beaten the Waves since a 2-1 victory in 1997 in Malibu. The Aztecs are 1-1 overall in Malibu.
- The Stanford Cardinal lead the series versus the Aztecs 5-0-1 going into Sunday's game in Palo Alto. These two teams last met on September 28, 2001 and the Cardinal won the game, 2-1. The one tie came back in 1993 in San Diego when the two squads played two overtimes to end up in a deadlock at 0-0.
A Look at the Opponents
- The Waves (5-1-2) have been riding a wave of victories and ties for the past three weeks, having not lost a game since a 2-1 overtime defeat at Cal Poly on August 27. Emily Wynne, a local product from University High School in El Cajon, leads Pepperdine in goals scored (4), points (13), shots (30), and is second on the team in assists (5). Goalkeeper Kayla Stolte (5-1-1, 0.64 GAA) has done a fine job in the net this season for Pepperdine and in the process has pitched two shutouts through eight games. The Waves have yet to lose a game at home this season (3-0-2).
- Stanford (5-3) enters Sunday's match at Maloney Field having beaten No. 30 Boston University, 3-0. With the victory, the Cardinal improved to 3-1 at home in 2006. Lizzy George and Shari Summers are tied for the team lead in goals (3) and George leads the team in points (8). All five of the Cardinal victories have been shutouts and goalkeeper Alex Gamble (4-3, 0.68 GAA) is responsible for three of those.
- SDSU, Pepperdine, and Stanford have all faced Cal Poly this season with Stanford being the only team to pull off a victory (2-0 at home).
What to Watch For
- Pepperdine has outscored their opponents, 12-1, in the second half (eight games) while the Aztecs have scored just three second-half goals in nine games.
- The Stanford defense has only allowed 42 shots through eight games in 2006.
The Mello and Sutton Connection
They're back... A year after leading the team in scoring as freshmen and accounting for 44.6 percent of the team's points, sophomores Jen Mello and Erika Sutton could have an even better season in 2006.
Over the course of the last two seasons, the Aztecs are 12-2 (3-0 in 2006) when Sutton records at least one point, 9-2 (3-0 in 2006) when Mello does the same and 7-1 (2-0 in 2006) when each contributes at least one point.
The sophomore duo has scored 54.5 (6-of-11) percent of the team's goals, 75.0 (6-of-8) of the squad's assists and 60 (18-of-30) percent of its points.
Earlier this season, Sutton became the fourth Aztec to be named to the Soccer Buzz Elite Team of the Week and also earned MWC Offensive Player of the Week honors.
Last season, Sutton earned Soccer Buzz Freshman All-Far West Region accolades and was named second-team all-MWC.
Aztec Notes
- 10 of 11 goals this year for SDSU have come from underclassmen.
- The Aztecs have started eight underclassmen in eight of nine games this season.
- SDSU has outshot its opponents, 132-100, and has a 45-30 advantage in corner kicks.
- 24 Aztecs have seen playing time this year.
- SDSU hosts just six matches this season with half (three) against MWC opponents.