Sept. 27, 2006
SAN DIEGO -
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SDSU Men's Soccer Opens Up Its Home Pac-10 Schedule This Weekend With Games Against Oregon State, No. 4 Washington
The San Diego State men's soccer team begins its Pac-10 home schedule with a match against Oregon State on Friday. Kickoff between the Aztecs (5-3-1, 1-1-0 Pac-10) and Beavers (5-3-1, 0-1-0 Pac-10) is set for 4 p.m. On Sunday, San Diego State continues its three-game homestand with a game against undefeated and No. 4 Washington (8-0-0, 1-0-0 Pac-10) at 2 p.m.
Aztec Quick Hits
- After losing two games in a row, SDSU is 3-1-1 over its last five matches. The Aztecs have outscored the opposition, 9-5, during the five-game stretch and own a impressive 80-42 shot advantage.
- Seven of San Diego State's nine matches this season have been decided by one goal or less. SDSU is 3-3-1 in those seven games.
- The Aztecs are 2-1-2 in their last five season-opening home conference matches.
- San Diego State is unbeaten at home with a 4-0-1 record.
- SDSU has been ranked as high as No. 21 in the nation this season by College Soccer News.
Scouting the Beavers
Oregon State comes into its match with San Diego State with a 5-3-1 record, but have gone 1-1-1 in its last three games. The Beavers are led offensively by Robbie Findley, who is tied for second in the league with 12 points and five goals. Bryan Jordan has three goals, and Josh Cameron and Nick Webb each have tallied twice for Oregon State. Goalkeeper Packy Deenihan has seen the bulk of playing time in net and is 4-3-1 with a 1.34 goals against average.
Oregon State leads the all-time series, 3-2. In the last meeting between the two teams in San Diego on Oct. 30 of last year, Heath Creager scored twice in SDSU's 2-1 victory while goalkeeper Tally Hall made four saves in net. In the first meeting on Oct. 7 in Corvallis, Creager tallied a goal off an assist from Eric Santiago and Raul Bautista to give the Aztecs the lead. The Beavers, however, scored two times in the second half for the 2-1 win. Hall made seven stops in the loss.
Scouting the Huskies
Washington is a perfect 8-0-0 this season and is ranked No. 4 in the nation by NSCAA/adidas. The Huskies are led offensively by Kevin Forrest, who is third in the nation with 1.25 goals per game and fourth with 2.63 points per match. Ely Allen (six goals, two assists) and Raphael Cox (two goals, five assists) are also scoring threats. Goalkeepers Rylan Hawkins (5-0-0, 0.40 GAA) and Camero Copps-Tilley (3-0-0, 0.65 GAA) have split time in net for Washington.
The Huskies lead the all-time series, 3-2-2. Both games in 2005 ended in 0-0, double-overtime ties. SDSU's Tally Hall made nine saves over the two games.
Tally Hall Named Pac-10 Men's Soccer Player of the Week
San Diego State goalkeeper Tally Hall (Gig Harbor, Wash./Gig Harbor HS) has been named the Pac-10 Men's Soccer Player of the Week for the period of Sept. 19-25. The award is the first weekly honor by the senior and the first by an Aztec since Kraig Chiles won the award on Oct. 3, 2005.
Hall tied his career-high with 11 saves in SDSU's 2-0 upset on the road against No. 16 California. He faced 18 shots on the afternoon to record his third shutout of the season. Hall turned away three shots in the first period and eight more in the second with the Bears pressuring for the equalizer. The 11 stops were the most by a Pac-10 player this year.
Hall, a 2005 All-American and first-team all-Pac-10 selection, is 5-2-1 this season with a 1.08 goals against average. He is averaging 3.88 saves per game, best in the Pac-10 of players with a minimum five games played, and has a 77.5 shots on goal percentage.
Youth Movement
Just because the 2006 Aztecs are a young squad (19-of-30 are underclassmen), that doesn't mean the talent isn't there.
Through nine games, the SDSU underclassmen have attempted 47.0 percent (70-of-149) of the shots, have scored 46.7 percent (7-of-15) of the goals and have registered 43.2 percent (19-of-44) 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 in 2006. So far this season, Ortega is the second-leading freshman goal scorer with two tallies. Toft has played an important role in the midfield and has one goal and one assist.
An Offense to be Reckoned With
Although the season is only nine games old, the SDSU offense is making a name for itself.
The Aztecs are averaging 1.67 goals per game after averaging just under a goal (0.97) per game last season and 0.81 goals per game in 2004.
Also, 11 different San Diego State players have registered a point this year, the same as last season. In addition to the distribution of the wealth, SDSU's shot attempts, shots on goal and corner kicks have increased dramatically.
Aztecs and the College Soccer News Poll
Despite upsetting No. 16 California on the road, the Aztecs remained out of the College Soccer News poll for the third consecutive week. SDSU opened with a No. 24 ranking and improved to No. 21 the next week, following a pair of victories at The Soccer Post/Aztec Classic.
Following a loss at nationally ranked UC Santa Barbara, San Diego State fell to No. 27 in the poll. However, a loss to UC Riverside on Sept. 2 bumped the Aztecs out of the national polls for the first time this season.
It doesn't help that SDSU is playing such a tough schedule. Of San Diego State's 18 matches this season, eight are against teams currently ranked or receiving votes in the poll. The Aztecs have already played No. 21 UC Santa Barbara and No. 18 California, and still have to play a pair of games against sixth-ranked Washington and No. 13 UCLA. Add to that another match against Cal and a road contest against No. 25 UC Irvine.
Home Sweet Home
The Aztecs once again are off to a fine start at the SDSU Sport Deck this season. In five home matches, San Diego State is 4-0-1, including a victory over perennial power and SDSU head coach Lev Kirshner's alma mater, Rutgers, on Aug. 27.
In home games this season, the Aztecs have outscored the opposition, 10-5, and own a more than 3-to-1 (109-to-32) shot advantage and 22-6 lead in corner kicks.
Dating back to the end of the 2004 season (a period of 17 games), SDSU is 13-1-3 (.853) on The Montezuma Mesa. In Lev Kirshner's seven-year tenure, San Diego State is 34-19-9 (.621) in the SDSU Sports Deck.
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 2006 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 5-2-1 with a 1.08 goals against average and 75.5 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 and later garnered all-tournament accolades at the USD/SDSU Soccer Classic after posting a shutout against Rider on Sept. 15. On Sept. 26, he was named the Pac-10 Player of the Week for the first time in his career.
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.
Aztecs Ranked Among Pac-10 Leaders
Through its first nine games, several San Diego State players are ranked among the Pac-10 leaders.
Senior All-American goalkeeper Tally Hall is tops in the conference with 3.88 saves per game. He is also third in save percentage (77.5), fourth in shutouts per game (0.38) and fifth in goals against average (1.08).
Junior Kraig Chiles is among the leaders in many categories, including game-winning goals per game (tied-third, 0.22), shots per game (third, 2.67) and assists per game (fourth, 0.33).
Freshman Nick Cardenas is fifth with 0.38 goals per game. All three goals by Cardenas this season have been headers.