Oct. 31, 2006
SAN DIEGO -
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Fifth-seeded San Diego State will face fourth-seeded New Mexico in the quarterfinals of the Mountain West Conference Championships in Salt Lake City, Utah on Wednesday. The Aztecs and Lobos have met twice before in MWC Tournament play with SDSU owning the series lead, 2-0. The winner of the match will advance to the semifinals to play No. 13 Utah on Thursday.
Last Year's MWC Championships
In last year's conference tournament, the Aztecs pulled off an upset in the first round over third-seeded BYU. Freshman Erika Sutton (Arvada, Colo.) scored the game winning goal for SDSU and assisted on sophomore Lisa Nielsen's first goal of the season to help the Aztecs defeat No. 17 Brigham Young, 2-0. In the semifinals, SDSU held a 1-0 lead over No. 2 seed UNLV courtesy of Jen Mello's team-leading eighth goal of 2005. The Aztecs looked as if they were going to win the game, but in the 88th minute the Rebels' Tanya Roberts used her head to send the game into overtime. Shortly after the overtime period began, UNLV would strike once more to defeat the Aztecs, 2-1.
A Look at New Mexico
SDSU and the Lobos met almost two weeks ago in New Mexico and the Lobos handed the Aztecs their first conference loss of 2006. Since then, SDSU has been unable to find the win column while New Mexico has gone 1-0-1 with a tie vs. BYU at home and a 3-0 win over Air Force in Colorado Springs. The Lobos allow 0.73 goals/game and jump on their opponents early, outscoring them, 11-4, in the first half. In goal, Shannon Adranga posts an 8-6-4 record with six shutouts and a 0.74 GAA. Her six shutouts rank second in the Mountain West. Offensively, Bridgette Sanchez leads New Mexico with five goals and 14 points. She is also tied for the team lead in assists with four.
What to Watch For
- SDSU's offense. The Aztec offense has shown flashes of its power this season (they have scored at least two goals in every game they have won) and is 6-0-2 when scoring a goal.