Aug. 20, 2007
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State women's soccer team begins its first full week of practices on Monday in preparation for its first two games of the season at the SDSU Sports Deck on Aug. 31 and Sept. 2 against Toledo and Florida Atlantic, respectively.
Prior to the kickoff of the 2007 season, GoAztecs.com will be providing a season preview over the next three days that examines the team overall and breaks down each position.
Monday's edition is the season outlook while Tuesday will focus on forwards and midfielders and Wednesday will feature the defensemen and goalkeepers.
2007 Aztec Season Outlook
Following a year that saw the San Diego State women's soccer team fail to record its third consecutive winning season, the program has opened a new chapter in its history, handing over the reins to first-year head coach Mike Friesen.
Friesen, who is no stranger to Montezuma Mesa after spending the last three seasons as the Aztecs' associate head coach, brings with him a proven offensive track record and great enthusiasm that has SDSU poised to contend in the Mountain West Conference.
Friesen has helped lead the Aztecs to two of the program's highest-scoring seasons, with 28 and 22 goals, respectively, over the past two seasons. His offensive prowess is a trademark, as his UC-Santa Barbara Gauchos tallied 105 goals over a two-year period when Friesen served as an associate coach.
"I'm really excited about this upcoming season," Friesen said. "I took over a team in the spring that has a lot of potential. This team has been through a lot over the last few seasons and has come away stronger for it and much closer as a unit."
This season's squad not only promises to have a different game plan and personality under Friesen, it also will see a different look in the lineup as 13 talented newcomers join 18 returning letterwinners.
Though the team lost a large portion of its scoring output from 2006, the leadership in its six seniors and untapped goal scoring potential in its underclassmen to improve on last season's totals.
"This is a really special group of seniors who I expect to lead this team to big things this season," Friesen said. "We have seen them mature into women who care about the program and the team above themselves. They are willing to stand up and fight for what they believe is right and push themselves and their teammates to an expected level.
"When you have leadership like that, it translates into positive team chemistry and victories. We hope their grit carries over to some of the younger players so that they have those qualities as they go through their time at SDSU."
The 2006 season also saw the Aztecs too often fall victim to the injury bug as 17 players missed at least one game with various ailments. With the return of those players, the development of the team's young goal scorers and the addition of a highly-touted group of incoming freshmen and junior-college transfers, the Aztecs fully intend to show that last season was just a one-year aberration in their tradition of excellence.
"With the nucleus of players coming back I'm expecting that we should be able to complete for a regular-season conference championship, a Mountain West Conference tournament title and an NCAA tournament bid," Friesen said.