Aug. 23, 2007
SAN DIEGO - AZTEC MEN'S SOCCER PREVIEW: PART 1 | AZTEC MEN'S SOCCER PREVIEW: PART 2
The San Diego State men's soccer heads into the 2007 season with high hopes of reaching its third consecutive NCAA tournament. In various preseason polls, the Aztecs are ranked No. 21 by Top Drawer Soccer, No. 25 by College Soccer News and are receiving votes by NSCAA/adidas. College Soccer News also has rated the 2007 incoming recruiting class as the 19th-best in the nation.
In addition, sophomore Nick Cardenas has been chosen as a preseason All-America selection by College Soccer News, while the same website lists incoming freshmen Gemechu Abraham and Kellen Frye as 100 Freshmen to Keep an Eye On.
With the season rapidly approaching (SDSU's first game is at Creighton on Aug. 31), GoAztecs.com will examine the 2007 Aztecs in a special three-day preview as they attempt to reach the NCAA tournament for the third consecutive season.
Tuesday focused on the outlook and goalkeepers, yesterday featured the defenders and midfielders and Today will preview the forwards and schedule.
Forwards
With the loss of all-conference player Andrew DiCicco (five goals, four assists) to graduation, Kirshner admits if there is one question mark on the 2007 Aztecs, the forward line could be that.
"This is a spot that is going to be very important to our team," Kirshner said. "It is important is that we are attacking, creating chances and scoring goals. Whoever ends up being our leading scorer this year isn't important. There are a number of players within our program who are capable of doing that, but we really need a player to have a breakout season."
Senior co-captain and three-year starter Freddy McDonald is hoping to be that player, just one season after tallying a career-high three goals, including one in SDSU's 2-1 loss to eventual national champion UC Santa Barbara in the NCAAs.
"Freddy has been a three-year starter here and is the model of what we are looking for in an Aztec soccer player," Kirshner said. "He has earned the arm band which is a very high honor within our program. With his intelligence and charisma, it was a natural fit to make him our captain. We expect him to score goals for us and lead the team from that spot."
Another forward who is expected to make a big jump this season is sophomore Daniel Ortega. Last season, Ortega scored twice and assisted on another, but it was his accuracy that might have been the most impressive. Sixty percent of Ortega's shots were on goal, the highest mark on the squad.
"(Daniel) Ortega is a very-gifted player who has the ability to do just about anything on the offensive side of the ball," Kirshner said. "He can strike balls with both feet and his greatest strength comes from his distance with power."
Senior Matt Lemire had two assists in his first season on The Mesa after transferring from UMass. Kirshner, however, is optimistic that after a year of learning SDSU's style of play, he could be a bigger threat in 2007.
"Matt (Lemire) did a very good job for us last season but really found his form with us in the spring," Kirshner said. "I think he was just a bit overwhelmed with the learning curve coming from UMass. He is much more comfortable now."
With three career goals over two seasons and international experience from playing on the U-20 Jamaican National Team last January, junior Omar Persad could be ready for a breakthrough campaign in 2007.
"We were very excited that Omar was able to represent his national team in the U-20 World Cup," Kirshner said. "He improved his attacking qualities and we hope this translates to more goals for us this upcoming season."
Schedule
The Aztecs have once against put together one of the toughest schedules on the West Coast, including road contests against 2006 NCAA tournament participants Creighton, UCLA, Washington and California.
"We are excited for what will be another tough schedule," Kirshner said. "The strong non-conference portion will get us ready for the challenge of Pac-10 play."
SDSU will also play host to the second annual The Soccer Post/Aztec Classic in early September. The Aztecs, who won both their games at the inaugural classic a year ago, including a 1-0 overtime victory over NCAA tournament bound Rutgers, will face New Jersey Institute of Technology on Sept. 7, and then Farleigh Dickinson on Sept. 9.
In addition to The Soccer Post/Aztec Classic, San Diego State will participate in the UNLV Tournament in Las Vegas, Nev. The Aztecs will play games in back-to-back days on Sept. 21 versus Missouri State and Sept. 22 against Drake.
Arguably the biggest weekend for San Diego State will be its annual Alumni, Family and Friends Weekend on Oct. 6-7. The Aztecs welcome 2006 NCAA runner-up UCLA on Oct. 6, before playing in their annual alumni contest the following day (Oct. 7). This year, SDSU men's soccer will celebrate the 20-year anniversary of its 1987 NCAA runner-up squad.