Aug. 29, 2007
SAN DIEGO -
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First-year head coach Mike Friesen and the San Diego State women's soccer team kicks off the program's 18th season this weekend by hosting the San Diego State Soccer Tournament at the SDSU Sports Deck. On Friday, the Aztecs open their season at 4 p.m. against Mid-American Conference foe Toledo. SDSU returns to The Mesa on Sunday to battle Florida Atlantic of the Sun Belt Conference at 2 p.m.
SCOUTING THE ROCKETS
The season opener for both the Aztetcs and the Rockets will be the first-ever meeting between the two programs. The match up with Toledo also marks the Aztecs' first contest against a team from the MAC.
Last season, Toledo qualified for the 2006 Women's College Cup where it was eliminated in the first round by Villanova, 5-1. The Rockets (9-9-4, 5-3-2 MAC) ran the table in the conference tournament winning three straight, including the MAC Championship game against Northern Illinois, to gain the conference's automatic bid.
The Rockets return five starters from their championship team, but lose the services of three defenders and their starting goalkeeper to graduation.
Senior Suzi Siwinksi, who appeared in all 22 games last season, will be counted on to spearhead the defensive unit. Siwinksi, a 2006 second team All-MAC honoree, is also a key member on offense after leading the team and ranking third in the conference with six assists last year.
A year ago, Toledo was the third highest scoring team in the MAC with 33 goals and 85 points overall. To match those numbers, the Rockets will rely heavily on the team's returning scoring leader, sophomore Molly Cornwell, who was a second team All-MAC selection after scoring six goals and registering five assists for a total of 17 points.
SCOUTING THE OWLS
The match up on Sunday will also be the initial meeting between SDSU and FAU. The contest will be the second of the season for both squads as Florida Atlantic will open with UC Riverside at the SDSU Sports Deck on Friday.
The Owls return 17 letterwinners from the their 2006 team that finished fourth in the SBC with a 7-4-0 record, 11-8-2 overall, and reached the semifinals of the conference tournament. Last season's FAU squad featured a high-octane offense that produced 37 goals and totaled 108 points.
Returning this year to lead the Owls is senior forward Susanna Lehtinen and junior defender Janeke Simpkins. Both were recently recognized with preseason All-SBC honors.
Lehtinen, who tallied five goals and eight assists last year, enters the tournament one point shy of tying the FAU career points record. Simpkins, one of three Owls from a year ago to start all 21 games, anchors the back line and was a second-team all-Sun Belt selection a year ago.
FOR OPENERS
The San Diego State women's soccer team is 10-7 all time in season openers and 10-6-1 in home openers. The Aztecs are 5-3 when the first game of a new year coincides with the initial home contest of the campaign. Friday will be the first time since 2003 that the Aztecs have opened the season on The Mesa.
LOOKING FOR THE SAME RESULTS
Last season, the Aztecs had a successful first weekend by winning the Boilermaker Challenge Cup in West Lafayette, Ind. SDSU recorded back-to-back shutouts over Butler and 21st-ranked Purdue to capture the crown. The Aztecs defeated the Bulldogs, 2-0, and upended the Boilermakers on their home field, 4-0. For the tournament, SDSU outshot its opponents 46-23.
NO PLACE LIKE HOME
After having only six contests at the SDSU Sport Deck in 2006, the Aztecs are looking forward to their 10-game home schedule in 2007. While SDSU's home record was only 2-3-1 last season, the Aztecs were clearly worn down by the 14 games away from Montezuma Mesa in which they amassed a 4-8-2 mark.
The home-field advantage should be key to the Aztecs' season as they face some of their toughest opponents in 2006 Women's College Cup participants Toledo (Aug. 31) , California (Sept. 16), UCLA (Oct. 5) and BYU (Oct. 18) at the SDSU Sports Deck.
IN WITH THE NEW
Coach Friesen has added 13 newcomers to the Aztec roster that returns 18 letterwinners. The squad will have nine freshmen along with four transfers, two each from the junior college ranks (junior Adriana Aguillon and sophomore Megan Konishi) and other Division I institutions (sophomore Megan Down and junior Ali Lokanc).
Seven of the freshmen arrive straight from high school, while Ashley Omphroy and Brooke Holliday redshirted last season.
Four of the freshmen (Aubree Southwick, Laura Bahno, Lauren N. Marquez and Katie Tribbey) enter the program with experience playing for championships on the state or club level, while Konishi helped her Santiago Canyon College squad win the California College Commission state championship.