Sept. 5, 2007
SAN DIEGO -
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Aztec Men's Soccer Continues Four-Game Homestand; Plays Host to Second Annual The Soccer Post/Aztec Classic This Weekend
The Aztec men's soccer team continues their four-game homestand by playing host to the second annual The Soccer Post/Aztec Classic this weekend. SDSU (0-1-1), which is ranked No. 22 by Top Drawer Soccer in this week's national poll, will take on New Jersey Institute of Technology at 4 p.m. Friday before meeting Fairleigh Dickinson on Sunday at 2 p.m.
Aztec Quick Hits
- San Diego State is ranked or receiving votes in all five national polls. The Aztecs are currently ranked No. 22 by Top Drawer Soccer and No. 23 by Soccer America, and are receiving votes in the latest NSCAA/adidas, Soccer Times and College Soccer News polls.
- Sophomore defender Nick Cardenas was named a College Soccer News Third-Team Preseason All-American, whileTop Drawer Soccer selected defenders Gemechu Abraham and Kellen Frye as 100 Freshmen to Keep an Eye On From Coast to Coast.
- SDSU is picked to finish fifth in the Pac-10. UCLA, the 2006 NCAA runner-ups, received 23 points, and were followed by Washington (20), California (20), Stanford (13), the Aztecs (9) and Oregon State (5).
- The Aztecs fell to UC Riverside, 2-0, on Monday, marking the first time SDSU was held scoreless in a match since Oct. 20, 2006 (a period of over seven games).
Scouting the Highlanders
New Jersey Institute of Technology, which is entering its fourth year of Division I soccer, is off to a 0-1-0 start after falling to Iona, 2-1, on the road last Friday.
Gustav Wardving scored for NJIT, while Erik Magnusson was credited with the assist. Josh Osit played all 90 minutes and made five saves for the Highlanders, who were outshot, 9-4, and were outcornered, 4-1.
NJIT finished sixth in the seven-team Atlantic Soccer Conference by going 2-3-1 in league play and 3-11-2 overall. Jo Rene Valentin led the team with six points on two goals and two assists, while Fernando Londono, Bobby Herrera and Osvaldo Perez had two tallies each. Osit saw the majority of playing time in net for the Highlanders and went 1-6-2 with a 1.67 goals against average.
Friday will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools.
A Look at the Knights
Fairleigh Dickinson is 1-1-0 heading into The Soccer Post/Aztec Classic. The Knights, who are picked to finish second in the Northeast Conference, will meet San Diego in the opening game of this year's tournament, before playing the Aztecs on Sunday.
Last weekend, FDU lost to national powerhouse St. John's, 2-0, in the St. John's Tournament, but then came back to defeat Buffalo, 2-0, in the latter game.
Samson Malijani scored both goals in the Knights' win, while Rodrigo Calazans Costa had an assist. Elvir Prasovic has seen action in all 180 minutes and is 1-1-0 with a 1.00 GAA.
Last season, the Knights were 9-5-4 overall, including a 6-1-2 and second-place finish in the Northeast Conference. FDU, however, was upset by St. Francis (Pa.) in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament (1-0, 2 ot).
SDSU and FDU will be meeting for the first time this Sunday.
SDSU Ranked in Two National Polls; Receiving Votes in Three Others
After one weekend of soccer, the San Diego State men's soccer team is nationally ranked in two polls and receiving votes in three others.
The Aztecs improved one spot to No. 23 in the latest Soccer America poll and dropped one position to No. 22 in the Top Drawer Soccer poll.
Despite tying nationally ranked Creighton on the road in its opener, SDSU fell out of the College Soccer News poll, dropping from No. 25 to receiving votes with its home loss to UC Riverside on Monday. The Aztecs are also receiving votes in the latest NSCAA/adidas and Soccer Times polls.
Aztecs' 2007 Recruiting Class Ranked No. 19 in the Nation
San Diego State's 2007 recruiting class has been listed among the top 20 in America by College Soccer News for the second consecutive season. The publication ranked the Aztecs' incoming class No. 19, after having the 17th-best class a year ago.
SDSU sits in 19th, one spot behind Seton Hall and above perennial national powers St. John's (20th), Saint Louis (22nd), Rutgers (27th) and New Mexico (31st).
In addition, incoming recruits Gemechu Abraham and Kellen Frye are listed among the Top 100 Freshmen to Keep an Eye On From Coast to Coast by College Soccer News.
Aztecs Picked to Finish Fifth in Pac-10
Despite returning seven starters, including four all-conference selections, from last season's second-place squad, the No. 25 San Diego State men's soccer team has been picked to finish fifth in the Pac-10 Conference in the preseason poll voted on by the league's coaches.
SDSU picked up nine points, four behind fourth-place Stanford (13 points). UCLA, the 2006 NCAA runner-ups, received 23 points, including three first-place votes, to lead the preseason poll for the sixth consecutive year.
The Bruins were followed by Washington (two first-place votes) and California (one first-place vote), who each tied for second with 20 points. The Cardinal (13), the Aztecs (9) and Oregon State (5) rounded out the conference.
It should be noted that the Aztecs were selected to finish fourth last season, yet managed a second-place finish with a 5-2-3 league record. In its inaugural season in the Pac-10 in 2005, SDSU was picked last with just five votes, yet wound up fourth.
Sophomore Nick Cardenas Named Third-Team Preseason All-American by College Soccer News
Nick Cardenas (Thornton, Colo./Horizon HS) has been named a Preseason Third-Team All-American by College Soccer News. Cardenas, a 6-5 sophomore, was a College Soccer News All-Freshman pick last season.
A 2006 NSCAA/adidas all-Far West second team selection and Pac-10 Freshman of the Year, Cardenas tied for the team lead with six goals, despite being a defender. He started all 18 games he appeared in last season and was a U.S. U-20 National Team Camp call-up in October.
Cardenas, a Top Drawer Soccer All-Rookie Team (first team) selection in 2006, became the first Aztec to receive the NSCAA/adidas National Player of the Week award on Nov. 1 for his performances in SDSU's sweep over Pac-10 champion California and Stanford. Cardenas scored a goal in the Aztecs' 3-1 win over the Bears on Oct. 27 and followed that up with the lone goal in SDSU's 1-0 victory against the Cardinal. For his efforts, he also was named to the Soccer America Team of the Week, College Soccer News Team of the Week and was the Pac-10 Player of the Week.
This season, Cardenas wasted no time getting onto the scoreboard when he took a pass from classmate Evan Toft and headed the ball into the net to give SDSU a 2-1 lead at Creighton. Although the Aztecs would end up tying the Bluejays, Cardenas proved there will be no sophomore slump in 2007.
Currently, Cardenas leads the squad with three shots on goal and is tied for the team lead with one tally. In addition, his five shot attempts are second on the team.
Picking Up Where He Left Off
Senior co-captain Kraig Chiles wasted no time in making his case as one of the top scorers in the Pac-10 once again. The Poway, Calif., native, scored on his first shot attempt of the season when his free kick from 25 yards found the back of the net 19:15 into the match.
A midfielder, Chiles has led the team in scoring each of the past two seasons, scoring seven times for 14 points in 2005 and following that up with a six goal, four assist (16 points) season in 2006.
Chiles, a two-time all-Pac-10 performer, now needs 11 goals to tie Aaron Susi (1993-96), Dida Mendes (1979-82) and Vince Bucelli (1979, 1981-82) for ninth on SDSU's all-time leading scoring list.
Who Needs 11 Players?
Playing a man down doesn't seem to be a problem for the San Diego State Aztecs.
In its opening game at Creighton on Aug. 31, junior transfer Myles Davis was given a red card just 40:27 into the match, forcing the Aztecs to play with 10 men for the remainder of the game. SDSU, however, managed to take a 2-1 lead in the 68th minute when sophomore Nick Cardenas headed in a strike from classmate Evan Toft. Although the Bluejays would score a late goal and push the game to overtime that would eventually end in a 2-2 tie, it could be safe to say that the Aztecs are comfortable playing shorthanded.
With Friday's game versus Creighton, SDSU has now played three matches with 10 guys over the last two seasons. The Aztecs have played a man down 66.7 percent over those three games, but have arguably outplayed the opposition.
In the 193:13 of shorthanded play, San Diego State has outscored its opponents, 3-2, and has only been outshot, 32-27. What's even more impressive is the fact that each of the 10-on-11 play has come against nationally ranked teams - No. 4 Washington and No. 16 UCLA last season, and No. 17 Creighton this year.
Do I Know You?
SDSU eighth-year head coach Lev Kirshner will meet some familiar faces this weekend when the Aztecs play host to New Jersey Institute of Technology and Fairleigh Dickinson at the second annual The Soccer Post/Aztec Classic.
Kirshner played alongside Pedro Lopes, NJIT's head coach, at national power Rutgers in the early nineties. The two were teammates on Rutgers' 1990 national runner-up team.
Another familiar face of Kirshner is Fairleigh Dickinson head coach Seth Roland. Kirshner played for Roland on the 1993 and 1997 U.S. Maccabiah team where the 1993 squad won the bronze medal at the World Maccabiah Games.