Oct. 22, 2008
SAN DIEGO -
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THIS WEEKEND
San Diego State will look to extend its two-match winning streak on Friday, Oct. 24, when it heads to Albuqerque, N.M., for a key Mountain West Conference showdown with the Lobos as SDSU, New Mexico and Wyoming are all tied for fifth in the league standings. The Aztecs' lone game this week marks their final regular season road contest and is set to get underway at 4:30 p.m. PT.
SERIES HISTORY VS. NEW MEXICO
San Diego State leads in its all-time series with New Mexico by a 6-4-5 count, but is just 1-3-3 when playing in Albuquerque. The two teams have been evenly matched in the past as three of the last four meetings have ended in a tie. The Aztecs' last victory against the Lobos was a 2-0 triumph in Provo, Utah, on Nov. 3, 2004, and SDSU is searching for its first win at UNM since 1999.
SCOUTING THE LOBOS
New Mexico is looking to bounce back from a pair of MWC losses last week. On Thursday (Oct. 16), the Lobos couldn't crack Utah's defense as they fell 1-0 in Salt Lake City. Two days later, UNM outshot conference-leading BYU, 15-6, but was unable to come away with the win, dropping a narrow 2-1 decision.
The Lobos have used a well-balanced attack to outscore their opponents 28-18 on the season. Sophomore Alexis Ball (4 goals, 4 assists) and senior Hannah Hand (2 goals, 8 assists) are tied for the team lead with 12 points. Freshmen Jennifer Williams and Zaneta Wyne have chipped in with four goals apiece, while classmate Nicole Reed has totaled three tallies. Senior goalkeeper Shannon Adragna has been manning the net for New Mexico and has compiled 60 saves to go along with a 1.07 goals against average. Adragna is currently tied for first in the conference with seven shutouts.
LAST TIME OUT
San Diego State picked up its first two Mountain West Conference victories in impressive fashion last weekend as it routed Air Force, 7-0, before coming back two days later to down Wyoming, 4-0.
On Friday, Oct. 17, the Aztecs established SDSU Sports Deck records with seven goals and 27 shot attempts. Cat Walker put the Scarlet and Black on the board at the 18:33 mark before Jessica Gordon found the back of the net to give SDSU a 2-0 lead at the break. The Aztecs then went on to score five times in the second half as Brooke Holliday, Tiffany Hurst and Ali Lokanc all tallied their first goals of the season, while Walker tacked on two more to complete her first career hat trick.
Against Wyoming, Gordon struck at the 17:45 mark and with solid defensive play, the Aztecs were able to maintain their 1-0 lead for the remainder of the half. SDSU then came out of the break firing, finding the back of the net three times for the final 4-0 margin.
WALKER, YOUNT NAMED MWC POW
Sophomore midfielder Cat Walker and senior goalkeeper Christi Yount were named the Mountain West Conference women's soccer offensive and defensive players of the week, respectively.
Walker (Folsom, Calif.) scored three goals and added an assist for seven points on the weekend and became the first Aztec to record a hat trick since Kim Castellanos accomplished the feat in 2000.
Yount, meanwhile, anchored an SDSU defense that did not allow any goals over the weekend. The Mission Viejo, Calif., native notched her first two shutouts of the 2008 campaign in just her second and third starts of the year.
FIRSTS ALL AROUND
Sophomore Brooke Holliday, freshman Tiffany Hurst and junior Ali Lokanc all found the back of the net for the first time of the sesaon against Air Force, while Hurst, Lokanc and freshman Taylor Canatsey also added their first assists of the 2008 campaign.
Against Wyoming, senior Jillian Riker tallied her first goal of her three-plus year career and junior Millie Allen notched her first assist of the season as she set up Jessica Gordon on the game-winner.
WALKER BACK ON TRACK
After missing the entire 2007 season due to injury, Cat Walker has returned to her old ways, recording a team-leading eight goals. She picked up her first career hat trick in a 7-0 victory against Air Force on Oct. 17, while putting together a three-match scoring streak earlier in the year (Aug. 31-Sept. 7). Walker also ranks first on the squad in points (18) and shot attempts (32).
GUARDING GORDON
Guarding junior forward Jessica Gordon has proved to be a tough task for opponents. After being limited to only five appearances in 2007 due to an injury, she has compiled a career-high five goals this season and notched her first multiple-scoring game with two tallies vs. Loyola (Sept. 7). Gordon is currently second on the team with 12 points.
VANDEVANTER SHINES
Junior forward Heather Vandevanter has proven to be an offensive threat for the Aztecs as she leads the team with four assists, while ranking third on the squad in goals (3). The Alamo, Calif., native found her way into the scoring column in back-to-back games at CS Fullerton and vs. San Jose State and recorded an assist in both games at the Villanova Classic (Sept. 5-7).
McQUEENY IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Freshman defender Megan McQueeny (Rohnert Park, Calif.) scored her first collegiate goal in a nationally televised game on The Mtn. vs. UNLV (Oct. 3). McQueeny created her own shot at the top of the box and drilled a beauty into the upper left corner from 20 yards out.
AMMAN IN THE MIX
Freshman defender Gretel Amman has already been thrown into the mix in just her first year on The Mesa. The Santa Rosa, Calif., native has started every match this season and is tied for third on the team with two tallies and two assists. Her first collegiate score was the game-tying goal vs. UC Riverside as the Aztecs went on to defeat the Highlanders, 3-1. Amman also found the back of the net vs. SJSU.
COUNT ONE FOR CANATSEY
Freshman forward Taylor Canatsey made her first collegiate goal one to remember. With the score knotted at one vs. Arizona State (Aug. 31), the Garden Grove, Calif., native headed in the game-winner on a corner kick play with 2:23 left in regulation. Canatsey also recorded her first assist in the Aztecs' 7-0 victory against Air Force.
RECORD WATCH
San Diego State returns its top goalkeeper from a year ago in sophomore Aubree Southwick. The Danville, Calif., native started 20 games in 2007, playing in all but 82 minutes during the season. Southwick wasted no time in etching her name in the SDSU record books, racking up a single-season leading 106 saves. On the career charts, Southwick is second with 13 shutouts and ranks fifth among SDSU's all-time leaders with 159 career saves.
AMONG THE MWC LEADERS
Midfielder Cat Walker currently ranks fifth in the Mountain West Conference in points (18) and is tied for third in both goals (8) and goals per game (0.53). Aubree Southwick, meanwhile, is second among the conference's goalkeepers with 4.08 saves per game and is fourth in total stops (53).
UP NEXT
San Diego State will close out the regular season at home on Friday, Oct. 31, when it welcomes TCU to the SDSU Sports Deck for a 3 p.m. PT contest.
FOLLOW AZTEC SOCCER ON THE WEB
Live Stats for Friday's game are available by clicking on the GameTracker link inside the calendar sidebar on the main page of GoAztecs.com.