Oct. 27, 2010
SAN DIEGO -
Complete Release in PDF Format
Aztec Men's Soccer Travels to Fullerton Saturday for Final Regular Season Non-Conference Match of 2010
The San Diego State men's soccer team wraps up its regular season non-conference schedule Saturday at Cal State Fullerton. Riding a modest two-match unbeaten streak, the Aztecs (8-5-2, 2-4-1 Pac-10), who are receiving votes in both the NSCAA/HendrickCars.com and Soccer Times national polls, and Titans (5-8-2, 3-4-0 Big West) will meet at 7 p.m. PT at Titan Stadium in Fullerton, Calif.
SDSU is coming off a 1-0-1 weekend, where it tied 12th-ranked California, 1-0, and beat Stanford, 1-0, to snap a season-long three-game losing streak. Graduate student Falke Verwer (Delft, Netherlands) scored the tying goal for San Diego State on Friday, while freshman Miles Byass (Highland, Calif.) scored his first career tally in the win against the Cardinal on Sunday. Redshirt senior Brad Byrns (Alamo, Calif.) made three saves for his 14th career shutout in Sunday, which moved him into sole possession of fifth-place on the school's all-time list.
Noting the Aztecs
- With four games still to be played on the 2010 regular season schedule, San Diego State is 8-5-2 (.600). The eight victories are two more than its win total from each of its past two seasons (6-6-6 in 2009, 6-9-3 in 2008) and most since going 8-7-4 in 2007.
-  The Aztecs have earned results in three of their six matches against nationally ranked teams this season, going 2-3-1. SDSU's wins have come against San Diego (No. 32 by Top Drawer Soccer) and Washington (No. 14 by Soccer America), while its tie came Friday vs. California (No. 12 by NSCAA/HendrickCars.com, Soccer Times and Top Drawer Soccer). San Diego State's losses against ranked opponents, meanwhile, have come at the hands of Loyola Marymount (No. 28 by Top Drawer Soccer), UCLA (No. 8 by Top Drawer Soccer) and California (No. 10 by NSCAA/HendrickCars.com).
- The Aztecs began their season with a seven-game (6-0-1) unbeaten streak, outscoring the opposition, 15-4. The seven-match unbeaten streak was the program's longest since an eight-game undefeated span in 2007 (Sept. 9-Oct. 14) and tied for the eighth-longest in program history.
- SDSU is back in the national spotlight, receiving votes in both the NSCAA/HendrickCars.com and Soccer Times poll. In the NSCAA/Hendrick Cars.com poll, San Diego State has one vote, which is tied with Loyola (Md.) for 37th in the nation. The Aztecs have three points in the Soccer Times poll, which is tied for 36th with College of Charleston.
- In the NSCAA/HendrickCars.com Far West Region poll, SDSU is seventh, up from 10th a week ago. Three weeks ago San Diego State was fourth and four weeks ago it was third, the highest in head coach Lev Kirshner's 11-year tenure. Other Pac-10 teams in the top 10 include California (No. 2), UCLA (No. 4), the Aztecs (No. 7) and Washington (No. 9).
-  SDSU is 5-0-1 in tournament games in 2010.
- Senior Raymundo Reza (Denver, Colo.) leads the team in points (16), goals (6), penalty kick goals (3), shots (57), shots on goal (22), and is tied for first with two game-winning goals. Among the national leaders, Reza ranks in a tie for 88th with 1.07 points per game and in a tie for 98th with 0.40 goals per game. Sophomore Jose Altamirano (San Diego/Southwest HS), meanwhile, is 16th in the country with 0.53 assists per game.
-  Reza has started 51 consecutive matches.
A Glance at the Titans
Entering its game against UC Davis on Wednesday, Cal State Fullerton is 5-8-2, including a 3-4-0 mark in the competitive Big West. The Titans had three consecutive wins until last week, when they lost at home to UC Riverside, 3-2, and at UC Irvine, 7-2.
Nick Posthuma leads CSUF with seven goals, while Kevin Venegas has chipped in with five tallies. Trevor Whiddon has played all 1,399 minutes in net and owns a 1.86 goals against average, while making 82 saves with four shutouts.
Cal State Fullerton leads the all-time series between the two schools, 16-15-2. The teams haven't played since 2002, when San Diego State defeated the Titans, 1-0, at home on a Drew Picone goal in the 16th minute. The Titans won the previous five meetings, including the last game in Fullerton (3-2) on Oct. 31, 2001.
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