Oct. 2, 2013
SDSU MEN'S SOCCER WEEKLY RELEASE
SAN DIEGO - Game Week Reset
San Diego State (3-4, 0-0 Pac-12) at No. 10/9/11 UCLA (5-2-1, 0-0 Pac-12) Saturday, Oct. 5 | noon PT | Drake Stadium | Los Angeles, Calif.
Aztec Story Lines
- The San Diego State men's soccer team begins Pac-12 Conference play with a showdown on the road against No. 10/9/11 UCLA on Saturday, Oct. 5, beginning at noon PT. The match will be televised nationally on Pac-12 Network, and live stats will be available on GoAztecs.com.
- SDSU is near the end of a stretch of five-straight matches away from Montezuma Road. The Aztecs earned an overtime victory against Air Force, 1-0, on Sept. 20 for their first victory on the opposing team's home field this season, and now has a 2-2 record away from SDSU Sports Deck. The Aztecs also earned a neutral-site victory over Niagara, 2-0, on Sept. 13.
- Saturday will be the 51st meeting between San Diego State and UCLA, as the series began in 1969. UCLA won the last matchup between the two teams, 2-1, in the regular season finale last season in Los Angeles. SDSU tied UCLA twice in the 2009 season, and last defeated the Bruins in 2007.
- Through seven games this season, the Aztecs have outscored opponents 13-10, and have out-shot opponents 102-94. In addition, SDSU has outscored opponents 7-3 in the in the second half, and has a 45-32 edge against opponents in corner kicks.
- San Diego State has won seven-straight games when leading at halftime, is 3-2 this season when out-shooting its opponents, 3-1 when it has more corner kicks, 3-1 when it scores first, 3-1 when it scores lastand is 2-1 following a loss.
- Despite not having a match last week, the Aztecs are still near the top of several Pac-12 team categories. SDSU is second in the conference in corner kicks (45) and saves (28), and third in shots attempted (102). Nationally, San Diego State is tied for 36th in the country in goals scored, tied for 50th in points per game and tied for 49th in shutout percentage, recording three shutouts in seven matches.
- Abraham Villon (Garden Grove, Calif.) leads SDSU in points (10) and goals (5) this season. The senior midfielder is tied for first in the Pac-12 in goals and goals per game (0.71), as well as third in points and points per game (1.43). In addition, the senior midfielder is tied for 19th in the nation in goals per game, 20th in goals and 39th in points per game.
Senior goalkeeper Blake Hylen (San Diego, Calif.) is second in the Pac-12 in saves (28) and saves per game (4), while he has two shutouts to his credit this season. Hylen's eight saves against Akron on Sept. 15, is still tied for the conference high in a single match this season.
- San Diego State's five goals and 14 total points in its season-opening victory over San Diego are still single-game conference highs. In addition, the match drew 1,874 fans, which still stands as the 15th-best single-game attendance in the nation.
Opponent Notebook
UCLA
The Bruins enter Saturday afternoon's match with a 5-2-1 overall record and are ranked as high as No. 9 in the Soccer America Top-25 poll. UCLA is riding a two-match winning streak after defeating CSU Northridge on the road, 4-2, on Sept. 22, and knocking off UC Riverside at home, 3-0, on Sept. 26. The Bruins are the two-time defending Pac-12 champions, with four conference titles and a 38-5-7 overall record in the last five seasons. Junior midfielder Leo Stolz leads UCLA and the Pac-12 with 12 points on five goals and two assists, and was named Pac-12 Player of the Week on Sept. 27. Senior forward Victor Chavez is second on the squad with seven points on three goals and an assist, while freshmen Felix Vobejda and Gage Zerboni have recorded two assists apiece this season. Defensively, UCLA junior goalkeeper Earl Edwards Jr., has recorded 23 saves with a 6.97 save percentage, while allowing 10 goals this season. Senior defender Joe Sofia leads all Bruins position players with 657 minutes played in seven games. Last season, UCLA lost to San Diego, 5-2, in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament, but advanced to the NCAA Semifinals in 2011 before losing to North Carolina, 2-2, in penalty kicks. The Bruins last national championship came in 2002, when UCLA knocked off conference rival Stanford in the title game, 1-0. Head coach Jorge Salcedo is in his 10th season at the helm for the Bruins, with an overall record of 118-45-28. During his tenure, Salcedo has guided UCLA to six conference titles and nine NCAA Tournament appearances. He also played for UCLA from 1990-93.