Oct. 28, 2014
SAN DIEGO -
Game Week Reset
No. 17/14/12 California (8-3-1, 2-2-1 Pac-12) at San Diego State (7-9, 1-6 Pac-12)
Thursday, Oct. 30 | 7 p.m. PT | SDSU Sports Deck | San Diego, Calif.
No. 8/2/11 Stanford (9-2-2, 2-1-2 Pac-12) at San Diego State (7-9, 1-6 Pac-12)
Sunday, Nov. 2 | Noon PT | SDSU Sports Deck | San Diego, Calif.
Aztec Story Lines
- The San Diego State Aztec men's soccer team will play its final two home matches of the season this week, as the Aztecs play host to California on Thursday, Oct. 30, beginning at 7 p.m. PT, before wrapping up its home schedule on senior day against Stanford on Sunday, Nov. 2, at noon PT. Live stats for each match will be available on GoAztecs.com.
- San Diego State (7-9, 1-6 Pac-12) has three home victories over ranked opponents this season, as the Aztecs are 7-3 at the Sports Deck and 3-2 in home matches against ranked foes. SDSU has won seven of its last nine home contests, and has outscored opponents this season 16-11 in matches played on Montezuma Road. In addition, each of SDSU's three home losses this season have come by one goal.
- The Aztecs are 7-3 this season when either ahead or tied at halftime, and 6-4 in night games starting after 5 p.m. SDSU is also 6-2 when scoring first in a contest, 6-1 when scoring last, 7-2 when leading at any point in a match and 4-1 when outshooting its opponent. The Aztecs have also outshot opponents in the second half of matches this season, 9-7 .
- Thursday will be San Diego State's 41st all-time meeting against California, with the Aztecs holding a 19-17-4 edge in the series after the Golden Bears narrowly held off SDSU, 4-3, on Oct. 12. Each of the Aztecs last three loses to Cal have been by one goal, after SDSU split two meetings in both 2012 and 2011, while sweeping two matches in 2009.
- Sunday will be the Aztecs' 29th meeting against Stanford, with San Diego State leading the all-time series 12-9-7 following the Cardinal's 2-0 home win on Oct. 9. The two teams played to a tie twice in 2013.
- SDSU is coming off two narrow road losses in the Pacific Northwest last week, as the Aztecs fell short at Oregon State, 2-0, on Oct. 23, and suffered a close loss at No. 4 Washington, 1-0, on Sunday, Oct. 26.
- San Diego State played even with Oregon State for most of contest, before the Beavers scored two goals in the 64th minute to take control of the match. Prior to that, freshman Jeff Rhodes (Brownsburg, Ind.) had an opportunity to put the Aztecs ahead in the 50th minute, but couldn't get a foot on a ball into the box off a free kick. SDSU faced even more adversity in the second half when freshman Donald Benamna (Silver Springs, Md.) was issued a questionable red card on a slide tackle in the 67th minute, forcing the Aztecs to play from behind and a man down the rest of the way.
- The Aztecs were again up to the challenge against No. 4-ranked Washington on Sunday, battling the Huskies in a scoreless tie until UW's Cristian Roldan knocked through a header off a corner kick in the 85th minute to end SDSU's hopes of a road upset over the defending conference champions. San Diego State fought back and gave itself an opportunity to knot the score late, but a shot by freshman Brady Blackwell (Dublin, Ohio) in the 85th minute was saved, senior Pablo Vasquez's (Madrid, Spain) shot was blocked by a Husky defender in the 86th minute and freshman Ozzie Ramos (Modesto, Calif.) had a shot attempt sail high in the 87th.
- The Pac-12 remains the No. 1 RPI conference in Division I, as it has the top winning percentage (.654), the best road winning percentage (535) and the second-best strength of schedule based on opponents' winning percentage (.540) in the country. Four of the conference's teams are currently ranked in the NSCAA Coaches Poll, including three in the top 10 and two in the top five. The Aztecs will face a team currently ranked in the top-25 in each of its final three matches of the 2014 regular season.
- Freshman forward David Olsen (Fircrest, Wash.) leads the Aztecs this season with seven goals, 15 points, 25 shots attempted and 12 shots on goal. He's currently tied for fifth in the Pac-12 in goals, tied for sixth in points, eighth in goals per match (0.44) and tied for 10th in points per match (.094).
- Sophomore forward Forrayah Bass (Leeds, England) has a team-high four assists, as his three goals are tied with Rhodes for second on the team. Bass also ranks second on the team with 10 points, is tied for seventh in the Pac-12 in assists, and tied for 10th in the conference in assists per match (0.31). In addition, Bass' shots on goal percentage of .692 (9-of-13) is the highest on the team of those who have attempted four shots or more.
- Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Adam Allmaras (Carlsbad, Calif.) leads the Pac-12 with 52 saves after recording five in Sunday's narrow defeat at Washington. In addition, Allmaras ranks second in the conference with four shutouts, while senior defender and team-captain Evyn Hewett (La Palma, Calif.) has still played every minute of every match this season (1,448 total).
Opponent Notebook
No. 17/14/12 California
The Golden Bears are currently tied for fourth place in the Pac-12 standings at 2-2-1, and are 8-3-1 overall. Cal hasn't suffered a defeat in its last three matches, as it knocked off the current No. 1 team in the nation, UCLA, 3-2, on Oct. 10, before playing No. 8 Stanford to a tie on Oct. 20. California leads the conference in goals (34), points (107) and assists per match (3.25), while Connor Hallisey ranks first in the Pac-12 in points per match (1.92) and assists per match (0.75). In addition, Stefano Bonomo is atop the conference in goals per match (0.73), and Justin Taillole leads the Pac-12 in save percentage (.820). The Golden Bears advanced to the Elite Eight last season and were picked to finish fourth in the 2014 Pac-12 Coaches Poll. Cal is coached by Kevin Grimes, who is in his 15th season at the head of the program. As a player, he was a two-time NSCAA first-team All-American at SMU.
No. 8/2/11 Stanford
The Cardinal is currently third in the Pac-12 standings at 2-1-2, and is 9-2-2 overall. Stanford hasn't been defeated in its last four matches, after playing No. 17 Cal to a tie on Oct. 20, and earning a road victory over South Florida, 3-0, on Oct. 24. The Cardinal has allowed the fewest goals in the conference this season (11) and is second in goals against average (0.82). However, their six goals scored in Pac-12 play is tied for the fewest in the conference. Jordan Morris was an all-Pac-12 first-team selection last season, along with senior forward Zach Batteer. The Cardinal was picked to finish third in the Pac-12 Coaches Poll prior to the start of the season after advancing to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 last season. Stanford is coached by Jeremy Gunn, who is in his third season as head coach after helping lead Charlotte to the 2011 championship match as an assistant.