Nov. 12, 2014
SAN DIEGO -
SDSU Women's Soccer Weekly Notes
Game Week Preview
San Diego State (15-4-2; 9-2 MW) at No. 20/23 California (13-5-2; 5-4-2 MW)
Saturday, Nov. 15 | NCAA First Round | Pac-12 Network | Noon PT | Goldman Field | Berkeley, Calif.
Storylines
- For a school-record third straight season, San Diego State will participate in the NCAA tournament, this time traveling to Berkeley to face California. The first-round game is set for Saturday at noon PT on the Pac-12 Network. The winner will move on to face the winner of Florida-Mercer.
- The game will air on Pac-12 Bay Area, Pac-12 Los Angeles, Pac-12 Oregon and Pac-12 Washington. Fans can also watch the game by authenticating their television service to view on Pac-12.com/now or via the Pac-12 Now app. JB Long and Tammy Blackburn will have the call.
- The Aztecs earned the Mountain West's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament after capturing the conference tourney crown last week at SDSU Sports Deck. Top-seeded San Diego State advanced past No. 4 seed Colorado College in penalty kicks, 3-2, before knocking off second-seeded Wyoming, 1-0, in overtime.
- The three-time defending MW regular-season and tournament champions had defender Ashley Hauke, forward Haley Locker, midfielder Katie Perry and goalkeeper Melanie Vaughn earn all-tournament honors. Perry, who scored the winner vs. the Cowgirls, was named most valuable player.
- The Aztecs are making their sixth NCAA tournament appearance in school history and fourth under head coach Mike Friesen. SDSU is 4-5 all-time in the tournament, but 3-3 under Friesen. Under Friesen's watch, San Diego State scored victories in 2009 (vs. USD in Los Angeles) and most recently in 2012, when it beat CSUN and California at home to ultimately move on to the Sweet 16. The aformentioned seasons, including last year's NCAA run, were ended by UCLA.
- San Diego State is 0-5 in true road NCAA tournament games, with the last three coming at the hands of the Bruins. Prior to 2009, SDSU suffered a third-round road defeat at Portland in 1998, and a first-round setback at USD in 1999.
- SDSU has the fourth-longest active NCAA tournament consecutive appearance streak (3) in the state of California behind UCLA (18), Stanford (16) and California (11).
- San Diego State has won 49 games over the last three seasons, which is the most over a three-year period in school history. The next closest time span is 1996-98, when the Aztecs won 45 games.
- SDSU, in recent memory, has been dominant at home, but this season has been very good away from The Mesa. The Aztecs were 8-3-2 atop SDSU Sports Deck this year, but were 7-1 away from campus and 6-1 in true road games.
- San Diego State won its only match-up with a Pac-12 member this season beating Washington in Portland, Oregon, 2-1, back in September. SDSU allowed a goal right before halftime, but scored twice in the second half to pick up the victory. The Huskies completed Pac-12 action tied with the Golden Bears with an identical 5-4-2 league record.
- Seniors Kelsey Booth (all-MW first team), Mariah Helmer, Hannah Keane (all-MW second team) and Haley Locker (all-MW first team), who all arrived on campus in time for the start of the 2011 campaign, have led SDSU to a 59-20-8 record during their time on campus. Their .724 winning percentage is the best in school history over a four-year period. The 59 victories, meanwhile, is the second most behind the 60 wins produced from 1996-99 (60-23-2; .718). A win over California will tie the school record.
- The Aztecs are led by their by aforementioned four seniors and Katie Perry (all-MW first-team), a senior who has been with SDSU the last two seasons following her transfer from Texas A&M. Booth (7g, 7a, 7 pts.), Perry (6g, 4a, 16 pts.), Keane (5g, 5a, 15 pts.) and Locker (4g, 5a, 13 pts.) are the team's top-four point earners, while Helmer's four goals are the fourth-highest total on the team.
- A pair of true freshman have been impressive this season as well. Aliyah Utush ranks fifth on the team in points with 12 (5g, 2a) and Angela Mitchell is sixth with nine points (4g, 1a), all of which have come in a reserve role.
- Defensively, the Aztecs have been formidable with Meggie Gulczynski, Ashley Hauke, Jen Rupey and Stacie Moran playing in front of Melanie Vaughn. Gulczynski is a junior newcomer who came to The Mesa from USD, while Hauke moved to center back after the first week of the season with no experience playing the position. Rupey, meanwhile, is a sophomore outside back and Moran is a true freshman center back, who was an all-conference second-team selection. Gulczynski and Rupey have combined for 13 points (4g, 5a) to date.
Opponent Notebook
California
The Golden Bears come into the game having lost their last game, a 3-2 home defeat to No. 3 Stanford... Prior to the loss, California was unbeaten in its last five (3-0-2)... Cal and SDSU have one common opponent, Washington... The Aztecs beat the Huskies, 2-1, and the Bears dropped a 2-1 home decision to them... Four of California's five losses have come at home... Taylor Comeau leads the Golden Bears with eight goals, six assists and 22 points... Emily Boyd is California's goalkeeper, who has made 56 saves and has a goal-against average of 1.01... SERIES HISTORY: California leads the series with SDSU, 6-4... The Aztecs won the last meeting in 2012, in the second round of the NCAA tournament... San Diego State is 0-4 in Berkeley and lost all four by one goal... The teams last met in Berkeley in 2011, with the Bears prevailing in overtime, 2-1.