Nov. 13, 2014
SAN DIEGO -
Game Week Reset
San Diego State (7-11, 1-8 Pac-12) at No. 6/2/6 UCLA (10-4-4, 5-2-2 Pac-12)
Sunday, Nov. 16 | 1 p.m. PT | Drake Stadium | Los Angeles, Calif.
Aztec Story Lines
- The San Diego State Aztec men's soccer team looks to end its 2014 campaign on a high note on Sunday afternoon, as SDSU concludes the season on the road against No. 6 UCLA, beginning at 1 p.m. PT.
- San Diego State (7-11, 1-8 Pac-12) has three victories over ranked opponents this season, as six of the Aztecs' defeats to ranked foes have been by just one goal, including one in overtime. Sunday will be SDSU's fifth match this season against an opponent ranked in the top 10, and 13th contest against a team that has been ranked in the NSCAA Coaches Poll at some point this season.
- The last time the Aztecs took the pitch was on Nov. 2 following its Senior Day Celebration. SDSU played No. 8 Stanford to a scoreless tie through 90 minutes of regulation, before the Cardinal knocked through the game-winning score just past the outstretched arms of redshirt freshman goalkeeper Adam Allmaras (Carlsbad, Calif.) in the eighth minute of overtime to escape with a 1-0 victory.
- San Diego State dropped its first of two close home matches to ranked foes on Oct. 30 against No. 17 California. SDSU knotted the score, 1-1, on a goal by junior Rene Reyes (Oslo, Norway) off an assist from freshman Sergio Enriquez (San Diego, Calif.) in the 70th minute to energize the home team. However, the Golden Bears eventually scored the game winner in the 83rd minute when Allmaras saved the initial shot, before Cal knocked through the rebound to end it.
- SDSU finished the season with a 7-5 home record, as the Aztecs have knocked off three ranked opponents at the Sports Deck, with all five of its home defeats coming by just one goal and against Pac-12 foes.
- The Pac-12 remains the No. 1 RPI conference in Division I (.585), as it has the top winning percentage (.627), the best road winning percentage (.553) and the best strength of schedule based on opponents' winning percentage (.590) in the country. Four of the conference's teams are currently ranked in the NSCAA Coaches Poll, including three in the top 10, while Oregon State is receiving votes. The Aztecs will conclude this season with nine of their 10 conference matches coming against teams ranked in the NSCAA Coaches Poll at the time they played.
- The Aztecs are 7-4 this season when either ahead or tied at halftime, 6-2 when scoring first in a contest, 6-1 when scoring last, 7-2 when leading at any point in a match, 4-1 when outshooting its opponent and 3-0 when holding the edge in corner kicks. The Aztecs have also outscored opponents in the second half of matches this season, 10-8.
- Freshman forward David Olsen (Fircrest, Wash.) leads San Diego State this season with seven goals, 15 points, 29 shots attempted and 12 shots on goal. He's currently tied for sixth in the Pac-12 in goals, tied for ninth in points and tied for ninth in goals per match (0.39). In addition, Olsen ranks 13th in the nation among freshmen in goals scored.
- Sophomore forward Forrayah Bass (Leeds, England) has a team-high four assists, as his three goals are tied with freshman Jeff Rhodes (Brownsburg, Ind.) for second most on the team. Bass also ranks second on the squad with 10 points, while his shots on goal percentage of .688 (11-of-16) is the highest on the team of those who have attempted more than two shots.
- Reyes, a junior transfer from New Mexico, has given the Aztecs a big boost in the second half of the season. The forward has appeared in seven matches with six starts, scoring two goals for four points with three of his five shot attempts on target. In addition to playing his sophomore season at New Mexico, Reyes played at Jacksonville University as a freshman in 2012 along with current Aztec senior Henrik Synnes (Vigra, Norway). Each of the two were named to the Atlantic Sun all-Freshmen team in their first season on campus, as Reyes appeared in 18 contests with 14 starts, and recorded four goals for the Dolphins.
- Allmaras (Carlsbad, Calif.) is second in the Pac-12 with 60 saves after recording four against both Cal and Stanford two weeks ago. Allmaras also ranks third in the conference with four shutouts. Meanwhile, senior defender and team-captain Evyn Hewett (La Palma, Calif.) has played every minute of every match this season (1,635 total), and has appeared in 68-consecutive matches with 57 career starts.
Opponent Notebook
No. 6/2/6 UCLA
The Bruins enter Sunday's match after a winless homestand two weeks ago, where they tied No. 8 Stanford, 2-2, on Oct. 30, before falling to No. 17 Cal, 1-0, on Nov. 2. In the process, UCLA dropped its No. 1-ranking and fell to No. 6 in this week's NSCAA Coaches Poll. The Bruins are currently in second place in the Pac-12 standings with 17 points, barely ahead of third-place and 9th-ranked Washington (16 points) and just behind No. 3 Stanford (18) for first place. Although UCLA is last in the Pac-12 in shots attempted (166) and second to last in both goals (26) and assists (22), the Bruins rank second in the conference in fewest goals allowed (15), second in goals against average (0.79) and are tied with Stanford for most shutouts. Senior Leo Stolz is tied for sixth in the conference in points (16) and tied for 10th in both shots (39) and shots per match (2.17), while freshman Seyi Adekoya has been named Pac-12 Player of the Week twice this season, most recently on Oct. 27. UCLA was picked to win the conference in the Pac-12 Men's Soccer Coaches Poll with 24 points, after finishing second in the conference and earning the No. 1 overall seed in the 2013 NCAA Tournament, before falling in the third round to Connecticut. Redshirt senior goalkeeper Earl Edwards Jr., and Stolz were all-Pac-12 first-team selections last season, while senior defender Aaron Simmons was second-team all-conference. The Bruins are coached by Jorge Salcedo, who in his 11th season as head coach, is the second-longest tenured coach in program history. Under Salcedo, the Bruins have won six Pac-12 titles, reached the NCAA Tournament every year and are currently riding a 19-match road conference winning streak. Salcedo won a national championship as a player at UCLA, scoring the game-winning goal in the 1990 championship match.