Aug. 7, 2015
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State officially began training for the 2015 campaign on Wednesday, Aug. 5, and welcomed five freshmen and three transfers to the program. The Aztecs are looking to reach the NCAA tournament for a fourth straight season, which would extend the school record.
SDSU, which landed in the receiving votes section of the NSCAA preseason top-25 poll, is looking to become the first MW squad to win both the regular-season and tournament titles four years in a row. Its current streak of three is tied with Brigham Young, which is no longer in the league and accomplished the feat from 2000-02.
Before the Aztecs can begin their title defense, they will have to navigate through a tough non-conference schedule that features four teams that appear in the NSCAA poll and occur in back-to-back-to-back-to-back outings. After opening vs. Utah Valley at home, SDSU will face No. 16 Kentucky on the road, head to No. 18 California, travel to Arizona State, which is receiving votes, and then head back to Tempe to face an Arizona squad that also received votes. After that is Florida Gulf Coast and USD at home, before hitting the road to face UC Davis just prior to conference action.
San Diego State enters 2015 as one of the elite teams in California having won 49 games over the last three seasons. The Aztecs’ total trails only UCLA (61) and Stanford (56) for the most in the state since the start of the 2012 campaign. SDSU’s effort has boosted Friesen’s overall coaching record to 97-53-22, which equates to a .628 winning percentage, the highest in Aztec women’s soccer history.
The Aztecs return six starters and 15 letterwinners from last year’s team that posted a 15-5-2 record, including a 9-2 mark in the Mountain West, and advanced to the NCAA tournament for the third straight season.
The Scarlet and Black will be in action on Friday, Aug. 14, when it plays host to a friendly vs. Long Beach State at 7 p.m. PT atop SDSU Sports Deck. The aforementioned season opener vs. Utah Valley, meanwhile, is slated for a 7 p.m. PT start on Friday, Aug. 21. Admission to all home games is free with every home date streamed live at GoAztecs.com via the Mountain West Network.