Sept. 2, 2015
SAN DIEGO -
SDSU Women's Soccer Weekly Notes
Game Week Preview
[RV/--] San Diego State (2-1) vs. [RV/--] Arizona (3-0)
Friday, Sept. 4 | 4:30 p.m. PT | ASU Live Stream | Sun Devil Soccer Stadium | Tempe, Ariz.
Florida Gulf Coast (3-0-1) at [RV/--] San Diego State (2-1)
Sunday, Sept. 6 | 7 p.m. PT | Mountain West Network | SDSU Sports Deck | San Diego, Calif.
Storylines
- San Diego State will split this week's action on the road and at home with a neutral-site game vs. Arizona in Tempe, Arizona, before returning to SDSU Sports Deck to play host to Florida Gulf Coast. The SDSU-UA game is set for Friday at 4:30 p.m. PT, while the tilt with the Eagles will take place on Sunday at 7 p.m. PT.
- Fans will be able to watch both games this week online. San Diego State-Arizona will air on ASU Live Stream and FGCU-SDSU will be available on the Mountain West Network. Links for both games can be found at GoAztecs.com.
- San Diego State is coming off a frustrating week after a fast 2-0 start. The Aztecs were shutout at California, which was receiving votes in the NCSAA poll, by a 2-0 score on Saturday. Then on Monday night, SDSU and Arizona State played 16 minutes before lightning struck the Tempe area forcing a 94-minute delay and ultimately the cancellation of the contest.
- The Aztecs will try to once again to play on Arizona State's campus Friday afternoon when they face Arizona. The game is a part of the Sun Devil Desert Classic and ends a stretch of four consecutive games away from Montezuma Mesa, including three straight vs. the Pac-12. The forecast is promising as it calls for 98 degrees and clear skies as of Wednesday.
- SDSU, which won its last neutral-site contest vs. a Pac-12 school last year (defeated Washington, 2-1, in Portland, Oregon), is facing an Arizona squad it has never lost to. The Aztecs are 4-0 all-time vs. the Wildcats with all four victories coming by way of shutout and by a combined score of 9-0.
- Head coach Mike Friesen is 2-0 all-time vs. Arizona with his wins coming in 2007 and 2011. The game in 2007 was his first season at the helm of the program and marked his first win, a 1-0 decision, over a Pac-12 school. In 2011, Friesen led San Diego State to a 1-0 season-opening victory vs. the Wildcats.
- Mike Friesen, who is in his ninth season as head coach, is on the verge of winning his 100th career game. He enters the week with a career mark of 99-54-22, which equates to a .629 winning percentage, the highest in Aztec women's soccer history. Friesen is looking to become just the second head coach in program history to win at least 100 games. Chuck Clegg, who coached the Aztecs in 1989 and from 1994-2003, is the all-time leader with 122 victories (122-81-8; .597).
- After its second trip to Tempe in five days, San Diego State returns home to face Florida Gulf Coast for the first time in program history. The game will mark the second straight season in which the Aztecs have played at home on the Sunday night before Labor Day. In 2014, SDSU stopped No. 10 Michigan, 3-0.
- The Aztecs will look to extend a five-game non-conference home unbeaten streak on Sunday. San Diego State has posted a 4-0-1 record during the span and has won three straight, including this year's 6-0 season-opening victory over Utah Valley. SDSU's last non-conference home loss came against Michigan State back on Aug. 22, 2014.
- Leah Pruitt has made a statement early in her freshman campaign. The forward from Rancho Cucamonga leads the Aztecs in assists (3), points (5), shots (12) and shots on goal (5). On a national scale, Pruitt is seventh in Division I in assists per game (1.0) and 11th in total assists (through Aug. 31 games).
- Despite being shutout at California, SDSU is ahead of its scoring pace from a season ago. Through three games, the Aztecs have scored eight goals compared to five in the first three outings of 2014. This year, six Aztecs have found the back of the net when four accomplished the feat in the initial three games a season ago.
- A pair of sophomores, Angela Mitchell and Aliyah Utush, picked up where they left off last year in terms of goal scoring. Both have scored twice this season with Mitchell halfway to her freshman campaign total and Utush a third of the way. The duo is responsible for both of SDSU's game-winners this year.
Opponent Notebook
Arizona
The Wildcats are 3-0 this season after beating Abilene Christian (4-0), Santa Clara (2-1) and Northern Arizona (4-0)... Arizona has not left the state and the game vs. the Aztecs will be its second outside of city limits after traveling to Flagstaff to face NAU... Gabi Stoian leads the Wildcats in goals (3), assists (2), points (8) and shots on goal (6)... Lainey Burdett has seen the majority of the action between the pipes and has a goals-against average of 0.43 and six saves.
Florida Gulf Coast
The Eagles head west on quite a roll, riding a four-game unbeaten streak, and winners of three straight... They have yet to yield a goal in a scoreless tie vs. Mississippi and shutouts of Dayton (2-0), Mississippi State (2-0) and LIU Brooklyn (7-0)... FGCU will face Cal State Fullerton in Orange County on Friday before heading south... Tabby Tindell leads the Eagles in goals (3), assists (4) and points (10)... Brittany Brown has played every minute in net and has 13 saves to go with four shutouts.