Oct. 27, 2015
SAN DIEGO -
SDSU Women's Soccer Weekly Notes
Game Week Preview
San Diego State (13-4; 9-1 MW) at New Mexico (9-7-1; 7-2-1 MW)
Friday, Oct. 30 | 7 p.m. MT | Mountain West Network | UNM Soccer Complex | Albuquerque, New Mexico
Storylines
- San Diego State closes its regular-season schedule on Friday night when it plays at second-place New Mexico. The finale is scheduled for a 7 p.m. MT/6 p.m. PT start and will stream live at GoAztecs.com via the Mountain West Network.
- SDSU successfully defended its Mountain West regular-season title for a fourth straight season after beating Air Force and Colorado College on the road. The 3-1 win over the Tigers secured the trophy for the Aztecs, who became the first program in league history to win four consecutive regular-season crowns outright.
- With the 2015 Mountain West regular-season championship already in its possession, San Diego State has now lifted the last seven trophies the conference has handed out. The Aztecs won the regular-season and tournament titles in 2012, 2013 and 2014, and are looking to claim their eighth trophy when the MW Championship comes to SDSU Sports Deck in November (Nov. 3, 5, 7).
- The Aztecs enter the final game of the season coming off two very different kinds of victories last week. SDSU won a physical 1-0 game at Air Force that featured a 70th-minute goal from Leah Pruitt before cruising to a 3-1 victory at Colorado College. In the game vs. the Tigers, Aliyah Utush scored in the 10th minute and Angela Mitchell (MW Offensive Player of the Week) added goals in the 49th and 57th minute. Colorado College scored on a penalty kick in the 85th to provide the final margin.
- The two victories last week ran the Aztecs' winning streak to nine games, which is the third-longest in school history and the longest since San Diego State won 14 straight in 2012. It also added to this year's senior class' career win total. The trio of Tiffany Geer, Ashley Hauke and Melanie Vaughn has won 62 games to set a four-year program record, breaking the old standard of 60 set by the 1996-99 teams.
- Five different Aztecs (Milan Moses, Hedda Regefalk, Jen Rupey, Morgan Darling, Utush) posted assists in the two games in The Centennial State, but it is Pruitt who is approaching a milestone. Pruitt needs just one assist to tie the school's freshman record, which is held by Erika Sutton (2005), Lori LaCoursiere (1996) and Stefanie Mathews (1995).
- Rupey has been an assist machine over the last nine games, accumulating six, which leads the Mountain West entering this week's action (conference games only). The total is a career high and is more than she had in the first 45 games of her career (1). Her six points this season are a personal record surpassing the five she had in 2014 with two goals and one assist.
- Vaughn is closing in on the school record for career shutouts. The senior from Harbor City has 24.5 clean sheets, including 7.5 this season. The record holder is Aubree Southwick with 26 from 2007-10.
- The Aztecs are nearing the end of a month where they have had considerable success over the last six seasons. Since the 2009 campaign, San Diego State has posted a record of 44-7-3 (.843) in October. In games at SDSU Sports Deck, the Aztecs are 22-3-3 during the month (.839) and 22-4 away from home (.846).
- San Diego State has given up 13 goals to date, which is six fewer than it allowed going into last year's finale. The last time it gave up fewer goals heading into the final game of the regular season was in 2012 when it bled 11 goals.
- Even with the No. 1 seed at the MW Championship locked up, the Aztecs still have something to play for. Never in the first 26 years of SDSU women's soccer has an Aztec squad posted a double-figure win total in conference play. The last two seasons San Diego State has finished with nine Mountain West victories.
- The Aztecs on Friday also have a chance to avenge last year's 2-1 home loss to New Mexico in the final game of the regular season. Despite the defeat, San Diego State has won three of the last four vs. the Lobos and is 3-1-1 in the last five against New Mexico.
- SDSU is 10-6-7 all-time vs. New Mexico with the seven draws representing the most against any one opponent in program history. In games played in Albuquerque, San Diego State is 2-4-4 against the Lobos, but won on its last trip to the Land of Enchantment in 2013 (2ot-W, 1-0).
- Speaking of Albuquerque, Victoria Barba will be returning to her hometown for the second time as an Aztec. A graduate of Sandia High School, Barba played 90 minutes in 2013, a game in which San Diego State won in double overtime, 1-0, thanks to a Kelsey Booth to Haley Locker sequence in the 103rd minute.
Opponent Notebook
New Mexico
The Lobos will play host to San Diego State on their senior night... UNM has won three straight games, which includes shutout victories at Colorado College and Air Force last week... New Mexico has been average at home during conference play, posting a 2-2 record, but stellar on the road as evidenced by its 5-0-1 mark... After opening the season with a 2-5 record, the Lobos have taken over second place in the MW with their 7-2-1 effort... Madisyn Olguin leads UNM with six goals and 14 points... Dylann O'Conner, meanwhile, leads the team with five assists... Cassie Ulrich is the starting goalkeeper and has a GAA of 0.96, 56 saves and five shutouts.