Oct. 6, 2016
SAN DIEGO -
Match Week Preview
No. 19/20 UCLA (5-3-1, 1-1 Pac-12) at No. 13/15 San Diego State (6-1-3, 1-0-1 Pac-12)
Saturday, Oct. 8 | 7 p.m. PT | SDSU Sports Deck
Live Stats | Watch
Storylines
* The No. 13/15 San Diego State men's soccer team closes out its season-long five-match homestand this weekend when it plays host to No. 19/20 UCLA on Saturday, Oct. 8, in a Pac-12 showdown at SDSU Sports Deck. First tap is scheduled for 7 p.m. PT. In addition to live stats, the Aztecs-Bruins clash will be streamed live on GoAztecs.com.
* SDSU (6-1-3, 1-0-1 Pac-12) opened conference play last week with a 1-1 draw against Oregon State, followed by a thrilling 1-0 overtime victory over No. 16 Washington.
* Against the Beavers, senior co-captain Matt Callahan provided the Aztecs' lone goal with his first tally of the season on a header from close range in the 67th minute, while fellow classmate Michael Sauers and redshirt junior Dallin Cutler were each credited with an assist. OSU got the equalizer in the 83rd minute and outshot the Scarlet and Black 5-1 in the first extra session. However, SDSU shut down their adversary in the second overtime, holding the Beavers without an attempt to preserve the tie.
* Unfazed, the Aztecs went back to work against a tough Husky squad that was coming off a 4-0 blanking of UCLA. After the two sides battled through two scoreless halves, SDSU wasted no time in delivering the knockout punch as redshirt senior Travis Nicklaw netted his third match winner of the season in the second minute of the extra period. Freshman Spencer Madden initially launched a blast from the right side that deflected off UW goalkeeper Auden Schilder into the front of the box where Nicklaw once again seized the moment, giving the Aztecs their first win over the Huskies since 2010.
* With his decisive tally, Nicklaw collected his second straight Pac-12 Player of the Week honor, becoming the conference's first consecutive winner of the award since 2014, when Stanford's Corey Baird accomplished the feat. San Diego State has garnered Pac-12 weekly accolades on four occasions already this season, including goalkeeper Adam Allmaras (Sept. 6) and forward Jeroen Meefout (Sept. 13).
* Two additional standouts from last weekend were rewarded with national recognition as Adam Allmaras was named to Top Drawer Soccer's Team of the Week, while Matt Callahan received the same distinction from College Soccer News. Allmaras made 12 saves overall while posting his seventh clean sheet of the year and 17th of his career following the victory over Washington. Not to be outdone, Callahan turned in an exceptional effort on the backline.
* SDSU continues to be a fixture in the national rankings this season, vaulting nine places into the 13th spot in the latest NSCAA Division I poll following its conquest of Washington. In addition, the Aztecs occupy the 15th position in this week's Soccer America Top 25 and are ranked 16th by College Soccer News.
* Entering the second week of Pac-12 play, three of the remaining five teams on the Aztecs' regular-season schedule are among the top 35 in the latest NCAA Ratings Percentage Index (RPI), including Washington (19), California (21) and UCLA (32). SDSU is currently No. 29 in the RPI, followed by Stanford (36) and Oregon State (96). Collectively, the Pac-12 is the No. 2 RPI conference in the nation, sporting the second-best overall winning percentage (.623) and the second-toughest opponent strength of schedule (.540) in the country.
* Defense has been a trademark all season for the Aztecs, who enter the weekend ranked second nationally in shutout percentage (0.70) and third in goals against average (0.37). For just the second time in the program's 48-year history, San Diego State has allowed just four goals in its first 10 games of the season, joining the 1982 squad.
* Individually, goalkeeper Adam Allmaras occupies the second spot nationally with a .911 save percentage and is ranked fourth with a .373 goals against average. In addition, forward Travis Nicklaw is tied for 11th in the country with a conference-best three game-winning goals.
* The Aztecs' 6-1-3 record this season marks the program's best start through 10 matches since 2011, when the Scarlet and Black squad posted a 7-1-2 mark. SDSU's .750 winning percentage thus far tops the Pac-12 and ranks 20th in the nation.
* Dating back to last year, the Aztecs have won their last three matches against nationally ranked opponents, defeating No. 16 UCLA in the 2015 regular-season finale (1-0, 2OT), No. 1 Akron in the 2016 home opener on Sept. 2 (1-0) and No. 16 Washington on Oct. 2 (1-0, 2OT).
* In addition to Saturday's encounter with UCLA, San Diego State will stream its final two regular-season home matches on GoAztecs.com against Stanford (Oct. 20) and California (Oct. 23).
* Now in his 17th season, Lev Kirshner is tied with Kevin Grimes of California as the longest tenured head coach in Pac-12 men's soccer. Under Kirshner's direction, the Aztecs own an 80-63-20 overall record in non-conference play.
* Looking ahead, San Diego State hits the road next week for a pair of matches in the Bay Area against Stanford (Oct. 13) and California (Oct. 16). Both contests will be broadcast on Pac-12 Networks.
Opponent Notebook
UCLA
The Bruins (5-3-1, 1-1 Pac-12) snapped their two-match losing streak with a 2-0 triumph over Oregon State on Oct. 2. UCLA received goals by sophomore Jose Hernandez and senior Felix Vobejda, who scored less than two minutes apart in the 56th and 58th minutes, respectively. The Bruins are led by juniors Brian Iloski and Abu Danladi, who have scored three goals apiece, while sophmore Jackson Yueill has notched a conference-leading six assists, which ranks seventh in the nation. Senior goalkeeper Juan Cervantes has made 27 saves on the year and has maintained a 1.08 goals against average, which is fifth in the league. As a team, UCLA is second in the Pac-12 with 5.33 corner kicks per match and is tied for third with 1.78 goals per contest. Former Bruin All-American Juan Salcedo is in his 13th season at the helm of the UCLA program. The Aztecs came away with a dramatic 1-0 victory in double overtime on Montezuma Road in the last meeting between the two schools in the 2015 regular-season finale.