Oct. 11, 2016
SAN DIEGO -
Match Week Preview
No. 25/17 San Diego State (6-2-3, 1-1-1 Pac-12) at No. 16/19 Stanford (6-2-3, 3-0 )
Thursday, Oct. 13 | 7 p.m. PT | Laird Q. Cagan Stadium | Stanford, Calif.
Live Stats
No. 25/17 San Diego State (6-2-3, 1-1-1 Pac-12) at California (4-4-2, 0-2-1)
Sunday Oct. 16 | 2 p.m. PT | Edwards Stadium | Berkeley, Calif.
Live Stats
Aztec Storylines
* Following a season-long five-match homestand, the No. 25/17 San Diego State men's soccer team heads north to the Bay Area this week to battle Pac-12 foes Stanford and California. The Aztecs will square off against the No. 16/19 Cardinal on Thursday, Oct. 13, starting at 7 p.m. PT, before engaging the Golden Bears on Sunday, Oct. 16, beginning at 2 p.m. Both contests will be televised on Pac-12 Networks, with live stats available on GoAztecs.com.
* SDSU (6-2-3, 1-1-1 Pac-12) is coming off a hard-fought 1-0 defeat at the hands of No. 19/20 UCLA on Oct 8. The Aztecs outshot the Bruins 13-10, including aa 6-4 spread on goal, but were unable to find the back of the net. Travis Nicklaw led the Scarlet and Black with four shots overall, while fellow forward Daniel Sagno finished with two attempts on target. Goalkeeper Adam Allmaras had three saves for SDSU, which fell for the first time in four meetings against a nationally-ranked team dating back to last year.
* Despite the hiccup, the Aztecs still find themselves in the national rankings, landing at No. 25 in the latest NSCAA Division I poll. In addition, SDSU occupies the 17th position in this week's Soccer America Top 25 and is ranked 19th by College Soccer News.
* Defense has been a trademark all season for the Aztecs, who enter the week ranked second nationally in goals against average (0.43) and fifth in shutout percentage (0.64). SDSU has allowed just five goals this year, which equals the 2005 squad for second-fewest number of goals yielded during the first 11 games of the season in the program's 48-year history. In 1982, the Aztecs gave up just four goals in their first 11 matches that year.
* Individually, Adam Allmaras leads the nation with an .898 save percentage and is ranked second with a .426 goals against average. The SDSU redshirt junior also tops the Pac-12 with 44 saves (4.00/gm) and seven shutouts. He has compiled 17 career clean sheets, which ranks fourth in program history.In addition, forward Travis Nicklaw is tied for 13th in the country with a conference-best three game-winning goals, netting the decisive tally vs. No. 1 Akron (Sept. 2), San Diego (Sept. 25) and No. 16 Washington (Oct. 2).
* Meanwhile, forward Jeroen Meefout is still tied for third in the Pac-12 with four goals on the year. Last month, the Aztec junior was named the most outstanding offensive player of the Courtyard Marriott San Diego Central Tournament after recording a pair of braces in victories over UT Rio Grande Valley and Memphis.
* SDSU's 6-2-3 record this season marks the program's best start through 11 matches since 2011, when the Scarlet and Black squad posted an 8-1-2 mark.
* With its success, San Diego State has garnered several individual accolades at the conference and national level this year. Adam Allmaras (Sept. 6), Jeroen Meefout (Sept. 13) and Travis Nicklaw (Sept. 27/Oct. 4) have already earned Pac-12 Player of Week honors. Nicklaw's back-to-back awards gave the league its first weekly repeat winner since Stanford's Corey Baird in 2014. Not to be outdone, Nicklaw (Sept. 6) and Allmaras (Oct. 4) were named to the Top Drawer Soccer National Team of the Week, while Meefout (Sept. 13) and defender Matt Callahan (Oct. 3) received the same recognition from College Soccer News.
* Entering the third week of Pac-12 play, four of the remaining five teams on the Aztecs' regular-season schedule are among the top 40 in the latest NCAA Ratings Percentage Index (RPI), including Washington (14), Stanford (21), UCLA (25) and California (37). SDSU currently sits at No. 39 in the RPI. Collectively, the Pac-12 is the No. 2 RPI conference in the nation, sporting the second-best overall winning percentage (.606) and the second-toughest opponent strength of schedule (.535) in the country.
* The Aztecs are 6-0-1 this season when leading in a match, including a 3-0 mark when maintaining the upper hand at halftime. In addition, San Diego State has posted a spotless 4-0 record on Sundays this season, highlighted by a 1-0 overtime thriller over No. 16 Washington at home on Oct. 2.
* 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 closes out its regular-season home schedule next week when it faces Stanford (Oct. 20) and California (Oct. 23) once again in a pair of rematches atop SDSU Sports Deck on Montezuma Road. Both contests will be streamed live on GoAztecs.com. Admission is free to all Aztec men's soccer home matches.
Opponent Notebook
Stanford
The Cardinal (6-2-3, 3-0 Pac-12) have opened with three straight wins in conference play, including a 1-0 triumph in double overtime at Oregon State last Sunday. Defender Tomas Hilliard-Arce provided the game-winner on a header in the fifth minute of the second extra period following a corner kick by midfielder Sam Werner. For the season, Stanford has been led by forward Foster Langsdorf, who ranks second in the Pac-12 with 15 points on seven goals and one assist, while midfielder Drew Skunderich has amassed seven points of his own on three goals and one assist. Goalkeeper Andrew Epstein, who has five shutouts to his credit, occupies the second spot in the league with a 0.68 goals against average and is third with a .771 save percentage. The Cardinal, who are the defending College Cup champions are under the direction of fifth-year head coach Jeremy Gunn. Prior to his arrival on The Farm, Gunn served as head coach at Charlotte from 2007-11. The all-time series between Stanford and SDSU stands at 12-12-7 after the Cardinal claimed a pair of 3-1 decisions a year ago.
California
The Golden Bears (4-4-2, 0-2-1 Pac-12) are winless in league competition after three matches, including a 3-1 setback at No. 16 Washington on Oct. 9. Cal has been paced thus far by senior Christian Thierjung, who tops the Pac-12 in points (17), goals (8) and shots per game (3.22), while fellow classmate Nick Lima and redshirt junior Jose Carrera-Garcia are tied for third in the conference with four goals apiece. In addition, Carrera-Garcia and junior Aravind Sivakumar have recorded three assists each, which is good for fourth in the Pac-12. Sophomore Jonathan Klinsmann (8 gms) and freshman Drake Callender (4 gms) have shared time in net this year. As a team, the Golden Bears led the conference in goals per game (1.90) and assists per contest (2.00), but are last with a 1.80 goals against average. San Diego State leads the all-time series 20-19-4, including a 1-0 victory at home last season.