Nov. 1, 2016
Match Week Preview
No. 21/15 San Diego State (8-3-4, 3-2-2 Pac-12) at Oregon State (5-7-3, 1-4-2 Pac-12)
Thursday, Nov. 3 | 3 p.m. PT | Lorenz Field | Corvallis, Ore.
Live Stats
No. 21/15 San Diego State (8-3-4, 3-2-2 Pac-12) at No. 11/14 Washington (12-4, 6-2 Pac-12)
Sunday, Nov. 6 | 5 p.m. PT | Husky Soccer Stadium | Seattle, Wash.
Live Stats
Aztec Storylines
* The San Diego State men's soccer team opens a crucial three-match road swing this week when it travels to the Pacific Northwest to face Oregon State and Washington. The Aztecs will square off against the Beavers on Thursday, Nov. 3, starting at 3 p.m. PT, before engaging the No. 11/10 Huskies on Sunday, Nov. 6, beginning at 5 p.m. PT. Both contests will be aired on Pac-12 Networks.
* SDSU enjoyed an open date last week following a successful homestand when it played Stanford to a 1-1 draw on Oct. 20, before shutting out Cal for the second time this season, 1-0, on Oct. 23 to highlight Senior Day festivities. Against the No. 12/10 Cardinal, midfielder Casey Macias put the Aztecs in front with his first goal of the season in the 19th minute, but the two teams battled to a stalemate after visitors got the equalizer in the second half. Still, SDSU managed to snap Stanford's five-match winning streak as goalkeeper Adam Allmaras tied his season high with seven saves, including three key stops in the first 14 minutes.
* Against the Golden Bears three days later, the Aztecs struck early, with forward Travis Nicklaw supplying his fourth goal of the year in the seventh minute, and the SDSU defense made the score stand up as Allmaras made three additional saves to help the Scarlet and Black sweep Cal for the first time since 2009. For his efforts, Allmaras was named Pac-12 Player of the Week for the second time this season.
* Entering their final three matches of the regular season, the Aztecs (8-3-4, 3-2-2 Pac-12) are currently third in the conference race with 11 points, right on the heels of Washington (12-4, 6-2 Pac-12), which is second with 15 points, while Stanford (10-3-4, 7-1-1 Pac-12) is perched atop the league standings with 22 points. In addition, SDSU moved up one notch into the 21st spot in the latest in the latest NSCAA Division I coaches poll and is ranked 15th by Soccer America. The Scarlet and Black also occupies the No. 23 position in the College Soccer News Top 30 rankings this week.
* San Diego State opened its Pac-12 schedule against Oregon State and Washington on Montezuma Road earlier this season, tying the Beavers 1-1 (Sept. 29), before defeating the Huskies for the first time since 2010 in an overtime thriller, 1-0 (Oct. 2).
* Defense has been a trademark all season for the Aztecs, who enter the week ranked fifth nationally in shutout percentage (0.60) and eighth in goals against average (0.56). SDSU has allowed just nine goals this year, becoming just the third team in program history to give up nine or fewer scores in the first 15 games of the season, along with the 1988 (7) and 2005 (6) squads.
* Individually, Adam Allmaras is third in the nation with an .870 save percentage and is ranked 10th with a .563 goals against average, both tops in the conference. The SDSU redshirt junior also leads the Pac-12 with 60 saves (3.85/gm) and nine shutouts. For his career, the La Costa Canyon High alumnus has compiled 19 clean sheets, which ranks fourth on the school's all-time charts. In addition, Travis Nicklaw is 14th in the country and tied for the top spot in the conference with four game-winning goals, netting the decisive tally vs. No. 1 Akron (Sept. 2), crosstown adversary San Diego (Sept. 25), No. 16 Washington (Oct. 2) and Cal (Oct. 23).
* Along with Nicklaw, forward Jeroen Meefout is still tied for fifth 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.
* Midfielders Pablo Pelaez, AJ Vergara and forward Daniel Sagno were each named to the mid-season Top Drawer Soccer Freshman Top 100 list on Oct. 17. Pelaez was ranked 21st, Vergara landed in the 79th spot, while Sagno was listed 89th. With their selections, the Aztecs tied UCLA for the most Pac-12 players on the website's initial freshman rankings of the 2016 campaign.
* SDSU's 8-3-4 record this season marks the program's best start through 15 matches since 2011, when the Scarlet and Black squad posted a 10-3-2 mark.
* With its success, San Diego State has garnered several individual accolades at the conference and national level this year. Adam Allmaras (Sept. 6/Oct. 25), Jeroen Meefout (Sept. 13) and Travis Nicklaw (Sept. 27/Oct. 4) have already earned Pac-12 Player of Week honors. The Aztecs' five weekly Pac-12 nods are the most in the same season since SDSU joined the conference in 2005. 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 sixth week of conference play, four Pac-12 teams are among the top 35 in the latest NCAA Ratings Percentage Index (RPI), including the Aztecs, who sit at No. 32. Washington vaulted into the No. 3 spot in this week's RPI, while Stanford occupies the No. 6 position, followed by UCLA (24), California (55) and Oregon State (93). Collectively, the Pac-12 is the No. 2 RPI conference in the nation, sporting the second-best overall winning percentage (.584) and the second-toughest opponent strength of schedule (.540) in the country.
* The Aztecs are 8-0-2 this season when leading in a match, including a 4-0-1 mark when maintaining the upper hand at halftime. In addition, San Diego State has posted a spotless 6-0 record on Sundays this season and is 3-0-4 in overtime.
* 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, the Aztecs will wrap up their regular-season schedule on Thursday, Nov. 10, when they square off against UCLA at Drake Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif. Match time is set for 6 p.m. PT.
Opponent Notebook
Oregon State
The Beavers (5-7-3, 1-4-2 Pac-12) registered their first victory in conference play after defeating California on the road last Sunday by a 1-0 count. Junior forward Timmy Mueller scored the lone goal of the match in the 71st minute, while redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Ryan Vincent recorded his first career shutout. Mueller leads OSU with 10 points on four goals and two assists on the season, while fellow classmate and forward Jordan Jones has compiled eight points of his own on three goals and a pair of assists. Entering the week, the Beavers rank fourth in the Pac-12 with 13.53 shots per game and are fifth with 1.13 goals per contest (17 overall).
Washington
The Huskies (12-4, 6-2 Pac-12) have won four straight, including a pair of overtime victories in their last two outings on the road at California (2-1) and Stanford (1-0). UW handed the Cardinal their first loss in conference action this year on redshirt senior defender Justin Schmidt's header in the second minute of extended play. The Huskies have received balanced scoring so far this season, with senior Mason Robertson, sophomore David Coly and freshman Handwalla Bwana and notching four goals apiece. Bwana ranks second in the Pac-12 with seven assists and is tied for third with 15 points, while redshirt junior goalkeeper Auden Schilder occupies the No. 2 spot in the league with an .803 save percentage. As a team, Washington ranks second in the conference with 14.88 shots per game and 1.81 goals per outing (27 overall). Prior to their clash with the Aztecs, the Huskies will battle UCLA at home on Thursday.