Up Next
San Diego State (3-4-1, 0-2-0) at UCLA (4-4-1, 0-2-0)
Sunday, Oct. 6 | 5 p.m. PT | Wallis Anneberg Stadium | Los Angeles, Calif.
Media Coverage: Pac-12 Networks | Live Stats
Last Time Out
The Aztec men's soccer team knocked off Brown 2-0 last Sunday afternoon in Providence, R.I. Hunter George and Pablo Pelaez provided the offense and goalkeeper Max Watkin helped SDSU record their first shutout of 2019. SDSU outshot Brown 19-15 and scored one goal in each half. Max Watkin recorded a career-high nine saves and Pablo Pelaez was named Pac-12 Player of the Week for his three-point performance.
Aztec Storylines
• The Aztecs return to Pac-12 play on Sunday when they head to Los Angeles for a match against UCLA. Kickoff is at 5 p.m. and the match will be shown on the Pac-12 Network.
• SDSU won at UCLA 1-0 in their season finale last season. That was just the Aztecs seventh win against UCLA in 62 chances and their first road victory against the Bruins since November 29, 1987, a 2-1 win.
• Last Sunday's 2-0 win at Brown was the Aztecs' first shutout of the season. Redshirt senior goalkeeper Max Watkin was fantastic in goal and finished with a career-high nine saves.
• Pablo Pelaez was named the Pac-12 Player of the Week after scoring a goal and recording an assist in SDSU's 2-0 win at Brown last Sunday.
• Pelaez leads the team with 11 points and is tied for the team lead in both goals (4) and assists (3).
• Pelaez leads the Pac-12 and is sixth in the nation with 4.50 shots per game. He also averages a conference-best 2.0 shots on goal per game, which is sixth in the nation.
• SDSU is averaging 15.0 shots per game, 26th in the nation.
• Freshman Hunter George has four goals on the season. This is the most by an Aztec freshman since David Olsen scored seven in 2014.
• Last Sunday's 2-0 win at Brown was the first time SDSU has won a game when scoring first. They had lost their previous three matches when scoring the first goal.
• The Aztecs are in the midst of five consecutive road matches. So far they are 1-2-1 with their last road game of this stretch Sunday at UCLA. SDSU then plays five consecutive home games and seven of their final nine matches on the Sports Deck.
• The Pac-12 is 25-9-4 (.692) in non-conference play, the second-best mark across all conferences, trailing only the ACC (48-8-8, .813). Stanford is currently ranked No. 2 in the country and Washington is No. 7.
• Pablo Pelaez was named to the Pac-12 Preseason All-Conference Team. The redshirt senior led the Aztecs in points (15) and goals (six) last season and tied for the team lead with three assists.
• The Aztecs return eight starters from a season ago.
• SDSU has 11 seniors on their roster after only having four in 2018.
• The Aztecs have the No. 10 2019 recruiting class in the country according to Top Drawer Soccer. SDSU has nine newcomers (eight freshmen and one transfer).
• Former Aztec goalkeeper Tally Hall (2003-06) will be inducted into the Aztec Hall of Fame on October 11. A two-time All-American, Hall led the nation with an 88.9 save percentage and ranked second with a 0.49 goals allowed average in 2005. He also recorded 12 shutouts that season; all are single-season school records. After SDSU, he enjoyed a 10-year professional career, including eight seasons with the Houston Dynamo of MLS and was named a 2011 MLS All-Star.
Opponent Notebook
UCLA
The Bruins are 4-4-0, 0-2-0 on the year... They were outscored 7-0 in their two Pac-12 matches, 2-0 at Oregon State & 5-0 at Washington)... The Bruins have played four ranked teams in 2019 and beat No. 1 Maryland 3-2 on Sept. 6. Overall, they are 1-3-0 vs. ranked opponents... UCLA is in the middle of an eight-game home stretch. They are 2-1-1 at home so far this season... UCLA has been outscored 10-5 in the first half... Milan Illoski leads the team with nine goals, the high mark in the Pac-12 and second best in the nation. He has 20 total points, fifth in the country... Goalkeeper Justin Garces is 4-3-1 and has a goals allowed average of 1.76... The Bruins are coached by Ryan Jorden, who is in his first year at Westwood. He was most recently at Pacific where he re-started a dormant program in 2013 and turned the Tigers into perennial national contenders.... SDSU is 7-41-14 all-time against UCLA but has beat the Bruins in two of their last three meetings.