SAN DIEGO – San Diego State head women's soccer coach Mike Friesen, in conjunction with the Mountain West Conference, released the Aztecs' 2021 schedule on Monday. The 20-game slate features 11 contests at the SDSU Sports Deck including three against Pac-12 programs.
In total, SDSU will play four Pac-12 programs in Arizona, Stanford, Washington State, and UCLA. Since Friesen took the helm of the program, prior to the start of the 2007 season, SDSU has played at least one Pac-12 program every year, except in 2020 when the schedule consisted of just Mountain West competition due to COVID-19. The four matchups this season equal the most against the Pac-12 in the Friesen era. In 2007 the Aztecs competed against Arizona, Arizona State, California and UCLA.
San Diego State will have to leave the Pacific Time Zone just once during the regular season, a two-game trip to Colorado State and Wyoming in late September, and then won't have to travel outside West Coast time again until it goes to Boise, Idaho, for the Mountain West tournament in early November.
San Diego State, which finished last regular season with an 8-2-0 record and the title in the West Division, in a one-time two division format in Spring 2021, will play nine non-conference games, six of which will be at the Sports Deck. Seven of those nine non-conference opponents enjoyed winning records in the last season in which they.
The season opens with a three-game homestand which begins on Aug. 10 with a matchup against the Arizona Wildcats. Arizona was 9-5-1 last season and finished in eighth place in the Pac-12 (4-5-1). The programs have met five times with SDSU holding a 4-1-0 advantage in the all-time series, including a 2-0-0 record in games played on the Aztecs home field. The Wildcats won the last meeting 1-0 on Sept. 4, 2015, in Tempe, Ariz.
Nine days later, on Thursday, Aug. 19, Army West Point is in town to face the Aztecs. The Cadets were 5-1-0 in a shortened schedule last season and the game will mark the first time these programs have met.
On Sunday, Aug. 22, the homestand wraps up with a game against Pepperdine. The Waves were 6-5-1 in 2020, finished in fourth place in the West Coast Conference (WCC), and hold a 7-3-0 advantage in the all-time series. In games played in San Diego, the Aztecs are 2-3-0 against Pepperdine with the upcoming matchup marking just the third on the Sports Deck in the last 20 years. In its previous home matchups, SDSU defeated the Waves 1-0 in the 2012 season and fell 0-1 in 2018.
San Diego State hits the road for the first time with a pair of contests in northern California at Saint Mary's and Stanford. The Aztecs and Gaels meet on Thursday Aug. 6 in Moraga, Calif., in a series in which Saint Mary's holds a 4-3-0 lead, and the home team has come out the winner in each of the previous seven matchups. Saint Mary's was 4-4-3 last season and finished in fifth place in the WCC.
The team then heads across San Francisco Bay to play Stanford on Sunday, Aug. 29. The Cardinal were 6-6-2 last year and finished in fourth place in the Pac-12 (5-4-1). The game marks the tenth time the programs have faced off with Stanford never having suffered a loss to the Aztecs in a series which started in the 1990 season. This will be the first meeting since the 2012 season and the first at Stanford since 2009. San Diego State is 0-4-0 all-time in Palo Alto, Calif.
Three of the last four non-conference games are at the Sports Deck beginning with a Thursday, Sept. 2 game against Washington State. SDSU is 3-1-0 against the Cougars in the all-time series, which includes a 2-0-0 record in San Diego, but those four games came between 1990 and 1996. Last season, WSU posted a 6-3-3 mark and in ninth place in the Pac-12 (2-2-3).
Three days later, on Sunday, Sept. 5, San Diego State hosts Long Beach State. The Beach did not compete last year, had a 4-12-1 mark in 2019, and finished in seventh place in the Big West Conference (2-5-1). The Aztecs hold a 5-4-1 lead in the all-time series, which started in the 1999 season, including a 3-1-1 mark in games contested on the Aztecs home field.
A trip down Mission Valley marks the last regular-season, non-conference road game when the Aztecs play at USD on Thursday, Sept. 9. The programs have met 19 times since the series began in 1992 and San Diego State leads 10-8-1 overall. But in games played at USD, San Diego State is 4-7-0 and have lost the last six meetings on the Toreros home field. San Diego was 1-7-1 last year and finished in ninth place in the WCC (1-5-1).
The last game before the start of conference play sees UCLA return to The Mesa in a Sunday, Sept. 19 matchup with the Aztecs. The Bruins were 13-1-3 last season, won the Pac-12 (9-1-1) and reached the quarterfinal match of the NCAA tournament. UCLA owns a 15-1-1 record against San Diego State, which includes an 8-1-1 mark in San Diego. The Bruins have won the last 11 meetings, including the last five on the Aztecs home field.
With non-conference opponents in its rear-view mirror, SDSU will play six of its 11 league contests on the road and will open the slate at Colorado State on Friday, Sept. 24. SDSU has never lost a match to the Rams, posting a 6-0-1 record in the all-time series including a 2-0-1 record in games in Fort Collins. With goals at a premium, the Aztecs have outscored CSU 3-1 in its three meetings on the Rams' home field, including a 0-0 tie on Sept. 23, 2018, the last time SDSU played at Colorado State.
Two days later, on Sunday, Sept. 26, the Aztecs are in Wyoming to play the Cowgirls. SDSU holds a 5-4-2 advantage in games played at Wyoming's Madrid Sports Complex, which includes a 2-3 defeat the last time the teams met in Laramie, on Sept. 27, 2019. After opening the series with a 4-2-1 record in Wyoming, which included a three-game winning streak, in the last four games at Wyoming, San Diego State is 1-2-1.
The team's first homestand starts on Friday, Oct. 1 against Boise State and concludes versus Utah State on Sunday, Oct. 3.
The Aztecs are 3-3-0 at home against the Broncos, and 9-6-0 in the all-time series. In the last four games between the teams which have been contested on the Sports Deck, SDSU is 3-1-0, including last year's 3-1 victory in which first-team All-Mountain West performer Laura Fuentes scored the game winner.
Utah State comes to San Diego for the first time since the 2018 season and has never defeated San Diego State in nine tries. SDSU holds a 7-0-2 record in the all-time series, which includes a 2-0-2 record on the Sports Deck. In the last matchup on The Mesa, on Oct. 5, 2018, the teams tied 2-2. Mia Root and Fuentes had the goals for the Aztecs, both coming on penalty kicks.
The longest stretch of games away from home, four contests, opens on Friday, Oct. 8 at UNLV. Overall the Aztecs are 6-6-1 in games played against the Rebels in Las Vegas, and 1-2-1 in its last four at UNLV, which includes a 2-3 overtime loss there last season.
The road trip continues at Nevada on Sunday, Oct. 10. The Aztecs have never tasted anything but success against the Wolf Pack having a 12-0-0 record in the all-time series, including 5-0-0 in games played in Reno. In last season's meeting at Nevada, Veronica Avalos had a hat trick in a 3-1 victory in the regular-season finale.
The following week the team is in central and northern California for games against Fresno State and San Jose State, respectively. On Thursday, Oct. 14, the Aztecs are in Fresno to take on the Bulldogs, a program which has fallen to the SDSU 14 times in 20 overall meetings. Since the series started in 1995, San Diego State is 14-4-2 against Fresno State, but just 3-4-1 in games in Fresno, which includes last season's 1-2 loss.
Three days later, on Sunday, Oct. 17, the Spartans are the opponent in San Jose. The Aztecs are 14-2-2 against San Jose State, including 5-2-0 in games played at SJSU. San Diego State returns to the field in which it laid a 6-1 hammering on SJSU last season, which included a Rachelle Elve hat trick.
The regular season closes with three straight at the Sports Deck starting with a Friday, Oct. 22 matchup against Air Force. San Diego State has never lost to the Falcons (11-0-1) in San Diego and are 22-1-1 overall in the all-time series. In the six games in San Diego since the start of the 2008 season, the Aztecs have outscored Air Force 22-3 and are 6-0-0.
Colorado College is in America's Finest City on Sunday, Oct. 24. San Diego State is 6-2-3 all-time against the Tigers, which includes a 4-0-3 record in San Diego and a 3-0-2 mark in Mountain West home games. In the last three meetings on The Mesa, SDSU is 2-0-1.
The regular season wraps up as it has for eight of the last nine campaigns, with a game against New Mexico. San Diego State leads the all-time series 13-10-7, including 6-4-1 in games played in San Diego. Last year the Lobos and Aztecs met in the MW title game with New Mexico taking a 3-2 overtime decision.
The Mountain West tournament is scheduled for Nov. 2-6 in Boise, Idaho and the NCAA tournament is set to begin on Friday, Nov. 12 with the championship match scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 5.
San Diego State Women's Soccer
2021 Schedule
| Tuesday, Aug. 10 | ARIZONA | 7 p.m. PT |
| Thursday, Aug. 19 | ARMY WEST POINT | 7 p.m. PT |
| Sunday, Aug. 22 | PEPPERDINE | 7 p.m. PT |
| Thursday, Aug. 26 | at Saint Mary's | 4 p.m. PT |
| Sunday, Aug. 29 | at Stanford | 1 p.m. PT |
| Thursday, Sept. 2 | WASHINGTON STATE | 7 p.m. PT |
| Sunday, Sept. 5 | LONG BEACH STATE | 7 p.m. PT |
| Thursday, Sept. 9 | at San Diego | 7 p.m. PT |
| Sunday, Sept. 19 | UCLA | TBA |
| Friday, Sept. 24 | at Colorado State* | 4 p.m. PT |
| Sunday, Sept. 26 | at Wyoming* | 12 p.m. PT |
| Friday, Oct. 1 | BOISE STATE* | 7 p.m. PT |
| Sunday, Oct. 3 | UTAH STATE* | 12 p.m. PT |
| Friday, Oct. 8 | at UNLV* | 7 p.m. PT |
| Sunday, Oct. 10 | at Nevada* | 12 p.m. PT |
| Thursday, Oct. 14 | at Fresno State* | 7 p.m. PT |
| Sunday, Oct. 17 | at San Jose State* | 12 p.m. PT |
| Friday, Oct. 22 | AIR FORCE* | 7 p.m. PT |
| Sunday, Oct. 24 | COLORADO COLLEGE* | 12 p.m. PT |
| Friday, Oct. 29 | NEW MEXICO* | 7 p.m. PT |
| Nov. 2-6 | MW Championship (Boise, Idaho) |
Home game opponents are listed in all caps
Dates are subject to change without notice
* - denotes Mountain West games