SAN DIEGO – Facing its third team that is either ranked or receiving votes in the national poll, the San Diego State women's soccer team hosts Long Beach State on Sunday evening on the SDSU Sports Deck. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. PT.
NEXT UP
San Diego State (1-4-0) vs. Long Beach State (2-2-0)
Sunday, Sept. 5 | 7 p.m. (PT) | SDSU Sports Deck | San Diego, Calif.
Mountain West Network: https://bit.ly/2WLD3bu
Live Stats: https://bit.ly/3jGhykH
AZTEC NOTES
The series against Long Beach State began in 1999, with the last meeting coming in 2018. The Aztecs and the Beach have played ten times with SDSU owning a slim 5-4-1 advantage in the all-time series, including a 3-1-1 mark in San Diego. The Beach is currently in the midst of a four-game unbeaten streak in the series (3-0-1). They have held the Aztecs scoreless in each of the last three matchups, including the last meeting on the Sports Deck (2-0 on August 27, 2017).
Alexa Madueno (So., GK, Woodland, Calif.) leads the nation in saves (41) and ranks No. 8 in saves per game (8.20). In addition, she is No. 35 in goalkeeper minutes played (450:00) and No. 89 in shutouts (1). She leads the Mountain West in each of those categories, with the exception of shutouts in which she ranks No. 3.
Through five matches this season, Alexa Madueno (So., GK, Woodland, Calif.) has recorded 41 saves, blowing past her total of 35 saves in 11 contests last season. She is averaging 8.2 saves per game so far. If you extrapolate that out to the team's 19 regular-season games, Madueno would total 156 saves, 50 more than the program's current single season record of 106 which was set by Aubree Southwick in the 2007 season.
Laura Fuentes (Sr., MF, Newark, Calif.) has become the Aztecs iron lady, starting in all 55 games of her college career. Three other Aztecs Emma Gaines-Ramos (So., F, San Diego, Calif.), Alexa Madueno (So., GK, Woodland, Calif.) and Claire Watkins (Jr., D, San Diego, Calif.) are tied for the second-longest active consecutive start streak with 16. The 16 straight starting assignments for the trio cover their entire Aztec careers.
Entering this week's games, the Aztecs eight non-conference opponents owned a 20-5-2 record (.777), four of the eight are currently ranked or receiving votes in the national poll, and every one of the eight opponents has a .500 or better record.
OPPONENT NOTEBOOK
Long Beach State
The Beach are 2-2-0 after a 1-2 defeat at San Diego on Thursday night... Long Beach State was predicted to finish in first place in the Big West Conference preseason poll and in its last campaign, in 2019, was 4-12-1 including 2-5-1 in league action... Long Beach State has five players with a goal each... Lena Silano leads the team with 13 shots, two assists, has put six on frame and has a goal... Defender Kaitlin Fregulia was picked as the side's lone member of the Big West preseason all-conference team... Of the ten players who started double figure games for the Beach in 2019, they return four in 2021, bringing back 87.5 percent of the goal scoring (14-of-16 total goals) and 46.6 percent of its assists (7-of-15 total assists) from the 2019 campaign... In her first season of collegiate competition, keeper Morgan Houston-Shepherd has a 2-2-0 record, a 1.00 GAA, and .810 save percentage, and leads the team in minutes in goal (360:00) ... The Beach are coached by Mauricio Ingrassia, who is in his 18th season at the helm of the program and brings a career-record of 171-114-40 into the season and has a 4-1-1 record against San Diego State.
-SDSU-
Aztecs Face Long Beach State On Sunday
