SAN DIEGO - San Diego State women's soccer kicks off conference play this week with two home matches against Colorado State on Thursday evening at 7 p.m. PT, and against Wyoming on Sunday at noon PT.
Ready For Mountain West Conference Slate
- The Aztecs have been historically good against both squads, especially at home. Against Colorado State in the Mike Friesen era, SDSU is 4-0-0 at home and 7-0-1 overall. As for Wyoming, the Aztecs have compiled a 12-0-0 all-time record against the them at home, and are 12-4-1 overall in the Friesen era, and are 9-0-0 at home under Friesen.
- San Diego State has reached eight of the last nine Mountain West Tournament Championship matches, and has advanced to the NCAA Tournament in four of those seasons. 2021 was the only season that the Aztecs did not reach the MW tournament final in those nine seasons.
- SDSU has been widely successful in the Mountain West Conference. Since the Aztecs joined the conference in 1999 San Diego State boasts a .675 winning percentage, and an overall record of 116--50-23. Additionally, under Friesen the Aztecs have a .723 winning percentage and an overall record of 93-31-15.
The Season So Far
- Last time out the Aztecs traveled north to Los Angeles, where they took on the No. 1 ranked UCLA Bruins. San Diego State fell 2-0 in the match, courtesy of a UCLA goal at the end of the first half and the beginning of the second half. Alexa Madueno made eight saves in the SDSU goal that night.
- San Diego State earned their third draw in a row last Friday when they played Saint Mary's to a 2-2 draw on the Sports Deck. In rainy conditions the Aztecs got goals from Deinse Castro and a penalty by Emma Gaines-Ramos to earn a point. The match was the team's third consecutive draw, and is the first time in team history that SDSU has drawn three times in a row.
- The Aztecs earned two hard fought draws on Thursday and Sunday against cross-town foes University of San Diego and UC San Diego. On Thursday, the Aztecs and Toreros squared off, but neither team was able to find the back of the net and the teams finished level at 0-0. Claire Watkins hit the post twice in the draw, while Denise Castro was sent off late in the match and the Aztecs had to play with 10 for the final 20 minutes.
- Against UC San Diego, the Aztecs went down 1-0 at the halftime break. But goals from Logan Nidy and a penalty from Kiera Utush 44 seconds apart gave the Aztecs a 2-1 lead in the 58th minute. However, the Tritons would equalize in the 89th minute to earn the 2-2 draw.
- The Aztecs also drew at Long Beach State on Aug. 25, 2-2. With the Aztecs down 2-0 in the 82nd minute, Castro and Trinity Coker got San Diego State level in the final minutes as the Aztecs stole a draw on the road. Coker's game-tying goal was the first of her career. The Aztecs would then travel to No. 14 Pepperdine on Aug. 28 and fell 4-0 in Malibu, Calif.
- In the season opener the Aztecs traveled to Nebraska to take on the Cornhuskers. The Aztecs would come out of the match with a win in dramatic fashion, as Castro earned the Aztecs the win 2-1, in the 90th minute. Off a cross from Lauren Dicus, Castro headed the ball into the back of the net, earning her first game-winner of the season. She also scored the Aztecs first goal of the match in the 28th minute, and finished the night with a brace for the second time in her career.
- As for the match against Idaho, the Aztecs initially trailed 1-0, before marching to a 7-2 win on the Sports Deck. The Aztecs scored five goals in the span of 23 minutes during the first half. Gaines-Ramos scored two goals, including the first penalty of the season. Six Aztecs got on the score sheet, including freshman Logan Nidy and sophomore Olivia Sekimoto who scored their first career goals.
Draws on the Deck
- San Diego State have drawn four matches so far out of their eight matches played this season. They also had a three-match draw streak, having drawn at home against the University of San Diego 0-0, UC San Diego 2-2, and most recently Saint Mary's, 2-2. It was the first time in program history that the Aztecs have earned three ties in a row.
At The Peak
- Denise Castro (San Ysidro, Calif.) entered 2022 as the Aztecs top returning goal-scorer from the 2021 season when she bagged eight goals. The sophomore sensation has started the 2022 campaign on a tear, scoring five goals in six matches, including the game-winner over Nebraska to open the season. That goal came in the 90th minute with 28 seconds remaining in the match, and gave the Aztecs a 2-1 win to start the season. She also scored the game-winner in the Aztecs 7-2 win over Idaho on August 28.
- Entering this week's matches, Castro is tied for 27th in the nation in points per-game averaging 1.71 per contest, and is tied for 38th in goals per game at an average of 0.71 goals per game. Castro is also tied for 37th in the nation in game-winning goals with two.
Shot Stopper
- Junior keeper Alexa Madueno has moved into the top-10 all-time in career saves this season. Madueno has played in 35 matches and stopped 167 shots in her career, including 50 so far this season, putting her seventh all-time in career saves.
Sharing The Wealth
- San Diego State scored a total of nine goals in the first two weeks of the season, including putting seven past Idaho on August 28.
- Those seven goals scored against Idaho were the most the Aztecs had scored in a match since the 2008 season when the Aztecs beat the Air Force
Academy 7-0.
- The Aztecs have a total of 11 assists through seven matches this season, and nine different players have assisted on those goals.
- Denise Castro and Emma Gaines-Ramos have two assists, Trinity Coker, Lauren Dicus, Rachelle Elve, Olivia Sekimoto, Grace Goins, Hope Paredes and Kiera Utush have one.
-SDSU-
Aztecs Continue Conference Play Against Wyoming
