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UCLA (9-6-1, 3-4-1) at San Diego State (5-8-4, 1-5-3)
Friday, November 11 | 7 p.m. PT | SDSU Sports Deck | San Diego, Calif.
Live Stream: SDSU Stream
Aztec Storylines
- The Aztecs will wrap up the regular season Friday when they host UCLA at 7 p.m.
- SDSU went 0-1-1 last week on their Pacific Northwest road trip, playing Oregon State to a 2-2 draw before falling at No. 1 Washington 3-0.
- The Aztecs' 2-2 draw at Oregon State was their first result in Corvallis since the 2013 season. 2013 was also the last time SDSU earned two results against the Beavers in a season. They beat OSU at home 3-0 last month.
- Prior to Friday's match, the Aztecs will honor five seniors: Blake Bowen, Jacob Castro, Arturo Chavez, Kyle Colonna and Esteban Zepeda.
- That group has combined to appear in 222 matches and make 144 starts. Chavez, Colonna and Zepeda are in their fifth year with the program, while Colonna and Bowen are both four-year starters. Castro, an All-Pac-12 First Team pick last year, and Colonna make up two of the three team captains this year.
- Those seniors have helped SDSU reach No. 13 in the nation last year, go 12-5-1 at the Sports Deck over the last two seasons and post a 10-3-3 record in their last 16 non-conference matches.
- Additionally, that group has earned five results against top 10 teams over the last three years.
- In four of the last five games SDSU has fallen behind and then taken the lead, going 1-1-2 in that stretch.
- The Aztecs have 16 newcomers (12 freshmen and four transfers) and had their 2022 recruiting class tabbed No. 1 in the nation by Top Drawer Soccer. Four of those newcomers have started at least 12 matches for the Aztecs.
- In total, nine different freshmen have made a start this year.
- 20 different Aztecs have made starts this year while 22 Aztecs have made an appearance. SDSU has used 15 different lineup combinations in their 17 matches.
- The Aztecs have trailed at halftime in just 12 out of 44 matches (27.2%) under Coach Hopkins.
Player Notes
- Freshman forward CJ Fodrey (San Diego, Calif.) leads the team in points (16), goals (6), and assists (4).
- His 16 points are the most by an Aztec since 2017 (Jeroen Meefout, 21) and the most by a SDSU freshman since at least 2000.
- Fodrey is tied for third in the Pac-12 in shots per game (2.0) and third for fourth in points (16).
- He was named Top Drawer Soccer's No. 4 Freshmen in the Nation in their top 100 midseason list.
- Iñigo Villaldea (Gijón, Spain) missed seven matches but has collected 13 points in the 10 matches he has played. If he had played enough games to qualify, Villaldea's 1.3 points per game would be third in the Pac-12.
- Villaldea was ranked No. 67 on Top Drawer Soccer's Midseason Top 100 list.
- Goalkeeper Jacob Castro (Spanaway, Wash.), an All-Pac-12 First Team selection last season, was also on Top Drawer Soccer's midseason top 100 list, coming in at No. 89.
- Castro leads the conference in saves (50).
- Blake Bowen (San Clemente, Calif.) is the only Aztec to start all 17 matches. He has a point in three of his last five games and his nine points are third on the team.
- Bowen set career-highs for shots (6) and shots on goal (4) in SDSU's match at UCLA on Oct. 7.
- Tristan Viviani (Redwood City, Calif.) and Noah Crétier (Nice, France) were also named Top 100 freshmen by Top Drawer Soccer. Viviani was No. 30 and Crétier was No. 68.
- Viviani played for the Malta Under-20 Youth National Team in the Slovenia Nations Cup earlier this year. This was his second time playing with Malta (Spring of 2022). He has started 15 of the 16 matches he has appeared in while averaging 80.3 minutes per game.
- Donovan Roux (Davidson, N.C.) is tied with Fodrey for the team-lead with four assists and his eight points are fourth on the team.
- Junior defender Elias Katsaros (Seattle, Wash.) was named the United Soccer Coaches National Player of the Week and the Pac-12 Player of the Week earlier this year after scoring two goals on headers in SDSU's 2-1 win over No. 6 Denver. Additionally, he was also named to both Top Drawer Soccer's and College Soccer News' National Team of the Week as well as being one of Soccer America's "Three Stars of the Week."
- Katsaros became the first Aztec to be named the United Soccer Coaches National Player of the Week since at least 2010 when the organization began tracking the award.
- The captains for the 2022 season are senior defender Kyle Colonna, junior goalkeeper Jacob Castro and junior midfielder Iñigo Villaldea.
Coach Hopkins' Take on UCLA
"It's always a special night when we recognize our seniors that have dedicated so much to the growth of the program. They have invested and put aside their own personal accolades for the betterment of Aztec soccer and we hope we can send them out with a great parting gift, a win over UCLA!"
Opponent Notebook (UCLA)
The Bruins are 9-6-1 on the year and 3-4-1 in the Pac-12 (4th place)… They are receiving votes in the latest United Soccer Coaches poll… They are 3-2-1 on the road… They are 4-2-0 over their last six matches with their only losses coming to No. 1 Washington and No. 5 Stanford… Their goals allowed average of 0.88 is 23rd in the nation… They are a physical team, averaging 9.2 fouls per game, the sixth most in the nation… Goalkeeper Nate Crockford has eight shutouts, which is the sixth most in the nation… Tommy Silva leads the team in points (9) and assists (7)… Head coach Ryan Jorden (4th season) came from Pacific who he led to three straight NCAA Tournaments… The Aztecs are 7-47-15 all-time against UCLA.
Aztecs Host UCLA for Senior Night Friday
