SAN DIEGO – The Aztec men's soccer team (6-6-5, 0-6-3 Pac-12) closes out their regular season Friday when they host first place No. 21 UCLA (8-3-5, 5-0-4) for senior night at 7 p.m.
Aztec Tidbits
- SDSU will honor their five departing seniors prior to the game: Seth Clark, Alexander Levengood, Henry Smith-Hastie, Reid Sproat and Owen Zaldivar. All five of them are fifth-year seniors that transferred to SDSU with four of them coming to The Mesa as graduate transfers.
- The quintet has combined to play in 341 matches while making 243 starts and were all-league selections eight times. This season, they helped SDSU become the last team in the nation to concede their first goal and rise as high as number 17 in the country.
- Fourth year seniors Jules Anderson, Christiann Engmann and Djibril Doumbia all plan to return to SDSU for a fifth year.
- The Aztecs are top 25 in the nation in shutout percentage (12th, 0.471) and assists per game (21st, 2.18).
- With a win Friday, SDSU will clinch their second winning season in the last two years
- SDSU didn't allow a goal for the first 650 minutes of the season and were the last team in the nation that hadn't conceded a goal.
- SDSU is 18-9-4 at home over the last three years.
- The Aztecs are 6-2-3 at home this year and 6-2-2 on the Sports Deck.
- The Aztecs finished their non-conference schedule undefeated (6-0-2). It's the second time in the last three years the Aztecs have gone undefeated in non-conference play.
- SDSU is undefeated (10-0-3) in their last 13 non-conference matches.
- Under head coach Ryan Hopkins (4th season), the Aztecs are 15-1-1 in non-conference home matches.
- The Aztecs played Stanford, when they were ranked No. 6 in the country, to a 0-0 draw Oct. 1st. This was the second time in the last two years that SDSU has played the Cardinal to a 0-0 draw while Stanford was ranked in the top 10.
- SDSU was the first team to shutout Stanford since Washington did it Oct. 6, 2022, a span of 18 matches. Stanford has been shutout just three times in its last 30 matches with two of those coming against SDSU.
- 16 different Aztecs have started a match this season. Of that group, nine were making their first career start for SDSU.
- 16 of the 18 field players who have appeared in a match this season have recorded a point.
- This is the second time in the last three years that SDSU allowed two goals or less through their first nine matches.
- This is the second time in the last three years that the Aztecs won each of their first six home games.
- The Aztecs have 10 newcomers in 2023 with six transfers and four freshmen. Top Drawer Soccer ranked SDSU as having the 14th best incoming class in the country. SDSU was rated as the best incoming class in the nation a year ago.
- Of the six transfers new to SDSU in 2023, four are fifth-year seniors, one is a fourth-year senior and the other is a junior. In total, the Aztecs have 10 players in their fourth or fifth year of college.
- The Aztecs also have eight players who are true or redshirt freshmen and four of them already have made a start this season.
- SDSU had 15 players playing in the USL League Two over the summer. Nine of them played for clubs that made the playoffs including Christian Engmann, a transfer from Saint Mary's, who won the championship with Ballard FC.
- Following last season five Aztecs signed professional contracts, believed to be the most in program history. CJ Fodrey, the Top Drawer National Freshman of the Year, became the highest selection in the MLS SuperDraft in school history when Austin FC drafted him No. 13 overall. Blake Bowen (Seattle Sounders), Jacob Castro (Seattle Sounders), Kyle Colonna (New Mexico United) and Elias Katsaros (Tacoma Defiance) also moved to the professional ranks.
Player Notes
- Defender Reid Sproat (Auburn, Ind.) was ranked as the 14th best player in the nation by Top Drawer Soccer.
- Sophomore goalkeeper Logan Erb (Houston, Texas) leads the Pac-12 with six shutouts. He is also second in the Pac-12 in save percentage (0.758). Erb was recently named the 89th best player in the nation by Top Drawer Soccer.
- Erb didn't allow a goal for the first 572 minutes to start his college career.
- Alexander Levengood (Richmond, Va.) is third in the Pac-12 with seven assists.
- Levengood's seven assists are the most by an Aztec since Abraham Villon had seven in 2013.
- Levengood, who played at William & Mary for four seasons, has tallied 70 points in his 73 career matches. His 70 points are tied for the 24th most among active players.
- Austin Brummett (Bow, N.H.) is third in the Pac-12 with seven goals and fifth with 17 points. In September, he had a stretch where he recorded a point in six straight matches.
- Rommee Jaridly (Chino Hills, Calif.) is second on the team with 13 points (4 goals and 5 assists). In September, Jairdly had a five-match stretch of recording at least one point.
- Terence Okoeguale (Cologne, Germany) is fourth on the team in points with 10 points. Okoeguale, an Akron transfer, has scored five goals.
- This is the first time since 2012 the Aztecs have four players with at least 10 points: Brummett (17), Jaridly (13), Levengood (11) and Okoeguale (10).
- Jules Anderson (Ocean, N.J.) and Jaridly are tied for second on the team with five assists.
- Seth Clark (Christchurch, New Zealand) has four assists.
- Defender Reid Fisher (Huntington Beach, Calif.) was named the 29th best freshman in the country by Top Drawer Soccer.
- Sproat, Fisher, Noah Crétier (Nice, France) and Beto Apolinar (Los Angeles) are all averaging at least 80 minutes per game.
- Sproat, Fisher and Jaridly have started every match for the Aztecs. Crétier, Apolinar and Clark started all but one match.
- Tristan Viviani (Redwood City, Calif.) and Austin Brummett have won Pac-12 Player of the Week awards this season. This is the first time since 2016, when SDSU last made the NCAA tournament, that they have won two Pac-12 Players of the Week.
- Fifth-year senior midfielder Henry Smith-Hastie (Los Angeles) was tabbed team captain for the 2023 campaign.
Coach Hopkins' Take No. 21 UCLA
"We have everything to play for and nothing to lose. I expect a big performance from the boys to spoil UCLA's season and send our seniors out right."
Opponent Notebook (No. 21 UCLA)
The Bruins are 8-3-5 overall and undefeated in the Pac-12 (5-0-4)… They have clinched at least a share of the Pac-12 title… They are ranked No. 21 in the nation… Their last loss was Sept. 17 at Cal State Fullerton… They lead the Pac-12 in shots on goal per game (6.5) and are second in goals per game (1.9)… Jack Sarkos is second in the Pac-12 in goals (9) and third in points (20)… UCLA has two goalkeepers that have each made eight starts. Sam Joseph started the last match and has a goals allowed of 1.38… Head coach Ryan Jorden (5th season) has taken teams to the postseason in eight of his 14 seasons… The Aztecs are 7-49-15 all-time vs. UCLA. SDSU lost 2-1 at UCLA last month.
Aztecs Host No. 21 UCLA For Senior Night
