SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State men’s soccer team returns to the SDSU Sports Deck for two more regular season matches, beginning with a Friday meeting with Utah Valley. The match begins at 7 p.m.
Aztec Tidbits
- The Aztecs are undefeated in the WAC in first place with 19 points and a 6-0-1 record.
- SDSU can clinch a share of the WAC regular championship win a win Friday.
- This would be the Aztecs’ first conference championship in program history.
- Last week, SDSU earned a 0-0 draw at UTRGV and then won 1-0 at Grand Canyon.
- This was the Aztecs’ third straight shutout and fifth in their seven WAC matches.
- SDSU has clinched a top two seed and a first round bye in the WAC Tournament.
- The Aztecs’ nine wins are their most since the 2016 season. With a win Friday, it would equal their most wins since 2011 (also 10)
- This is the first time in program history that the Aztecs have gone unbeaten in their first seven conference matches. All seven of their WAC matches have been a draw or decided by one goal.
- SDSU is No. 45 in the RPI rankings, 14 spots ahead of the next closest WAC team (Seattle).
- In conference play, SDSU leads the WAC in goals allowed average (0.29) and shutout percentage (0.71).
- SDSU has gone undefeated in five straight road matches (4-0-1) for the first time since 1989.
- The Aztecs are undefeated when scoring first (8-0-2) and undefeated when tied or leading at the half (8-0-3).
- SDSU is No. 2 in the United Soccer Coaches Far West Region poll.
- The Aztecs gave Seattle their first conference loss since the 2022 season on Oct. 17.
- SDSU has won seven matches in a row that were decided by one goal.
- 12 of the Aztecs’ 16 matches have been a draw or been decided by one goal (8-1-3).
- SDSU is 23-11-5 at home since the beginning of the 2021 season.
- 13 different Aztecs have recorded a point this season and 10 have at least two points.
- The Aztecs will be competing in the WAC as an affiliate member this year following the demise of the Pac-12. SDSU, who played in the Pac-12 for the past 19 years, played in the WAC from 1996-98. The WAC has sent multiple
- SDSU’s match vs UC Davis on Sept. 21 at Snapdragon Stadium set a program record for attendance with 3,802 fans. All three of SDSU’s games at Snapdragon Stadium have resulted in new school records for attendance.
- The Aztecs ended non-conference play with a 3-4-2 record, their first time having a losing record in non-conference play since 2013. SDSU had gone undefeated in their non-conference slate in two of the previous three years.
- SDSU’s adjusted non-conference RPI is No. 15 in the nation. Four of their non-conference opponents have a RPI rank in the top 26.
- San Diego State has lost just four non-conference matches over their last 23 chances (14-4-5) and is 18-2-2 in non-conference home matches under head coach Ryan Hopkins (5th season).
Player Notes
- Djibril Doumbia was named the WAC Offensive Goalkeeper of the Week after posting shutouts at UTRGV and Grand Canyon last week.
- In conference play, Doumbia leads the WAC in goals against average (0.29), shutout percentage (0.71) and save percentage (.900).
- This was the fourth time an Aztec has won a WAC weekly award: Doumbia, Robbie Matei (Offensive, twice) and Beto Apolinar (Defensive, once).
- Center back André Puente was named to Top Drawer Soccer’s National Team of the Week. He played all 180 minutes in SDSU’s two shutouts last week and scored the game-winner at Grand Canyon.
- Before the season, Puente was named a “Defender to Watch” by the United Soccer Coaches, one of 16 players to be highlighted. Puente has been an All-NEC First Team selection each of the past three seasons at Long Island and made the All-Northeast Region Team the past two years.
- Terence Okoeguale leads the team with 15 points (5 goals and 5 assists). His five assists are tied for the third most in the WAC.
- Robbie Matei leads the Aztecs with six goals and four of them have been game-winners.
- Matei’s four game-winning goals are the second most in the nation.
- Matei, Terence Okoeguale and Austin Brummett all have at least five goals. It’s the first time since 2012 that three Aztecs have had at least five goals.
- All three are in the top nine in the WAC in goals and points.
- Brummett’s 12 points are third on the team.
- Brummett’s 12 goals over the last two seasons are tied for the most by an Aztec over a two-year span since Jeroen Meefout across the 2015 and 2016 seasons.
- Brumett is second in the WAC in shot accuracy (53%) and fourth in shots on goal per game (1.1).
- Redshirt sophomore defender Reid Fisher was named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and a Freshman All-American (College Soccer News) last season.
- Both Puente and Fisher were named top 100 players in the nation by Top Drawer Soccer in the preseason.
- Fisher was tabbed the WAC Preseason Defender of the Year by the league’s coaches.}
- Rommee Jaridly, a Pac-12 honorable mention selection a year ago, is second on the team lead with four assists. Last year he was second on the team with 13 points (4 goals and 5 assists).
- Three players have started every match for SDSU: Brummett, Fisher and Jaridly.
- Fisher is the only Aztec to play every minute this season.
- Five other Aztecs average at least 75 minutes per match. Beto Apolinar, Tristan Viviani, Jaridly, Israel Carrillo and Brummett.
- Beto Apolinar, the team captain, is second on the team in minutes played (86 per match).
- SDSU has 10 players in their fourth, fifth or sixth year of college.
Opponent Notebook (Utah Valley)
The Wolverines are 7-5-4 and 2-3-2 in the WAC… They are tied for sixth in the WAC with eight points… They are one of three teams in the WAC with a winning record… Last week they won at Air Force 2-0… They’ve outscored their opponents 24-19… Omar Yehya leads the WAC in points (25) and goals (11)… Goalkeeper Ben Williams has a goals allowed average of 1.19… Head coach Kyle Beckerman (4th season) earned 58 caps with the U.S. National Team… The Aztecs lost their only previous meeting with Utah Valley, a 2-1 loss at home in 2017.