SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State men’s soccer team hosts Sacramento State Friday at 7 pm. on the SDSU Sports Deck. The match will be streamed on the Pac-12’s YouTube channel. The Aztecs then head across town to play at No. 9 San Diego Sunday at 5 p.m.
Aztec Tidbits
- SDSU is coming off a 2-2 draw vs. Cal State Bakersfield last Saturday.
- Jaxson Hutcheon scored in the third minute and then Nik Orth scored the equalizer on a penalty kick in the 89th minute to secure the tie.
- It was the second straight match the Aztecs have earned a draw despite being outshot. It was also the second straight game SDSU has scored in the 85th minute or later.
- The Aztecs are top 25 in the nation in eight offensive statistical categories, including seventh in shot accuracy (59.7%) and 23rd in goals per match (2.75).
- The Aztecs haven’t trailed at halftime in any of their five matches and have only trailed for 60:54 out of 450:00 minutes (13.5%).
- SDSU is 28-18-8 at home since the beginning of the 2021 season.
- The Aztecs have lost just 11 non-conference matches over their last 38 chances (19-11-8) and are 20-7-5 (.703) in non-conference home matches under Ryan Hopkins (7th season), which includes a 20-6-2 (.750) mark on the SDSU Sports Deck.
- SDSU has had a winning record in non-conference play in 10 of the past 12 seasons.
- Since the beginning of the 2024 season, SDSU is 16-2-5 (.804) when scoring first and 17-4-7 (.732) when tied or leading at the half.
- The Aztecs are 8-2-3 in their last 13 road matches.
- SDSU has a program record 20 newcomers in 2026 (12 transfers and eight freshmen).
- 17 different Aztecs have started and 13 of them were making their first ever start for SDSU.
- Due to graduation, transfers and injuries, the Aztecs return just 17.8% of their minutes played from last season’s team. This is the fifth fewest in the nation based on a poll conducted amongst DI men’s soccer sports information directors.
- SDSU’s 2026 roster has zero players who scored a goal for SDSU last season and just two players who recorded an assist (Carson Ballagh and Dylan Presto).
- SDSU announced the hiring of Carlos Aguilar, who served as the Aztecs’ assistant from 2020-24 before spending last season at LMU.
- SDSU returns to the Pac-12 in 2026, the league they played in from 2005-2023, after spending the last two years in the WAC as an affiliate member.
- The Pac-12 and The Big West jointly announced a collaborative men’s soccer partnership designed to strengthen and sustain Division I men’s soccer opportunities across the western United States. As part of this strategic partnership, California Baptist, Cal Poly, UC Riverside, and UC San Diego will compete as affiliate members in Pac-12 men’s soccer beginning with the 2026 season.
- The Aztecs were picked to finish third in the Pac-12 Preseason Coaches Poll.
- SDSU lost just two regular season matches in the WAC in their two years (10-2-3) and won the 2024 regular season championship.
Player Notes
- Nik Orth (Cologne, Germany) was named the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week after scoring a goal and dishing out an assist in SDSU’s 2-2 draw vs. Cal State Bakersfield last Saturday.
- Orth has scored four goals in the last three matches, the first four goals of his career. His last two goals came in the 85th minute or later.
- Orth leads the Pac-12 in goals and points (9).
- Jaxson Hutcheon (Laguna Beach, Calif.) is sixth in the nation in shot accuracy (75%) and 22nd in shots on goal per match (1.80). Both are the second best in the Pac-12.
- Freshmen Kian McCusker (Birmingham, England) and Gio Aguirre (San Marcos, Calif.) each have three assists on the year, tied for the most in the Pac-12.
- Aguirre scored both of SDSU’s goals vs. Navy Aug. 23 to become the first Aztec freshman to score two goals in a match since 2022 (CJ Fodrey).
- Carson Ballagh, Jonah Kawamura and Oscar Emilio Trujillo Lizárraga were named to the Pac-12 Preseason Impact List. That trio will serve as team captains this year.
- Ballagh (Lake Orion, Mich.) tied for the team lead with four assists last year. He had five the previous season while at Oakland University.
- Kawamura (Honolulu, Hawai’i) came to The Mesa last year but missed the entire season with an injury. He was a three-year starter and captain at UC San Diego and led the Tritons in minutes twice.
- Trujillo Lizárraga is a San Diego native who played at West Virginia last year and at UC Riverside in 2024. He helped the Mountaineers make the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season and was named to the Big West All-Freshman Team the year prior. He was named a “Player to Watch” in the Pac-12 by Top Drawer Soccer.
- Goalkeeper Nic Diana (Grayslake, Ill.) finished first in the Horizon League in total saves (75) and saves per game (4.17) while at the UW Milwaukee last season.
- Mattia Boldrini (Florence, Italy) was named to the NEC Conference Top 11 Rookie of the Year Team as a freshman at Le Moyne College last season. He scored the game-winner in SDSU’s preseason friendly vs. Point Loma last Saturday.
- Cedric Ngounou (Mississauga, Ontario) was named a Canadian “Player to Watch” by Canada’s Rising Ballers. He won League 1 Defender of the Year while playing for Borough FC in the Ontario Premier League last season.
- Yahir Ocampo Navarro was named a United Soccer Coaches DII First Team All-American and the GNAC Player of the Year while at Western Oregon last year. He tallied 53 points (18 goals and 17 assists) in three years at WOU.
- Trevor Wilson (Kirkland Wash.) and Dylan Presto (Los Angeles) are the only Aztecs who have been in the program three or more years.
Opponent Notebook (Sacramento State)
The Hornets are 1-4-0 on the year... They began the season with a 3-1 win over UC Davis and then lost their next four matches (all by one goal)… They went 2-12-4 last year… Zac Giles leads the team with five points (1 goal & 3 assists)… Goalkeeper Lucas Bost has a goals allowed average of 1.40 and a save percentage of 75.0%... Head coach Matt McDougall is the Hornets’ interim head coach and is in his 21st year on the staff… The Aztecs are 5-2-3 all-time against Sacramento State. They last played in 2024, a 1-0 SDSU win.
Coach Hopkins’ Take
“Sac State will be a good test to see if we can give 100 percent commitment to our game plan and principles over 90 minutes.”
Opponent Notebook (San Diego)
The Toreros are 4-1-1… They began the season with a 2-1 win at No. 1 Washington… They are ranked No. 9 in the latest United Soccer Coaches poll… Steven Ramirez leads the team with seven points (three goals and one assist)… Goalkeeper Lucca Adams was the 2025 WCC Goalkeeer of the Year and has a goals allowed average of 1.00 this season… Head coach Brian Quinn (9th season) has led USD to four straight WCC titles and is a three-time WCC Coach of the Year… The Aztecs are 16-9-3 all-time vs. USD.