SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State men’s soccer team plays at No. 25 UC Santa Barbara Thursday at 7 p.m. The match will kick off at 7 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.
Aztec Tidbits
- This is the second of three straight road matches for the Aztecs after having five of their first six matches at home.
- SDSU went 1-1-0 last weekend, earning a win over Sacramento State Friday before falling 2-1 at No. 9 San Diego on Sunday.
- Prior to Sunday's loss, the Aztecs had a five match unbeaten streak.
- The Aztecs are top 25 in the nation in five offensive statistical categories, including being in the top 20 in points, assists and goals.
- SDSU is 8-3-3 in their last 14 road matches.
- Sunday match at No. 9 San Diego was the first time SDSU trailed at the half. Since the beginning of the 2024 season, SDSU is 17-2-5 (.813) when scoring first and 18-4-7 (.741) when tied or leading at the half.
- The Aztecs have only trailed for 134:27 out of 630:00 minutes (21.3%).
- SDSU has scored a goal in the 85th minute or later in three of their last four matches.
- The Aztecs are 22nd in the nation with a shot accuracy of 51.1% and their top four shot takers all are above 50%.
- Eight different Aztecs have scored and four players have at least two goals.
- The Aztecs are 29-18-8 at home since the beginning of the 2021 season.
- SDSU lost just 12 non-conference matches over their last 40 chances (20-12-8) and are 21-7-5 (.712) in non-conference home matches under Ryan Hopkins (7th season), which includes a 21-6-2 (.759) mark on the SDSU Sports Deck.
- SDSU has had a winning record in non-conference play in 10 of the past 12 seasons.
- The Aztecs have 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) has scored five goals in the last five matches.
- Orth leads the Pac-12 in goals (5) and points (11).
- Jaxson Hutcheon (Laguna Beach, Calif.) is second in the Pac-12 in shot accuracy (64%).
- Goalkeeper Nic Diana (Grayslake, Ill.) is first in the Pac-12 in saves per game (3.83).
- 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).
- Five Aztec field players are averaging at least 75 minutes per match: Mattia Boldrini, Luke Fischer, Avery Huggins, Carson Ballagh and Jonah Kawamura.
- Ballagh, Kawamura and Oscar Emilio Trujillo Lizárraga were named to the Pac-12 Preseason Impact List. That trio are the 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.
- 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 (UC Santa Barbara)
The Gauchos are 3-1-2 on the year and are 1-0-2 at home… They are ranked No. 25 in the latest United Soccer Coaches Poll… They have played three ranked teams this year, going 0-1-2… They are allowing just 0.83 goals per match… Steinar Bjornsson leads the team with eight points… Goalkeeper Owen Beninga has three shutouts… Head coach Tim Vom Steeg (27th season) has over 300 career wins and led UCSB to two national title games and won it all in 2006… The Aztecs are 19-13-3 all-time vs. UCSB. This will be their first meeting since 2017, a 3-1 Aztec win…
Coach Hopkins’ Take
“We are excited for another big opportunity against another top 25 program on the road in a great environment. The lessons we’ve learned from our previous games will help us be focused and disciplined for the full 90 minutes.”