SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State men’s soccer team will play at UC Irvine in a non-conference meeting Wednesday at 6 p.m. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.
Aztec Tidbits
- The Aztecs are coming off a 1-0 win over Gonzaga Saturday evening.
- It was their first win this season when being outshot by their opponent.
- SDSU is tied for third in the Pac-12 with five points and a 1-0-2 record.
- The Aztecs have scored in the 13th minute or sooner in all three of their Pac-12 matches. SDSU has scored first in nine matches and only lost one of those (3-1-5).
- SDSU has a 1.00 goals allowed average in conference play, tied for the best in the Pac-12.
- The Aztecs are one of three Pac-12 teams that are undefeated (Oregon State and UC San Diego). The top four teams make the Pac-12 tournament.
- SDSU earned a 2-2 draw at No. 21 Oregon State in their Pac-12 opener. The Beavers are No. 12 in the latest RPI rankings.
- It was their first result against a ranked team since tying No. 6 Stanford Oct. 1, 2023 and their first result on the road since Sept. 18 at No. 2 Stanford (0-0).
- SDSU is second in the Pac-12 in assists (24) and points (66).
- The Aztecs are also second in the conference in saves per match (3.86).
- Since the beginning of the 2024 season, SDSU is 18-3-7 (.768) when scoring first and 19-6-8 (.697) when tied or leading at the half.
- 10 different Aztecs have scored and five players have at least two goals. 10 different players have also recorded an assist.
- The Aztecs have a program record 20 newcomers in 2026 (12 transfers and eight freshmen).
- 24 of the 27 eligible Aztecs have started this year and 20 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 is 21-8-5 (.691) in non-conference home matches under Ryan Hopkins (7th season), which includes a 21-7-2 (.733) mark on the SDSU Sports Deck.
- 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 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
- Jaxson Hutcheon (Laguna Beach, Calif.) has recorded a point in all three of SDSU’s Pac-12 matches (2 goals and one assist). He is fourth in the Pac-12 in points (5) in conference play.
- Hutcheon is second on the team with 11 points (4 goals and 3 assists) and leads the team in shots on goal (13) and shot on goal percentage (54.2%).
- Nik Orth (Cologne, Germany) is tied for fifth in the Pac-12 in goals (5) and points (12).
- Goalkeeper Nic Diana (Grayslake, Ill.) had a season-high seven games vs. Gonzaga Saturday.
- Diana’s 82.4% save percentage in conference play leads the Pac-12.
- On the year, Diana is first in the conference in total saves (46) and saves per game (3.83).
- Gio Aguirre (San Marcos, Calif.) leads the team with four assists.
- 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).
- Hutcheon, Max Mair (Dana Point, Calif.) Yahir Ocampo-Navarro (Aloha, Ore.) and Kian McCusker (Birmingham, England) each have three assists on the year, tied for the second most on the team.
- It’s the first time since 2023 five Aztecs have three or more assists.
- Freshman Dylan Mair (Dana Point, Calif.) scored his first career goal at Santa Clara Sept. 20, finishing an assist from his older brother Max.
- Six Aztec field players average at least 70 minutes per match: Luke Fischer (88), Avery Huggins (81), Mattia Boldrini (77), Dylan Presto (75), Jonah Kawamura (73), and Carson Ballagh (73).
- 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 Irvine)
The Anteaters are 6-5-2 on the year and 2-1-1 in Big West play… They are 3-4-1 at home… They are 2-0-1 in their last three matches… They are second in the Big West in points, goals and assists… Gage Lyons leads the team in points (13) and goals (5)… Goalkeeper Scott Williams has a 0.750 goals allowed average, second best in the Big West… Head coach Yossi Raz (9th season) has led UC Irvine to three NCAA Tournaments, including last year… SDSU is 13-8-5 all-time vs. UCI… They last met in 2024, a 2-0 UC Irvine win.
Coach Hopkins Take
“Irvine is always a difficult matchup especially when they can employ their death by 1,000 passes system. We will have to be brave and willing to disrupt their flow and capitalize on their mistakes.”