SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State men’s soccer team plays at No. 24 Oregon State in the Pac-12 Championship match Saturday at 6 p.m. SDSU earned a 2-2 draw at Oregon State in the Pac-12 opener Sept. 30.
Aztec Tidbits
- If the Aztecs win, they will be making their 10th appearance all-time in the NCAA Tournament, and first since 2016.
- SDSU came back to beat the No. 2 seed California Baptist 2-1 in the semifinals last Saturday, scoring two second half goals in a two-minute span to erase a 1-0 deficit.
- Prior to that match, CBU was 12-0-0 on the year when scoring first.
- Entering the match, the Aztecs were 0-5-4 on the road, 0-6-2 when their opponent scored first and 0-7-3 when trailing in a match.
- SDSU finished unbeaten in the Pac-12 (1-0-5), one of 11 teams in the nation to go undefeated in conference play.
- The Aztecs have gone undefeated in conference play in two of the past three years (7-0-1 in the WAC in 2024).
- SDSU is unbeaten in their last five matches and lost just once in their last eight matches.
- Across the last three years, the Aztecs have lost just two of their 21 conference matches.
- The Aztecs have nine ties, which appropriately ties the NCAA all-time record (done by six teams).
- SDSU led the Pac-12 in goals allowed average (1.00) in conference play.
- The Aztecs earned a draw against all three other teams that made the Pac-12 tournament (Oregon State, California Baptist and UC Riverside).
- SDSU tied CBU 0-0 in their first meeting, snapping the Lancers streak of 32 matches without being shutout.
- SDSU’s 2-2 draw at No. 21 Oregon State in their Pac-12 opener, was the Aztecs’ first result against a ranked team since tying No. 6 Stanford Oct. 1, 2023 and their first result on the road since Sept. 18, 2022 at No. 2 Stanford (0-0). The
- In seven of their nine ties, SDSU had less shots on goal than their opponent.
- Since the beginning of the 2024 season, SDSU is 18-3-9 (.750) when scoring first and 19-6-11 (.681) when tied or leading at the half.
- 11 different Aztecs have scored and six players have at least two goals. 15 different players have also recorded an assist.
- Four Aztecs have at least 10 points (Orth, Hutcheon, M. Mair and Aguirre). It’s just the second time since 2012 that four or more Aztecs have 10 points or more (also 2023).
- The Aztecs have a program record 20 newcomers in 2026 (12 transfers and eight freshmen).
- 25 of the 27 eligible Aztecs have started this year and 21 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 21-8-6 (.686) in non-conference home matches under Ryan Hopkins (7th season), which includes a 21-7-3 (.726) 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.
- 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.) scored SDSU’s first goal in the semifinal match and leads the team in points (15) and goals (6).
- Starting center back Luke Fischer (Highland Ranch, Colo.) scored the game-winning goal at CBU last Saturday. It was his first career goal and came against his former school.
- Max Mair (Dana Point, Calif.) has scored three goals in SDSU’s last four matches. His 11 points on the year are third on the team (four goals & three assists).
- Goalkeeper Nic Diana (Grayslake, Ill.) led the Pac-12 in goals allowed average (1.00) and save percentage (76.9%) in conference play.
- Gio Aguirre (San Marcos, Calif.) was named one of the top 100 freshmen in the county by Top Drawer Soccer.
- Aguirre has 10 points on the year, and his four assists are tied for the team lead.
- 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).
- Nik Orth (Cologne, Germany) is second on the team in goals (5) and points (12).
- Yahir Ocampo-Navarro (Aloha, Ore.) is tied for the team lead with four assists.
- It’s the first time since 2023 that five Aztecs have three or more assists.
- Six Aztec field players average at least 70 minutes per match: Luke Fischer (88), Avery Huggins (82), Mattia Boldrini (80), Dylan Presto (76), Carson Ballagh (76) and Jonah Kawamura (72).
- Ballagh, Kawamura and Trujillo Lizárraga were named to the Pac-12 Preseason Impact List. That trio are the team captains this year.
- 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 (Oregon State)
The Beavers are 10-4-4 on the year and won the Pac-12 regular season championship with a 4-1-1 record… They are ranked No. 24 in the latest United Soccer Coaches poll and ranked No. 28 in the RPI rankings… Their lone conference loss was to Cal Poly… They are 6-1-1 at home… They are top 10 in the nation in goals, assists and points… They have scored three or more goals in 10 matches… Wyatt Borso is third in the nation with 15 goals… Goalkeeper John Nicolson has a goals allowed average of 1.34… Head coach Jarred Brookins is in his second season as OSU’s head coach and has won 10 matches in each of his first two seasons … The Aztecs are 12-26-6 all-time vs. OSU. In their 2-2 draw earlier this season, SDSU scored in the opening minute and then fell behind 2-1 before coming back to tie it in the 57th minute.
Coach Hopkins Take
“What an amazing opportunity to play for a championship. It shows the growth of the program that we can compete for championships because of our grit and ability to never stop believing. Oregon State is a formidable opponent that can tie you in knots sometimes with their ability to possess the ball. I know our guys are up for the challenge and I’m excited to see them compete Saturday.”