The Aztecs will play host to New Mexico in a friendly on Saturday.

Aug. 15, 2012

SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State men's soccer team will play host to sixth-ranked New Mexico in a friendly slated for Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. PT. The lone exhibition will be played at Montezuma Road and admission is free.

The Aztecs return 17 letterwinners and seven starters off a 2011 squad that finished with a 10-6-3 record. The 10-win campaign was SDSU's second straight, an accomplishment not seen on Montezuma Mesa since the 1991 and 1992 seasons.

Of San Diego State's seven returning starters, three are 2011 all-Pac-12 honorees in senior Jose Altamirano, junior Blake Hylen and senior Abraham Villon. Altamirano is the squad's second-leading point returner after recording nine a year ago; the top returning point earner is junior forward Jordan Ongaro (13 points). Hylen, meanwhile, is the returning starter in goal, and Villon, a midfielder, is the top returning assist man after registering four helpers in 2011.

The Lobos are coming off a 2011 campaign in which they finished with a record of 18-0-4, were the top-ranked team in the nation for a part of the season, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament before ending the year ranked eighth in the final NSCAA poll.

After the friendly, SDSU will continue its preseason training in preparation for its season opener on Friday, Aug. 31, when it faces Notre Dame in the first game of The adidas/IU Credit Union Classic in Bloomington, Ind. Game time is set for 5 p.m. ET. The Aztecs will then face No. 12 Indiana on Sunday, Sept. 2, at 2 p.m. ET before returning home.

Following the season-opening road trip, San Diego State will play host to the Courtyard Marriott San Diego Central Soccer Tournament. The Aztecs will welcome Houston Baptist to America's Finest City on Friday, Sept. 7, in the first-ever men's game played under the lights at Montezuma Road. First tap is slated for 7 p.m. PT. The tournament wraps up on Sunday, Sept. 9, when SDSU and Ohio State take the pitch at 1 p.m. PT, before HBU and San Diego clash at 5 p.m. PT. During the home-opening weekend, the program will also honor the 1987 team that advanced to the NCAA title game.