Oct. 30, 2012

Game Notes

Game Week Reset
(4) UNLV or (5) Fresno State vs. (1) San Diego State (17-1-1, 7-0)
MW Championship Semifinals | Friday, Nov. 2 | 7 p.m. PT | SDSU Sports Deck

Aztec Story Lines
- The regular-season Mountain West Conference champion San Diego State women's soccer team begins its quest for a second Mountain West Tournament championship on Friday when it faces the winner of Wednesday's quarterfinal match between fourth-seeded UNLV (11-3-4, 3-1-3 MW) and fifth-seeded Fresno State (4-10-5, 2-3-2 MW). The semifinal matchup is set for 7 p.m. PT at the Aztecs' home pitch, SDSU Sports Deck.

- SDSU is coming off a week where it played just one game, a 1-0 victory over New Mexico at home. Thanks to a goal by sophomore Kelsey Booth, the Aztecs were able to send seniors Megan Allaire, Kim Carcich, Marisa Fraticelli, Sarah Halverson, Tiffany Hurst, Megan Jurado and Rachael McGlinchy off a with a victory on Senior Day.

- For Booth's success, she garnered MW Offensive Player of the Week honors for the first time in her career. With the honor, an Aztec has now been honored 10 out of the 11 weeks this season.

- The Aztecs are now 17-1-1 and 7-0 in MW play, which marks the second-best win percentage (.921) in the NCAA this season. The 17 wins are also the second most in program history, trailing the 19 victories amassed by the 1998 NCAA Tournament squad.

- The sixth Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) of the 2012 women's soccer season was released on Monday and SDSU leads the Mountain West with an RPI of 5. The only other MW teams in the top 100 are UNLV (75) and New Mexico (89).

- San Diego State remained at No. 6 in the most recent National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll. Last week, the Aztecs moved up two spots to No. 11 in the Soccer America rankings and one spot to No. 6 in the Soccer Times poll. Updated rankings for both polls will come out on Tuesday afternoon.

- The Aztecs carry a season-long 11 game unbeaten streak into the MW semifinal game, but more impressive is their current unblemished 10-0-0 mark at SDSU Sports Deck. At home, SDSU has tallied eight shutouts and have allowed just three goals.

- On the season, Jurado leads SDSU with 13 goals and eight assists for a team-high 34 points. The senior has also started all 19 contests and is one of just five Aztecs to do so. In the NCAA rankings, Jurado is tied for third with seven game-winning goals this season. She is also tied for 16th in total points (34), T-20th in total goals (13), 20th in points-per-game (1.79) and T-28 in goals-per-game (0.68). In the Mountain West rankings, meanwhile, Jurado is ranked first in all of the above categories.

- Offensively as a team, the Aztecs lead the Mountain West in shots (116), points (49), goals (16), goals-per-game (2.29), assists (17) and assists per game (2.43) in conference action.

- The San Diego State defense and Rachel Boaz have been just stellar in Mountain West action. The Aztecs have allowed a league-low three goals and are second in the league in goals-against average (0.43) and shutouts (4). For all games, SDSU leads the MW with 10 total shutouts.

- Boaz, individually, finished Mountain West action with a miniscule GAA of 0.47 and two shutouts. Boaz's 0.54 GAA for all games ranks first in the MW and 14th nationally, where she is the lone player from the Mountain West in the top 30. Boaz also ranks second in the conference with eight shutouts in 2012.

- Boaz sits atop the league's leaderboard due to, in part, the cohesiveness and steady play of the Aztecs' starting backline of Haley Palmer, Kory Spotts, Carli Johnson and Rachael McGlinchy. Johnson has played 1726 of the total 1745 minutes this season. In the last five games, meanwhile, Spotts (437), McGlinchy (437) and Palmer (408) have all logged consistent minutes.

Aztecs and the MW Championship
San Diego State is 16-11-2 in conference tournament action, which includes both WAC and Mountain West tournaments... In MW tournament games only, the Aztecs are winners of three of their last five... SDSU has won three conference tourney titles overall after capturing the 1995 and 1998 WAC crowns and the 2009 MW Championship... This season marks the second time the Aztecs have been the No. 1 seed, with the last time being 1999 when they made it to the title game... This is the second time the MW tournament has been played on campus, but the third time it has been contested within county lines... The first-ever Championship was held at the ARCO Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif., in 1999, and the top-seeded Aztecs fell to second-seeded BYU, 2-1, in overtime after receiving a quarterfinal bye and defeating Air Force, 3-1, in the semifinals... SDSU hosted its first MW Championship at SDSU Sports Deck in 2010, but were unable to advance to the title game after suffering a setback to BYU in the semifinals.

Opposition Notebook
(4) UNLV
The fourth-seeded Rebels are 11-3-4 and 3-1-3 in the Mountain West... After going 1-1-1 to start MW play, UNLV notched its biggest win of conference play against New Mexico at home... The Rebels enter tournament action coming off a 1-0 win over Fresno State on the road... Jenn Wolfe leads the team in goals with 11, including five game-winners and Macy Jo Harrison is second as she has scored four times this season... Kylie Wassell has started 17 games in goal for UNLV and has compiled a record of 10-3-4, a goals-against average of 0.89 and 58 saves... Kelli McCracken has also seen time in net, seeing action in two games.

(5) Fresno State
The fifth-seeded Bulldogs are 4-10-5 and 2-3-2 in the Mountain West... Fresno State hasn't tabbed a conference win since it opened MW play with consecutive victories over Air Force (Sept. 30) and Wyoming (Oct. 6)... Most recently, the Bulldogs dropped a 1-0 decision on the road to UNLV on Oct. 27... Callie Hancock leads Fresno State offensively with her 12 goals and three assists (27 points), while Morgan Castain has 18 points to her credit (7 g, 4 a)... Riley Fielder has compiled a goals-against average of 1.06 and tallied 106 saves in playing 20 games, including 15 starts.

Aztecs vs. the Opposition
(4) UNLV
San Diego State leads the all-time series with the Rebels by a 10-7 margin, with the most recent meeting being a 2-1 victory at UNLV on Oct. 12 of this year... In games held in San Diego, SDSU is 5-2 against the Rebels.

(5) Fresno State
The Aztecs are 8-2 all-time against the Bulldogs... SDSU's most recent victory came at Fresno State on Oct. 14 by a 3-1 margin... The Aztecs have won all five contests held in San Diego, with their last three being shutout victories.