| SDSU Men’s Soccer Looks for Third Straight Trip to NCAA Tournament |
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| Written by Soccer Dispatch | |
| Tuesday, 28 August 2007 | |
 The San Diego State men’s soccer team starts its quest for a third consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament when it begins the season at No. 21 Creighton on Aug. 31. The Aztecs will then open their home portion of the schedule with a match against UC Riverside on Labor Day (Sept. 3) at 4 p.m.* San Diego State returns eight starters and 18 letterwinners from the 2006 squad that went 9-6-4 overall and advanced to its second NCAA tournament in a row. The Aztecs finished their second season of Pac-10 play with a 5-2-3 league record, good enough for second in the conference. SDSU was one of four Pac-10 teams to play in the NCAA tournament.
* SDSU is picked to finish fifth in the six-team Pac-10 Conference. The Aztecs picked up nine points, four behind fourth-place Stanford (13 points). UCLA, the 2006 NCAA runner-ups, received 23 points, including three first-place votes, to lead the preseason poll for the sixth consecutive year. The Bruins were followed by Washington (two first-place votes) and California (one first-place vote), who each tied for second with 20 points. The Cardinal (13), the Aztecs (9) and Oregon State (5) rounded out the conference.
* SDSU is ranked or receiving votes in three national polls. The Aztecs are ranked No. 21 by Top Drawer Soccer, No. 25 by College Soccer News and receiving votes from NSCAA/adidas.
* The Aztecs have already received numerous preseason accolades from various publications. Sophomore defender Nick Cardenas heads the list as he was named a College Soccer News Third-Team Preseason All-American. In addition, the publication tabbed head coach Lev Kirshner’s recruiting class as the 19th-best in the nation. Top Drawer Soccer selected defenders Gemechu Abraham and Kellen Frye as 100 Freshmen to Keep an Eye On From Coast to Coast.
* San Diego State is opening up the season on the road for just the third time in head coach Lev Kirshner’s eight-year tenure. SDSU is 1-0-1 in road openers and 3-2-0 in home openers under Kirshner. The Aztecs are 29-8-2 (.769) all-time in season-opening matches.
* SDSU and UC Riverside are meeting for the seventh consecutive season, the Aztecs’ longest such streak. San Diego State is 3-2-1 in the six previous matches.
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