The San Diego State men’s soccer team heads to the state capitalthis weekend to compete in the Mountain Pacific Sports FederationConference Tournament hosted by Sacramento State. After adisappointing 4-13-2 2002 campaign, SDSU rebounded in 2003 to recordthe program’s best winning percentage (.528) since 1992.
However, a sense of frustration resides with the team. After animpressive 6-1-1 start, the Aztecs flame dimmed to a 2-5-2 mark intheir second half effort. The team is far from satisfied, despite its8-7-3 (2-2-2) finish.
“I think we are a little disappointed in the season, which createsa little bit of angst for us to be eager to get to that tournament,”head coach Lev Kirshner said. “We want to show that we are the bestteam in the conference. We’ve got a lot to prove – I think we’re abit pissed off that we didn’t show as well as we should have.”
Senior co-captain Colin Hanke and the rest of the Aztecs are wellaware of the importance of playing as a team. Nine different playersscored a goal this season and five players tallied three or more.
In SDSU’s eight wins, seven different players accounted forgame-winning goals. Sophomore Heath Creager led the team in scoringwith seven goals and 16 points in 2003, and was the only Aztec torecord two or more game winners.
“Every team has great individual players,” Hanke said. “The teamthat wins is going to be the one that fights and battles harder andworks together as a team better. Being a team is what’s going towin.”
Prior to 2003, SDSU had recorded only one come-from-behind victoryover an 84-game stretch. In 2003, the Aztecs tallied game-winninggoals a resilient four times.
Senior forward Kevin Sapanli proved to be a dangerous offensivethreat. Sapanli recorded four goals and 10 of his 11 points in SDSU’slast seven games.
“I feel that I am looked at by some of the players to help theteam earn a better result, and when I don’t, I feel like I’ve let theteam down,” Sapanli said. “I just try to play the best that I can sothe team does well.”
Fourth-seed SDSU will face host fifth-seed Sacramento State underthe lights at 7 p.m. tonight, in the tournament’s second quarterfinalmatch.
The Aztecs fought to a 1-1 draw at Sacramento on Halloween intheir first showdown with their conference foe. SDSU holds a 2-1-3advantage in the two schools’ all-time series.
If the Aztecs are victorious in their battle with the Hornets,they will earn a second opportunity at redemption on at 7 p.m.Friday. If SDSU advances to the second round, it will face first-seedSan Jose State in the semi-final. The Spartans handed the Aztecstheir first conference loss of the season on Nov. 2 in San Jose. SJSUoutscored SDSU 2-0 in the second half to earn a 2-1 victory.
If the Aztecs reach the tournament final, it will most likelysquare off against second-seed New Mexico and have a potential shotat redemption for an uncanny third time. SDSU would emphaticallyembrace the chance to avenge its season-ending 3-2 overtime loss tothe Lobos this past Sunday at the Sports Deck.
