The Lady Aztecs look forward to celebrating a Mountain West Conference Tournament championship this weekend.

College Soccer News: Aztec Women Shine in Final Mountain West Season

There is something to be said for going out with a bang, and San Diego State University (SDSU) women’s soccer is doing just that in their final Mountain West Conference season. The Aztec women are undefeated in the Mountain West and have dominated the field, giving up only three goals in conference play for a 0.43 goals-against average. The team’s only loss on the season came early on against then-No. 3 Stanford (currently ranked No.1). Next season SDSU will move to the Big West Conference, and the women are clearly ready for the challenge.

SDSU (No. 6 nationally, 7-0-0/17-1-1) will now host the Mountain West Conference Championships, which will run through November 4, at the SDSU Sports Deck. It is the second time that the Aztecs have been ranked No. 1 in the conference’s 14-year history. Rivals would be advised to bring their A+ game because the Aztecs are 10-0 overall at the Sports Deck, with an 11-game unbeaten streak.

This domination can also be seen in the 2012 Mountain West Women’s Soccer All-Conference awards, announced on Tuesday, October 30. Not only did the Aztecs capture five of the eleven slots (twelve, with a tie in voting) on the First Team, but Offensive and Defensive Player and Coach of the Year honors as well. Senior forward/midfielder Megan Jurado was named Mountain West Women’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Year, junior defender Haley Palmer received Mountain West Women’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Year honors, and head coach Mike Friesen was named Mountain West Women’s Soccer Coach of the Year.

Jurado, who was also named to the 2011 All-Conference First Team, led the Mountain West in points (13) and goals (5) and tied for first in assists (3). A true team player, the diminutive Jurado started all seven league matches and led the team with 24 shots, eleven of them on frame. Two of her Mountain West goals were game winners.

For the first time ever, the University of San Diego will be hosting the NCAA College Cup to crown the national champion in DI Women’s soccer on          November 30 & December 2, 2012 at Torero Stadium.

Palmer, who earned All-MW selections the previous two years, also started every conference game. While she did not get a Player of the Week nod, her solid, dependable performance placed her at the top of the list over the season. Also earning spots on the All-Conference First Team were senior defender/midfielder Tiffany Hurst, junior midfielder Carli Johnson, and sophomore forward Hannah Keane. Senior defender Rachael McGlinchy was named to the All-Conference Second Team.

“It makes me sleep a little bit better at night knowing that I have some players like that to help win games,” Friesen said in a press conference following the announcement. “The reality of these awards is without their teammates, they're not going to win those awards. They're certainly special players that have had great years. As I look down the list of all the all-conference stuff, I'm just excited to have the team I have.”

“There are so many players on our roster that could really be in that same role, but it's pretty special that (Jurado and Palmer) were recognized,” Friesen continued. “That says a lot about the work they put in and all these awards and even our season is not just about the last three months of the work that's been put in, but years and years of preparation for those players and the team and staff and all those things. It's pretty exciting to have both of those, but we also understand those awards are only possible because of our success on the field as a team.”

Asked about his own honor as Coach of the Year, Friesen said, “It's an honor and again, that's something that's not just me. It's my staff, I can't explain to you how grateful I am to have the staff I have this year. All of them have brought something different and unique.”

The Mountain West Women’s Soccer Championships opened on Halloween with No. 6 (conference) ranked Nevada upsetting No. 3 Boise State 1-0 and No. 4 UNLV defeating No. 5 Fresno State 3-0 in quarterfinal action. On Friday Nevada will take on No. 2 New Mexico at 4:00 p.m., while UNLV will face SDSU at 7:00 p.m. The Aztecs defeated the Rebels 2-1 on October 12 in Las Vegas in their only meeting of the season.

2012 Mountain West Conference Women's Soccer Championship EVENT INFORMATION Session 1: Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2012 - Completed Session 2: Friday, Nov 2, 2012 @ 4:00 pm & 7:00 pm Session 3: Sunday, Nov 4, 2012 @ 1:00 pm All games held at the Sports Deck on the SDSU campus. Tickets are $8 or $5 each for groups of 10 or more Parking is $1 per hour in Parking Structure 5 Single session/day tickets will be available at the event 1 hour prior (CASH ONLY)

While taking the MW regular season title is rewarding, Friesen knows that it is only a step towards the larger goal. He knows full well that a conference championship tournament is a completely different situation, with each team beginning with a relatively clean slate. He explained, “The interesting thing about a conference tournament is that everybody has new life now. So we anticipate that everybody coming here this week is going to bring their absolute best.”

And what is the ultimate goal for the Aztec women? While Friesen and the team are looking only as far as the weekend final, a little matchup called the NCAA Tournament looms on the horizon. This year a trip to the finals would not involve any difficult travel for SDSU, as the final four matchups will be held at Torero Stadium on the nearby University of San Diego on November 30 and December 2.

“The big goal we've had, which is about to be revisited, is to get to at least the Elite Eight,” said Friesen.

Friesen continued, “We'll revisit that next week after we finish this portion of our season and look really where we are. When we started the season, if you looked at our team that was a good goal for us. At this point, with the success we've had in the season, we've got to dream a little bit.”

“There is a long way to go still and a lot of soccer to be played and a lot of things would still have to happen,” Friesen admitted, “and we would have to play exceptionally well because we're going to see some fantastic teams in the NCAA Tournament, but we want to dream. We want to be in a position where we're not limiting ourselves or putting any glass ceilings on ourselves going into that next phase of our season.”

Women’s soccer is definitely on the upswing in America, and San Diego is clearly on the forefront.

With the Aztecs in high gear, the UC San Diego Tritons clinching their eleventh California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) title in 13 years, and the Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL) San Diego SeaLions capturing their division championship over the summer, it seems only fitting that the big dance of women’s soccer will take place in America’s Finest City this year.

2012 SDSU Women's Soccer Roster

SDSU Women's Soccer Coaching Staff

Head Coach: Mike Friesen

Associate Head Coach: Juan Pablo Favero

Assistant Coaches: Chris Lemay, Tammy Lenham

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