SACRAMENTO — The season is rapidly coming to a close and the Sacramento State men's soccer team is in need of points if it is to keep its chances for a Big West Conference Tournament berth alive. The Hornets open the week with a trip down the coast to take on UC Santa Barbara on Wednesday (Oct. 18) at 7 p.m., before hosting UC Irvine on "Senior Day" Saturday (Oct. 21) at 3 p.m. The nine-member Sacramento State senior class will be honored prior to kick-off against the Anteaters at approximately 2:45 p.m.
THIS WEEK…
GAME NOTES: Sacramento State | UC Santa Barbara | UC Irvine
MATCH #16
WHAT: Sacramento State (3-8-4, 0-2-4 Big West) at UC Santa Barbara (8-6-1, 3-2-1 Big West)
WHEN: Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2023
TIME: 7 p.m.
WHERE: Santa Barbara, Calif.
STADIUM: Harder Stadium
WATCH: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: HornetStats.com
MATCH #17
WHAT: UC Irvine (5-6-3, 2-3-1 Big West) at Sacramento State (3-8-4, 0-2-4 Big West)
WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023
TIME: 3 p.m.
WHERE: Sacramento, Calif.
STADIUM: Hornet Soccer Field
WATCH: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: HornetStats.com
TICKETS: HornetSports.com
BE A FOLLOWER...: Fans can keep up with the latest in Sacramento State athletics by following us on Facebook (/SacramentoStateAthletics), Twitter (@HornetSports), and Instagram (@sacstateathletics). You can also follow the Hornets' men's soccer program on Instagram (@sacstatemsoccer) and Twitter (@sacstmsoccer).
WE'LL DO IT LIVE!: Every home match during the 2023 regular season will be streamed live on the ESPN+ subscription platform, with select road contests available on various streaming platforms. Links to watch and for live stats for all matches will be posted, as soon as they are available, on the men's soccer schedule page at HornetSports.com.
SCOUTING UC SANTA BARBARA: The Gauchos enter the week with an 8-6-1 overall record and a 3-2-1 mark in Big West play... The Gauchos are coming off a split week where they fell to CSU Bakersfield (1-0) and defeated rival Cal Poly (1-0) on the road... Each of UCSB's last four matches have been decided by a single goal... The Gauchos are 6-2-1 at home this year, with the loss to the Roadrunners ending a seven-match unbeaten streak at Harder Stadium... Senior Nemo Phillip (11 points) and junior Lucas Gonzalez (10 points), lead the team in goals and assists, respectively... Senior goalkeeper Leroy Zeller has played all but one match between the pipes, posting a 1.79 goals against average and 41 saves.
SERIES NOTABLES: UC Santa Barbara leads the all-time series with Sacramento State by a 17-5-4 count, winning the last three straight after a 2-0 win in Sacramento last year... The last five meetings between the two schools have ended in a shutout for either side... The Gauchos have won the last three meetings by a combined 7-0 score... The Hornets' last win in the series came in 2018 by a 1-0 score at home... Four of Sacramento State's five wins in the series have come at home as the Hornets are just 1-10-3 in Santa Barbara, with the only win coming in the first meeting in the series in 1992 by a 2-0 score in Santa Barbara... The Gauchos are 11-2-3 in Big West matches against Sacramento State.
SCOUTING UC IRVINE: The Anteaters enter the week with a 5-6-3 overall record and a 2-3-1 mark in Big West play, hosting Cal Poly on Wednesday before making the trip to Northern California... UC Irvine split its two matches last weekend, upsetting No. 13 Cal State Fullerton (2-1) before falling to CSUN (1-0)... The Anteaters are 2-2-1 on the road this year, including a 1-1-1 mark in conference play... UCI has scored only 10 goals on the year off the feet and heads of nine different players, with junior Jake Means leading the way with two... Junior goalkeeper Luke Pruter has played every minute in net, posting a 1.07 goals against average (15 allowed) and 33 saves to go with five shutouts.
SERIES NOTABLES: UC Irvine leads the all-time series with Sacramento State by a 12-8-4 count, including winning the last two meetings: a 1-0 victory and a 2-0 win in the Big West Tournament -- both last season and both in Irvine... The Hornets' last win in the series came in 2021 thanks to a 3-2 triumph at home... The series is tied 3-3-3 in matches played in Sacramento, with the Hornets going unbeaten in the last four meetings (2-0-2) on their home field... UC Irvine leads the all-time Big West series, 6-4-2, dating back to 2012.
WHOA "0-0" IT'S MAGIC: Once in a season is rare, twice in four matches is even more unheard of. Sacramento State and Cal Poly battled to a scoreless draw last Wednesday -- the Hornets' second scoreless draw of the season after they and UC San Diego went goal-less back on Sept. 30. The two scoreless draws this season mark the first time since 2013 that has happened as Sacramento State tied-up Saint Mary's and then-No. 12 UC Santa Barbara that year. Overall, it was the 21st scoreless draw in school history according to available records.
READY? DRAW!: Another week, another draw for the Hornets. Since the start of Big West play, Sacramento State has been all tied up in four of its six league contests -- the most in conference play in the program's Big West era (since 2012) and the most in conference play since the 2010 squad finished with a 2-2-6 mark in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. The four draws overall are the most since the 2013 squad finished with the same number and are three shy of the overall record set by that 2010 squad, which finished 11-5-7 overall.
DENIED: In spite of its scoring woes, the Sacramento State defense has been ultra stingy since the start of conference play, allowing just five goals through the first six matches of league play -- a total that ranks tied for third in the conference with UC Irvine and stands behind only CSU Bakersfield and Cal Poly, which have allowed a league-low four goals apiece.
BIG TIME IN THE BIG WEST: A big part of that defensive effort has come on the shoulders of junior goalkeeper Mac Learned, who ranks tied for third among regulars with a 0.83 goals against average, leads the league with a .844 save percentage and 27 overall saves, and stands second with 4.50 saves per game.
HE'S (STILL) NUMBER ONE!: For the fifth consecutive week, Learned reigns atop the NCAA stats in total saves (78) while making a short drop to third nationally in saves per game (5.57) and standing No. 28 in save percentage (.788). In addition to his national standing, Learned's save total is 24 better than the next goalkeeper in the Big West (Cooper Wenzel of CSUN and Carlos Gonzalez of UC Riverside) and leads the league by just over a save per game.
BLOCK IT OUT: Learned is putting together one of the busiest seasons in Sacramento State men's soccer history as his 78 saves this season are the most since James Del Curto finished with 79 in 2016 and are eight shy of moving into a tie for ninth on the school's single-season list along with Ryan Duncan in 1998 and Gary Davis in 1994. With 22 more saves, Learned would become only the sixth Hornet keeper to log 100 for a season and the first since Bryan Oliver had 101 in 2012.
HELP IS ON THE WAY: Only two of the team's 16 goals this season have been unassisted, with four of those 16 scores collecting multiple assists.
AUSTIN AUSTIN AUSTIN! OI OI OI!: Make it four for forward Austin Wehner, who connected on his fourth score of the season to give the Hornets the early lead at CSUN on Oct. 7, tying him for the team lead and ranking him tied for eighth in the Big West entering this week. Add in his four assists on the year and Wehner's 12 points -- which are tied for seventh in the league -- have surpassed his total from all of 2022 (11) and are the most points since teammate Francisco Magana's team-high 12 points last year.
DOUBLE-DIGITS FOR AUS"TEN": After finishing the 2022 campaign with 11 points (four goals and three assists), Wehner is the first Hornet to post back-to-back seasons with at least 10 points since Max Alvarez did so with 15 points in 2011 and 10 more in 2012. For his career in the green and gold, Wehner now has 23 points on eight goals and seven assists -- tying Magana for the most in a career among active Hornets.
PUTTING THE "A" IN ALFARO: Genaro Alfaro's assist on Wehner's score against the Matadors marked his third of the season and put him one back of the team lead. The three assists matches his single-season career high, while his eight career helpers are the most among active Hornets.
MINUTE MEN: Senior midfielder Cody Sundquist hasn't missed many minutes on the field this year, as his 1,269 minutes played rank sixth among Big West field players. Sundquist has gone a full 90 a total of 11 times this season -- including each of the last six -- and has two more matches with 86 minutes played. Sundquist and his 11 matches with 90 minutes lead the team and stand three clear of Jaime Robles and Bryan Gutierrez and their eight "complete games." Along the same lines, goalkeeper Mac Learned's 1,260 minutes in net are tied for fourth in the NCAA and tied for second in the Big West behind only Dayton's Dario Caetano (1,350), Hofstra's Wessel Speel (1,350), and Cal State Fullerton's Tetsuya Kadono (1,327).
"I WILL FIND YOU...": And I will pass it to you. We're paraphrasing here, but senior Cody Sundquist has made good on that, notching his fourth assist of the year against CSU Bakersfield, tying him with Wehner for the team lead. The four assists give him six for his Sacramento State career, tying him for third among active Hornets behind Wehner (7) and Alfaro (8), while the four assists by Wehner and Sundquist are tied for fourth in the Big West and the most by a Sac State player since Tyler Moss had six in 2021.
