SACRAMENTO -- Throw the records out, everybody is now 0-0. The Sacramento State men's soccer team kicks-off its Big West Conference schedule at home this week, welcoming CSU Bakersfield on Wednesday (Sept. 27) and UC San Diego on Sunday (Sept. 30) for the first weekend of league action at Hornet Soccer Field. Kick-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. on both days.
THIS WEEK…
GAME NOTES: Sacramento State | CSU Bakersfield | UC San Diego
MATCH #10
WHAT: CSU Bakersfield (4-1-3, 0-0) at Sacramento State (3-6, 0-0)
WHEN: Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023
TIME: 4 p.m.
WHERE: Sacramento, Calif.
STADIUM: Hornet Soccer Field
WATCH: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: HornetStats.com
TICKETS: HornetSports.com
MATCH #11
WHAT: UC San Diego (1-6-2, 0-0) at Sacramento State (3-6, 0-0)
WHEN: Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023
TIME: 4 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 all three platforms: Instagram (@sacstatemsoccer), Twitter (@sacstmsoccer), and Facebook (/sacstatemsoccer).
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 CSU BAKERSFIELD: The Roadrunners enter the start of league with a 4-1-3 overall record and are unbeaten in their last six dating back to a 1-0 loss at San Diego State on Aug. 28... CSU Bakersfield is fresh off a 1-1 draw at Santa Clara last Thursday -- the third in a run of five consecutive road contests for the 'Runners... CSUB has outscored the opposition by an 11-3 count during its unbeaten run, with six of those coming against Division II Fresno Pacific on Sept. 10... Junior Bilal Mihoubi leads the team in scoring with three goals and an assist, helping an offense that has outscored opponents by a 12-5 count through eight matches... Junior Brandon Limes has played every minute in net, posting a 0.63 goals against average to go with 23 saves and three shutouts as well as an .821 save percentage.
SERIES RECORDS: The Roadrunners lead the all-time series with the Hornets by an 11-7-3 count, but the two teams have split their only two head-to-head meetings as members of the Big West... Sacramento State posted a 1-0 win in Bakersfield last season, while the 'Runners took home a 2-0 win in Northern California in 2021... The Hornets are 4-5-2 at home against Bakersfield, but are winless in the last six (0-5-1) at home dating back to a 2-1 overtime win in 2010... Eight of the last 12 meetings have ended in shutouts -- seven of those in favor of CSUB.
SCOUTING UC SAN DIEGO: The Tritons enter the start of conference play with a 1-6-2 overall record and are winless in their last three after falling to No. 22 San Diego and Utah Tech by identical 2-1 scores last week... UCSD hosts UC Santa Barbara on Wednesday before heading to Sacramento... Senior midfielder Inaki Iribarren leads the team with six goals in nine matches for 12 points and is one of only four goal scorers for the Tritons this year... Nick Shor and Mitchell Wilson have split time in net, with Shor posting a 1.41 goals against average and 12 saves.
SERIES RECORDS: The series between Sacramento State and UC San Diego is tied at one win apiece, with each team winning on its own home field dating back to when the Tritons joined the Big West in 2021... The Hornets posted a 2-1 overtime win in the first-ever meeting before UCSD answered with a 3-2 win in La Jolla, Calif., last year.
BIG WEST LID-LIFTERS: Since becoming an affiliate member of the Big West Conference in men's soccer in 2012, Sacramento State is a combined 5-4-1 in league openers and is unbeaten in its last two... The Hornets posted a 1-1 draw at home against Cal Poly in 2021 and beat CSU Bakersfield, 1-0, last year... Sacramento State is 2-2-1 when opening league play at home, posting a pair of wins (CSUN in 2017 and UC Santa Barbara in 2018) and a draw (Cal Poly in 2021) in its last three... The Hornets have opened conference play against seven of the league's nine men's soccer playing schools, having not faced UC Davis nor UC San Diego.
AUSTIN AUSTIN AUSTIN! OI OI OI!: Forward Austin Wehner continued his torrid senior campaign with his third goal of the season in the non-conference finale against San Jose State, moving him into the team lead -- and fifth in the Big West entering the week -- with 10 points. 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 accomplished the feat with 15 points in 2011 and 10 more in 2012.
10 FOR 7: Wehner has scored at least one point in three of his team's last four matches (two goals and two assists total) and has at least one point in five of the team's nine matches this year.
ME AND YOU AND YOU AND ME: Senior Cody Sundquist returned the favor after he and Wehner combined on a goal against Saint Mary's on Sept. 14, feeding Wehner for the Hornets' goal against San Jose State last week. It marked the fourth time in their Sacramento State careers that the duo has teamed up to score a goal, each scoring a pair.
HE'S (STILL) NUMBER ONE!: Junior goalkeeper Mac Learned still reigns atop the NCAA statistical standings in both total saves (51) and saves per game (6.38), while posting a .761 save percentage entering this week's action. In addition to his national standing, Learned's save total is 13 better than the next keeper in the Big West statistical standings (Cooper Wenzel of CSUN) and leads the league by more than two saves per game.
STOP! HALT! DESIST!: Learned's 10 saves against San Francisco on Sept. 17 are the most in a single match by a Big West goalkeeper this year (as of Sept. 25) and the junior holds four of the top five spots in that category. The 10 stops are also the most by a Hornet keeper since Ryan Curtis finished with 10 against San Jose State on Aug. 30, 2019, and ranks tied for seventh on the school's single-match list since 2004, just four back of the high-water mark held by James Del Curto, who had 14 stops against UC Irvine in both 2015 and 2016.
HELP IS ON THE WAY: Only two of the team's 14 goals this season have been unassisted, with three of those 14 scores collecting multiple assists. Wehner's team-high four assists rank No. 23 in the NCAA and tied for second in the Big West behind only Cal State Fullerton's Roberto Ordonez, while standing as the most by a Hornet in a season since Tyler Moss had six in 2021.
HELLO, MY NAME IS...: Freshman Robert Willcot made his official Division I debut last week against San Jose State, playing 19 minutes and attempting his first career shot against the Spartans. He joined his brother, Jhared, on the field for the final five-plus minutes of the first half, then the final 14 minutes of the second period.
