Pac-12 Men's Soccer Weekly Release - Sept. 14, 2021

Schedule | Standings | Statistics | NCAA Statistics | Record Book

Pac-12 Play Kicks Off

• Conference play begins this week in Pac-12 Men's Soccer with the Bay Area sides - CALIFORNIA (2-2-1) & STANFORD (2-1-1) - heading to Southern California to visit SAN DIEGO STATE (3-0-2) & UCLA (3-2-0), headlined by a ranked matchup on Sunday between the No. 21 Aztecs and No. 23 Cardinal.
• WASHINGTON (4-0-0) will put its perfect non-conference mark on the line this week with a Thursday visit to fellow unbeaten Utah Valley and Monday's 60th meeting with crosstown rival Seattle U in the WAC 101 Club Cup.

Non-League Success Continues

• Pac-12 Men's Soccer programs continue to produce strong out-of-conference results, amassing a 4-2-1 record last week highlighted by OREGON STATE's 2-1 road win at Seattle U, San Diego State's pair of 1-0 victories over UC Davis and Cal State Bakersfield, and Washington's 3-0 dismantling of Dartmouth.
• Last week's results ran the Pac-12's cumulative non-conference record to 18-6-4, a .714 win percentage that is tied with the MAC (23-8-4) as best among all collegiate conferences.

Rank 'Em

• San Diego State entered the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 for the first time since Week 12 of the 2016 season (11/15/16), appearing this week at No. 21.
• The Aztecs join No. 3 Washington, No. 20 Oregon State and No. 23 Stanford to give the six-team Pac-12 four nationally ranked sides - the second-most of any conference behind only the 12-team ACC's five.
• It marks the first time since Week 1 of the 2018 season that the Pac-12 has four teams in the national top 25.

Key Performers

• The San Diego State defense, backstopped by goalkeeper Jacob Castro, has been stout so far this season to the turn of an NCAA-leading four shutouts. The Aztecs' 0.184 team goals-against average is third-best in the nation, while Castro's 0.184 individual GAA is fifth-best.
• Washington freshman Chris Meyers enjoyed a breakout performance in last week's 3-0 win over Dartmouth, netting a brace with goals in the 64th and 69th minutes.
• UCLA sophomore Tommy Silva totaled five points - the second-most in a match by a Pac-12 player this season - on two goals and an assist in the Bruins' 4-0 rout of CSUN on Sept. 6.
• Stanford's Ousseni Bouda, the reigning Pac-12 Player of the Week, Oregon State's Tsiki Ntsabeleng and Washington's Lucas Meek all rank among the nation's best point producers. Bouda and Meek are tied for first with 1.00 assists per game, while Bouda and Ntsabeleng are tied for second with four total assists. Meek is also in a four-way tie for first nationally with 3.00 points per game.

Last of the Unbeatens

• Washington (4-0-0) and San Diego State (3-0-2) are 2-of-23 remaining unbeaten programs in NCAA Division I as of Sept. 13.
• The Aztecs will be unbeaten entering Pac-12 play for the first time since 2005, a season in which they earned an NCAA Tournament at-large berth.

Climbing the Career Ranks

• Stanford's Zach Ryan ranks among the career leaders in goals and points in Pac-12 history - currently eighth in points (65) and tied for sixth in goals (28).
• Washington goalkeeper Sam Fowler has lowered his career goals-against average to 0.66 early this season - a mark that would rank as the best in Conference history, eclipsing Stanford's Andrew Thomas' 0.67.
• Oregon State keeper Adrian Fernandez, with 16 career shutouts, is two clean sheets shy of cracking the Conference's career top 10. Fowler is close behind with 14 career shutouts.