Cal State Fullerton vs. Memphis
Friday, Sept. 9 | 4 P.M. PT
SDSU Sports Deck | San Diego, CA
Live Stats: goaztecs.com
Series: CSUF trails 1-2-0
Cal State Fullerton vs. Texas Rio-Grande Valley
Sunday, Sept. 11 | 4 P.M. PT
SDSU Sports Deck | San Diego, CA
Live Stats: goaztecs.com
Series: 0-0
Game Notes vs. Memphis & UTRGV
FULLERTON, Calif. -- After finishing first place at the Johann Memorial Classic, the Titans continue their road slate to start the season as they will head to San Diego for the San Diego Central Tournament to face Memphis on Friday and Texas Rio-Grande Valley on Sunday.
Both matches will be played at 4 p.m. PT and will have live stats available at goaztecs.com, along with live updates on our Twitter page (@CSUFMensSoccer).
RUNDOWN vs. Memphis:
-After collecting the first win of the season last Friday, the Titans look to seek their second win they face Memphis on Friday in the San Diego Central Tournament. It will be only the fourth meeting ever between the two programs as the Tigers lead the all-time series 2-1.
-Memphis has got off to a hot start with wins over UAB, Belmont and Missouri State to collect a 3-1 record, which is the programs best start since 2014. The Tigers have won their past two contests and have scored six goals combined in those two games.
-In the last meeting between CSUF and Memphis, the Tigers took down the Titans at the 2013 Ryan Rossi Memorial Tournament in Northridge, CA. A goal in the 72nd minutes plagues the Titans as they couldn't score a late equalizer to force OT.
RUNDOWN vs. Texas Rio-Grande Valley:
-After battling the Tigers on Friday, Cal State Fullerton will faceoff against Texas Rio-Grande Valley on the final day of the San Diego Central Tournament. It will be the first meeting ever between the Titans and the Broncos.
-Through three matches, the Broncos come into the tournament with a strong defense who's holding oppoennts to 0.33 goals per game and .040 shot percentage. However, the Titans will have a handful of chances at goal on Sunday as UTRGV has let opponents get a shot on goal .680 percent of the time.
-Entering Sunday's match, Cal State Fullerton has outshot three of its first first opponents this year. Meanwhile, the Titan defense has also been solid with a strong showing in their win over UNLV where they held the Rebels to three shots in the entire match.
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
-CSUF's Corentin Ohlmann (Fr., D): In his first four matches as a Titan, Ohlmann has started each contest while serving as a key part of the Fullerton backline and putting up a 1.000 shot on goal percentage.
-CSUF's Alex Heilmann (Sr., D): Heilmann put on a show in last Friday's win over UNLV as the senior recorded his first career hat trick. The senior has four goals on the year and looks to continue being a threat in the attacking half.
FOUR TITANS ON ALL-TOURNEY TEAM
Titans Alex Heilmann, Corentin Ohlmann, Carlos Troncoso and Ronaldo Pineda were named to the Johann Memorial Classic all-tournament team. Ohlmann and Troncoso provided a strong defensive presence for Fullerton's backline as the two helped the Titans hold UNLV to only three shots and one corner in last Friday's win against the Rebels. Meanwhile, Heilmann and Pineda provided the offense for the Titans. The senior Heilmann scored all three of his goals in Friday's win over the Rebels, which earned him Offensive Player of the Tournament honors. Pineda finished the tournament with six shots and three shots on goal and was named Player of the Tournament.
SHOTS! SHOTS! SHOTS!
Cal State Fullerton has dominated in the attacking half this year as they have outshot foes, 56-28. Also, the Titans are drawing by almost a 3:1 margin with the total being 38-14. As the attackin threat gets even stronger, look for Fullerton to score more goals as the season moves along.
HEILMANN'S HAT TRICK
Alex Heilmann netted his first career hat trick en route to Cal State Fullerton's first win of the season against UNLV last Friday at the Johann Memorial Classic. The senior now has four goals on the year as he also scored in the season opener at Vermont. Heilmann has taking advantage of his time in the attacking half as a defender with a shot on goal percentage of .800. The La Habra native also earned Offensive Player of the Tournament honors at the Johann Memorial Classic.
LEGEND IN THE MAKING
Entering this season, Titans head coach George Kuntz sits at second all-time in victories as a member of the Big West with 164 in total. Kuntz does lead active Big West coaches with the most career victories at 342, which is 110 more than UC Santa Barbara's Tim Vom Steeg who sits in second with 232. Since becoming the coach of the Titans, Kuntz has led Fullerton to back-to-back Big West Tournament titles and two-straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
LOOK GOOD, PLAY GOOD!
Titan Stadium received some upgrades this summer as the 24-year-old venue got a well-deserved facelift. The upgrade includes nine large-formate vinyl graphic, two large-format banners encased in an aluminum frame, dimensional LED signage on the back side of the press box, paint on the field-level bowl, repair and paint of existing handrails and 1400 feet of wide screen to enclose the venue. "Over the last two years, we have continually made upgrades to Titan Stadium, which we believe will make our venue an attractive destination for future Titans as our men's and women's soccer programs build upon their recent success and conference championships," Fullerton Director of Athletics Jim Donavan said.
INCOMING TITANS
George Kuntz and the rest of the Titans coaching staff signed a strong 2016 class that gives Cal State Fullerton some much needed depth at key positions on the pitch. Defenders Jacob Cini and Corentin Ohlmann join the Titans as transfers and will look to make an immediate impact on the pitch. Midfielders Willy Ospina-Torres and Bryce Watson both contain high-motors and tremendous skills as they look to find success at the Division 1 level. Sam Molz and Armando Rivera round out the defenders in this year's class. Rivera comes to Fullerton with a strong success at the defender position, but Molz also compliments the Titans with a tremendous attacking style from the defender position that the CSUF coaching staff can't wait to see. Goalkeeper Paul-Andre Guerin looks to be the gem in this class as he trained at one of the top academy schools in France that is known worldwide for its youth development.
FRIDAYS AT FULLERTON
With the start of the 2016-17 athletic season, CSUF introduces Fridays at Fullerton which is a membership club designed to enhance the Titan game day experience. The membership will feature a beer/wine hospitality area at every Friday home competition for all sports. Those interested in joining the club can visit www.fullertontitans.com/donate/Fridays_at_Fullerton for more information.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Cal State Fullerton is braced for a challenging start to the season as the Titans will play their first eight games of the year on the road. After traveling to Vermont and UCLA, CSUF heads to Las Vegas and San Diego for a pair of tournaments in September before rounding out the road trip with trips to San Francisco and Saint Mary's. The Titans' first home will be against Pacific on Sept. 23 at 7 p.m. PT. Season tickets are available at fullertontitans.com.
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL
Make sure to follow @CSUFMensSoccer on Twitter and like the Cal State Fullerton Men's Soccer page on Facebook to keep up with the Titans. Also, make sure to give a follow to @FullertonTitans on Twitter and Snapchat.