SAN DIEGO — San Diego State women’s soccer kicked off its inaugural Pac-12 season the right way, defeating USC 2-0 in an exhibition Wednesday night at the SDSU Sports Deck — and the newcomers head coach Mike Friesen brought in this offseason were on full display in the opener.

Friesen added ten newcomers for the 2026 campaign — seven transfers and three freshmen — reshaping a roster that returns key contributors at every position. Wednesday’s win over USC offered the first live look at how those new pieces fit alongside the returning core as the Aztecs begin life in a new conference.

Spotlight: Alannah Gonzales

Among the newcomers to watch is freshman forward Alannah Gonzales, who arrives at SDSU after a decorated four-year career at Etiwanda High in Rancho Cucamonga. Gonzales lettered all four seasons, earned All-CIF Southern Section Division I honors, and picked up All-Baseline League recognition every year of her prep career — three times on the first team. As a freshman, she scored in the match that clinched Etiwanda’s Baseline League title. On the club side, Gonzales spent three years apiece with Arsenal FC and Legends FC, reaching the ECNL National Finals and earning ECNL Southwest All-Conference Second Team honors at the U15 level in 2022-23.

Born January 27, 2008, in Fontana, California, Gonzales is the daughter of Joshua Gonzales and Amanda Yates-Gonzales. She’s majoring in kinesiology with an eye toward becoming a physical education teacher, lists former San Diego Wave FC forward Alex Morgan as her favorite athlete, and picked San Diego State over offers from Grand Canyon and UC San Diego. Off the field, she’s into hiking and pickleball. She’ll wear No. 7 for the Aztecs this fall, and Wednesday’s exhibition marked her first look in scarlet and black in front of a home crowd.

Building Depth in Goal

San Diego State added a pair of goalkeepers to pair with last year’s freshman standout Kailey Carlen. Sammy Martinez arrives from Oregon State after winning a conference title at Hartnell College in 2024, where she earned All-America First Team honors. The Watsonville native will wear No. 0 and is set to return to Oregon later this season when the Aztecs travel to Corvallis on October 8. Mackenzie Yoder, a Huntington Beach native, joins after two seasons at Memphis and will wear No. 00.

A Deeper Back Line

At defender, returners Mia Hambro Svendsen, Emma Fuller and Lily Boudet are joined by freshman Kana Smith and San Francisco State transfer Maya Stinson. Smith, out of O’ahu, Hawai’i, was a three-time state champion in high school and scored a brace in her team’s state title match. She’ll wear No. 4. Stinson, a San Diego native, started five times for the Gators last season and takes over the No. 15 jersey for the Aztecs.

Midfield Reinforcements

San Diego State returns Katie Senn, Alexyz Nakamoto and Charlie Gerson at midfield — all three started every match a season ago — and adds three newcomers to the mix. Freshman Cayden Chowana-Bandhu, a three-time ECNL All-Conference First Team pick with experience on Thailand’s U20 national team, wears No. 10. Eastern Washington transfer Kendall Moore, an All-Big Sky First Team selection in 2024, takes No. 8. George Washington transfer Alana Beasley, who started 24 matches over two seasons in D.C., wears No. 9.

Firepower Up Top

Returning forwards Victoria Miller, Alexis Leath and Briahna Gieger welcome three new faces to the attack, including Gonzales (see above). San Diego native Naima Castro arrives from Nevada, where she started all 18 matches as a freshman and earned Mountain West All-Newcomer honors, and now wears No. 2 for the hometown Aztecs. Fellow Nevada transfer Eva Wees, a Chula Vista native, rounds out the group in No. 25.

A New Conference, A Statement Opener

San Diego State enters its first season in the Pac-12 alongside fellow Mountain West transplants Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and Utah State, joining a women’s soccer membership that also includes Gonzaga, Oregon State, Texas State and Washington State. The Aztecs are coming off a strong 2025 campaign — a 9-4-7 overall record, their fourth straight winning season, and a run to the Mountain West semifinals before falling to Boise State on penalty kicks.

Wednesday’s win over USC doesn’t count toward the regular-season record, but it gave Aztecs fans their first look at a retooled roster ahead of a critical stretch — SDSU wraps up its exhibition slate at San Diego on August 8 before opening the regular season August 12 at UC San Diego.

All photos Craig Maloof.