By SDCN Editor
San Diego, CA–San Diego State University’s men’s soccer program is set to make a significant conference shift, joining the Western Athletic Conference as an affiliate member starting in the 2024-25 academic year.
This move comes after nearly two decades in the Pac-12 conference and a previous stint in the WAC from 1996-98 before joining the MPSF.
“We are thrilled to be joining the WAC. We are grateful to the conference, their coaches, and our administration for finding such a great solution for our program’s student-athletes,” said Head coach Ryan Hopkins.
“We’re excited to be joining the WAC in men’s soccer. The league has regularly sent multiple teams to the NCAA tournament and gives us a chance to continue to fight for conference championships,” said John David Wicker, SDSU director of athletics.
San Diego State’s inclusion brings the WAC’s men’s soccer lineup to 10 teams, including Mountain West counterparts Air Force, San Jose State, and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The conference schedule will feature a single round-robin format, with the top six teams advancing to the WAC Tournament.
WAC Commissioner Brian Thornton welcomed San Diego State back, noting their recent national competitiveness.
“Their inclusion is another step in our goal of regularly placing multiple teams in the NCAA Championship field,” Thornton said.
The WAC, which reintroduced men’s soccer in 2013 after a 13-year hiatus, has sent multiple teams to the NCAA tournament in five of the last seven years and has produced MLS SuperDraft picks in five of the last six seasons, including a WAC-record six in 2022.
“The accessibility to the NCAA tournament coupled with the ample professional exposure makes the WAC a great landing spot. We plan to bolster our non-conference schedule to give ourselves the best chance to make the NCAA tournament as an at-large bid,” Hopkins said.
San Diego State’s recent success includes national rankings in two of the past three seasons and boasting top recruiting classes, which helped secure back-to-back Pac-12 Freshman of the Year awards for CJ Fodrey and Reid Fisher.
