Fresno State Athletics
Men's Soccer Ready to Begin Season
8/21/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
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Aug. 21, 2001
FRESNO, Calif. - Cancellation: Alumni Match
The 2001 Alumni match previously scheduled for Friday, Aug. 24, has been cancelled and will not be rescheduled.
Schedule Change
The second and final exhibition match of the 2001 season has been relocated to the SOC-COM Complex in Hanford, Calif. The `Dogs will take the field against Cal State Stanislaus at 2 p.m. instead of 3 p.m., the time originally scheduled, on Sunday, Aug. 26. Prior to kick-off the team will hold a youth clinic from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m. The clinic includes soccer tips and activities designed to interact with youth, ages six to 14. The cost of the clinic is $15 and includes a game ticket and team poster. General admission is $3.
Season Tickets on Sale
Season tickets for Fresno State men's soccer are currently on sale at the Bulldog Ticket Office or by calling (559) 278-DOGS. Patrons may purchase tickets at the box office, by phone or on-line, by visiting the home of Bulldogs' athletics at www.gobulldogs.com.
Head Coach Dave Chesler
Head Coach Dave Chesler (Washington, 1977) is entering his fifth season in the role. He returns to lead the `Dogs with an overall career and Fresno State coaching record of 40-30-10. Chesler came to Fresno State in 1997 from Washington, where he was an assistant coach with men's soccer. Under his guidance, the `Dogs have had winning seasons three of his four years with the program. Among those, was the 1998 Western Athletic Conference Championship title, which topped an 11-6-5 season.
Conference Call
The Bulldogs have been a member of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation for the past two seasons. The MPSF, which was originally designed with two divisions, wittles down to one for the 2001 season. Within the MPSF conference, exist eight members including San Jose State, Denver, Sacramento State, New Mexico, San Diego State, University of Nevada, Las Vegas and Fresno State. The MPSF also sponsors men's and women's water polo, men's gymnastics, men's and women's indoor track and field and men's volleyball.
MPSF Championships Come to Bulldog Stadium
The 2001 MPSF Men's Soccer Championship will be held in Fresno State's Bulldog Stadium. All eight members of the conference qualify for the tournament that will take place beginning with quarterfinals on Thursday, Nov. 8, follow with semifinals on Friday, Nov. 9, and conclude with the championship match on Sunday, Nov. 11. The winner receives an automatic berth to the NCAA College Cup tournament.
Back in Action
Among the student-athletes on the 2001 squad are 11 returning Bulldogs, of which seven were starters for the 2000 team. Seniors Noah Delgado (MF, Fremont, Calif.), Curt Posey (D, Clovis, Calif.) and juniors Jeremy Proud (GK, Auburn, Wash.), Kupono Low (MF, Fremont, Calif.) Makoto Anderson (F, Fresno, Calif.) and sophomores Jose Rivas (Lancaster, Calif.), and Justin Sorsabal (D, Palmdale, Calif.) return to the starting lineup this season. All in all the team returns 10 letterwinners and seven starters, while losing eight letterwinners and four starters.
2001 Top Returnees
Sr., MF, Noah Delgado.........Started in all 18 matches last season ... named to the first team all-MPSF ... team points leader in 2000 with 24 points, including nine goals and six assists ... also is the career points leader with 55, totalling 21 goals and 13 assists ... led the team with 58 shots on goal ... had two hat tricks last season (Oct. 1. vs. LMU and Nov. 5, vs. Air Force) ... MPSF Player of the Week for Oct. 1.
Jr., MF, Kupono Low ..........Started and played in 16 of 18 matches in 2000 ... named second team all-MPSF ... third on the team in goals scored with four ... second on the team in shots attempted with 46 ... had a three-match goal streak by scoring a goal from Sept. 1 through Sept. 15.
Jr., GK, Jeremy Proud ..........Started and played in 17 of 18 matches in 2000 ... named second team all-MPSF ... made 76 saves ... allowed only 20 goals, averaging 1.176 per game ... recorded a record of 8-7-2 ... recorded three shutouts ... ranks seventh on the career leaders list in saves with 152 ... ranks 10th on the list in GAA with 1.31 ... ranks 14th on individual season leaders list with 76 saves.
Strength of Schedule
Based on the 2001 National Soccer Coaches Association of America/adidas Preseason Men's Soccer Top 25 Poll, Fresno State will take the pitch versus three top 25 teams. The `Dogs begin with the defending NCAA National Champions and No. 1 UConn, on Friday, Sept. 21, at the UNLV Tournament in Las Vegas. A week later the men take on No. 6 Stanford at the Stanford Invitational on Sunday, Sept. 30. Finally, within the confines of Bulldog Stadium the `Dogs face No. 14 and MPSF Conference winner, San Jose State on Sunday, Oct. 28.
2001 NCAA Men's College Cup
The 43rd Annual NCAA Men's College Cup will be held in Columbus, Ohio. First and second rounds are scheduled for Nov. 23 and 25, while the third rounds are to be completed by Dec. 2. Quarterfinal action is to be completed by Dec. 9. Finals match will be held at Columbus Crew Stadium on Dec. 15 and 16.
Springing into Action
The Bulldogs might have concluded NCAA action in November of 2000, but the squad hit the turf again in the spring for a series of six matches. The `Dogs tallied a record of 2-1-3. Starting the series was a 2-3 loss to the alumni and a 1-1 tie with D-3 Stanislaus County Cruisers. Later, the men picked up the pace with back-to-back wins, having outscored the Cruisers 5-1 and Sacramento State 1-0. The season concluded with two ties versus UC Davis (0-0) and CS Bakersfield (1-1).
2000 Season Ends Well
The `Dogs had an up and down season last year, finishing at 9-7-2 overall. After starting the schedule with a record of 7-1-1, the `Dogs dropped six of the next seven matches before tying and then winning their final match. Their MPSF record of 2-5-1 was good for a third place conference finish. Despite the somewhat sub-par season, the `Dogs outscored their opponents, 32-25 after outshooting them 291-234.
Risch is on Fire
The most recent addition to men's professional soccer, is Danny Risch. Risch, who played as a Bulldog from 1997-2000 was drafted by Major League Soccer's Chicago Fire. In the sixth round of the 2001 SuperDraft, Risch was picked up as the 68th overall by the Fire. The former Bulldog trained for a week with the team back in May, as he decided to put graduation first. However, after graduating from Fresno State this December, he will return to camp in the spring.
Packin' the House
Men's soccer is known for its attendance and the 2000 season was no exception. Fresno State ranked sixth in the nation for NCAA Division I Men's Soccer. In nine home matches, 15,087 fans, an average of 1,676 per match, witnessed history in Bulldog Stadium. The program topped the likes of Duke, Portland, Virginia and Washington who rounded out the top 10. Connecticut, St. Louis, Wake Forest, Indiana and South Carolina came in above the `Dogs. More than 430,000 patrons have passed through the gates since the inception of the program in 1981.
