Fresno State Athletics
Men's Soccer Readies for 2001 Home Opener
9/4/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Sept. 4, 2001
FRESNO, Calif. - 20th Annual Nike Goal Rush Classic
The 20th Annual Nike Goal Rush Classic will take place in Bulldog Stadium this Friday, Sept. 7, and Sunday, Sept. 9. Three teams will join Fresno State, which include Marshall, Evansville and CS Northridge. Both Marshall and CS Northridge are first timers in the classic. Evansville returns for just the second time, since its last appearance in 1992.
History of the Goal Rush
The twenty year tradition of the Goal Rush has seen six different champions. Fresno State tops all titleists with 12 crowns, while Stanford is a distant second with three. No. 1 Southern Methodist University, San Francisco, Simon Fraser and Florida International each have inked one. Stanford has won the past two years, however the Bulldogs reigned from 1989 through 1998 taking seven championships before No. 1 SMU stepped in to steal one in 1996.
It's All in the Name
Two members of the 2001 Fresno State men's squad have been honored in past Goal Rush tournaments. Delgado was named the 1998 Attacking Most Valuable Player, while Assistant Coach Mario Sanchez earned the tournament MVP title in 1997, while playing for the Bulldogs. Under the guidance of 5th year Head Coach Dave Chesler, the 'Dogs have won two titles, coming in 1997 and 1998. Also, the 1999 roster set the record for most shots taken in a match with 26, as the it went on to defeat Gonzaga 2-1.
Setting the Standard
Last year, in addition to Stanford winning its third crown, seven records were broken and of those, Stanford had a hand in six. The Cardinal tied the record in goals scored in a match with six and also combined for 11 goals scored in the tournament. Complementing that record, the 2000 squad managed nine assists and 59 shots total in the tournament. They also tied for the fewest goals allowed with zero and had the fewest fouls, 19. Xavier added to the record-setting weekend by making 19 saves in two matches.
Remembering the 2000 Goal Rush
After tallying 11 goals and two wins, the Stanford Cardinal were crowned champions in 2000. Despite winning both matches, Fresno State finished in second place in accordance with the goals scored rule, which determines the winner if two teams win both matches. In addition, Stanford walked away with both MVP awards. The Attacking MVP was awarded to Corey Woolfolk, while the Defensive MVP was given to Lee Morrison. On Friday, Sept.1, Stanford defeated Xavier 5-0 and the 'Dogs defeated Western Kentucky, 2-0. Sunday, Sept. 3, saw Stanford defeat Western Kentucky 6-0, while the 'Dogs topped Xavier 4-2.
Taking Numbers
The men's soccer team scored eight goals in two victorious matches this past weekend versus UC Riverside and Loyola Marymount University. On Friday, Aug. 31, the 'Dogs netted five in a shutout over UCR. Junior midfielder Kupono Low (Fremont, Calif.) scored twice, while freshman Eddie Gutierrez (Porterville, Calif.), Delgado and sophomore Mat Herold (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) each provided one goal, with an assist coming from freshman Dan Oka (Morgan Hill, Calif.). On Sunday, Sept. 2, the squad managed three goals to LMU's one. Sophomore Joshua LeRoy (Clovis, Calif.) contributed one goal, while Low and Delgado each netted a goal and an assist. With the second win, the 'Dogs were crowned the 2001 Fila Cup Classic Champions and improved their record to 2-0-0 to begin the season.
Praising Proud
Junior netminder Jeremy Proud (Auburn, Wash.) was named the 2001 Fila Cup Tournament MVP. He tallied eight saves in two matches and allowed only one goal. In the match versus LMU, Proud had back-to-back saves, including a stopped penalty kick that would have tied the match at two. He completed the weekend with a goals against average of .500. The netminder wasn't the only Bulldog honored. Low, Delgado, sophomore defender Justin Sorsabal (Palmdale, Calif.) and senior defender Curt Posey (Clovis, Calif.) were named to the all-tournament team. Low inked three goals and one assist, earning a points per game average of 3.5, while Delgado netted a goal in each match and assisted once. Sorsabal and Posey helped to limit the opponents to just one goal and 18 shots in two matches.
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 42-30-10. 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. Beginning the 2001 campaign he has directed the 'Dogs to 2-0-0 start.
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, whittles 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, UNLV, Air Force and Fresno State. The MPSF also sponsors men's and women's waterpolo, 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.
2001 Top Returnees
Sr., MF, Noah Delgado ... (2001) Has scored two goals in as many matches ... accounted for an assist, on the game-winning goal in the LMU match ... named to the 2001 Fila Cup all-Tournament team ... (1998-2000) 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, 2000).
Jr., MF, Kupono Low ... (2001) Scored three goals in two matches and one assist ... named to the 2001 Fila Cup all-Tournament team ... (1999-2000) 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, 2000).
Jr., GK, Jeremy Proud ... (2001) Combined for eight saves with one shutout over UC Riverside ... tallied a GAA of .500 in two matches ... named the 2001 Fila Cup MVP ... (1999-2000) 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.
Preseason Notes
The 'Dogs competed in one exhibition match and made the most of it. On Sunday, Aug. 26, the 'Dogs defeated the Alumni 5-1. With a score of 1-0 in favor of the Alumni heading into the second half, things were bound to pick up. The 'Dogs were not to be dismissed and that certainly wasn't the case. Gutierrez netted back-to-back goals to push the Fresno State lead to 2-1 at the 53-minute mark. Gutierrez had a little help from teammates Low and Delgado en route to inking his first two goals as a Bulldog. Junior forward Makoto Anderson (Fresno, Calif.) would continue the scoring barrage with two goals of his own. The first came in the 62nd minute on a through pass from Oka. But before Anderson scored again, an unlikely scorer stepped into the mix. Posey found himself in scoring position at the right post as he kicked in a deflected ball. Anderson's second goal, and final goal of the match, came with five minutes left to play, as he beat Alumni goalkeeper and Fresno State Assistant Coach, J.J. Wozniak and easily walked the ball over the line. Proud completed the exhibition match with three saves on four attempts. Wozniak ended with eight saves on 13 attempts.
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 four top 25 teams. The 'Dogs begin with the defending NCAA National Champions and No. 7 UConn, on Friday, Sept. 21, at the UNLV Tournament in Las Vegas. A week later the men take on No. 14 Stanford at the Stanford Invitational on Sunday, Sept. 30. Next on tap are the Spartans of No. 23 San Jose State on Sunday ,Oct. 28. And finally, the 'Dogs travel to Colorado to face No. 25 Denver on Friday, Nov 2. The Pioneers slide into the Top 25 in just their second year as a Division I team.
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.
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 from 1981-2000.
