Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
<li>UTEP<br>(Girl Scout Day/Alumni Day)
Women's Soccer Stops Undefeated UTEP, 2-0
10/13/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Oct. 13, 2002
FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno State (3-11, 2-2 WAC) pulled its biggest win of the season Sunday afternoon at Bulldog Stadium. The Bulldogs shut out high-powered UTEP (12-1, 3-1 WAC), who came into the match averaging about six goals a match. Junior midfielder Erin Sayegusa (Honolulu) and senior forward Susan Shivokevich (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) provided the scoring for the 2-0 victory.
"I think that our tough scheduling paid off today," said Coach Welp. "We know that we have been playing tougher teams all season long and we're battle-tested."
The Bulldogs have faced the top teams in the Pac-10, WCC and Big West, including three nationally ranked teams.
Key saves combined with tough defense was the formula for FS as it grinded out the win. Senior goalkeeper Mary-tyler Wahl (Riverside, Calif.) tied a season-high with eight saves in the match, including several clear-outs that preserved the shutout throughout the match.
"We needed Mary-tyler to have a performance like that," said Welp. "Today she came up big and showed us how she's capable of playing."
The loss was the first for the Miners as well as the shutout. UTEP's Miranda Cuthbertson led the way offensively with five shots, all being on goal. Of the 14 shots fired by UTEP, 10 were on goal, which is the highest SOG percentage allwed by FS this season. The Bulldogs were outshot in the match 14-12.
"We adjusted some players in the midfield to get more players on defense," said Welp. "[sophomore midfielder Koleen] Anderson and [senior defender Virginia] Jenkins helped us out on defense, even though they were in the midfield spot."
Jenkins, who has been the Bulldogs' far left midfielder throughout the season, has made her last three starts at midfield.
Freshman Kortney Lewis (Visalia, Calif.) continued her great season recording two assists on the afternoon. Lewis led Sayegusa and Shivokevich with long passes to account for the scores. In her last two matches, Lewis has a goal and three asssists.
Fresno State will be on the road next against Nevada, Thursday, and Boise State, Sunday.
