Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
<li>Hawai'i<br>(Senior Day/Fan Appreciation)
Women's Soccer Falls To Hawaii 1-0 In Overtime
11/3/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Nov. 3, 2002
FRESNO, Calif.- Fresno State lost a hard-fought battle in its final regular season contest Sunday evening, dropping a 1-0 decision to Hawai'i in overtime at Bulldog Stadium. However, the Bulldogs (7-12-0, 5-3-0 WAC) have qualified for postseason competition in the 2002 WAC Championships as a result of finishing fourth in the conference.
The Bulldogs, who are one of the conference's hottest teams at the moment, have won five of their last six and will be the fourth seed in the WAC Championships once the six-team tourney kicks off this weekend. Fresno State will square off against fifth-seeded Tulsa (7-7-4, 4-2-2) on Thursday at 3 p.m. PST in first round action.
Fresno State missed out on a chance to claim the tournament's second seed against the Rainbow Wahine on Sunday, as Hawai'i's Natasha Kai tapped in the game-winner at the 103:36 mark to give the visitors the victory.
Both squads traded scoring opportunities in the first half, with Fresno State holding a 6-4 halftime edge in shots. Junior Erin Sayegusa (Honolulu, Hawaii) led the offensive attack for the 'Dogs with a five-shot performance, including a strike off the crossbar in the first half that turned out to be the Bulldogs best chance of the contest.
Despite outshooting Hawai'i (10-7-2, 6-2-0 WAC) by a 4-3 count in the second period, the Bulldogs failed to capitalize. The two teams would remain tied at 0-0 heading into the first overtime.
Freshman Eriko Yoshiki (Satte City, Japan) nearly gave the Bulldogs the victory in overtime but failed to convert on a header into the box. Minutes later, Hawai'i's Kai used her speed to sprint past two Fresno State defenders and angle a shot to the right of Bulldog netminder Mary-tyler Wahl (Riverside, Calif.) that found the net for a 1-0 triumph.
"We just needed to put one of those goals in the net," said Fresno State head coach Stacy Welp. "I was especially proud of our seniors tonight and thought they gave a great effort."
The 2002 WAC Championships get underway Thursday in Houston, Tex.
Scoring 1 2 OT1 FHawai'i 0 0 1 1Fresno State 0 0 0 0
Scoring Summary: HAW- Kai (Quattromani) 103:36.
Shots: Fresno State 10, Hawai'i 9.
Saves: Hawai'i 3, Fresno State 1.
Fouls: Fresno State 12, Hawai'i 10.
Attendance: 1,079
Records:Hawai'i (10-7-2, 6-2-0 WAC), Fresno State (7-12-0, 5-3-0 WAC).
