Fresno State Athletics
Women's Soccer Prepares For WAC Championships
11/4/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
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2002 Women's Soccer Student-Athlete Bios
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Nov. 4, 2002
2002 WAC Women's Soccer Championships
Opponent: #4-seed Tulsa (7-7-4, 4-2-2 WAC)
Date: Thu., Nov. 7
Time: 3 p.m. PST
Site: Houston, Texas
Stadium: Rice Soccer Stadium
Host School: Rice University
Series History: Tied at 3-3
This Week in Bulldog Soccer
Fresno State's five-game winning streak came to an end Sunday evening after dropping a hard-fought 1-0 overtime decision to Hawai'i. However, the 'Dogs were able to wrap up WAC regular season competition with a 5-3 mark and qualify for this weekend's conference tournament in Houston, Texas. The winner of the six-team WAC tournament field receives the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship. Fresno State has drawn the No. 5 seed and squares off against No. 4 seed Tulsa when first round play begins Thursday. If the Bulldogs advance, they would take on regular season champion and No. 1 seed SMU on Friday evening.
2002 WAC Women's Soccer Championship
The Bulldogs are making their eighth straight appearance in the WAC Championships. Only the top six schools of the 10-member conference advance to the tournament based on regular season standings, and the winner advances to the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship. The top two schools receive a first-round bye, while the remaining four teams face off in single-elimination competition.
Nov. 7 (Thur.)
#5 Fresno State vs. #4 Tulsa - 3 p.m. PST
#6 Rice vs. #3 Hawai'i - 5:30 p.m. PST
Nov. 8 (Fri.)
#5 Fresno State or #4 Tulsa vs. #1 SMU (10-5-4, 6-1-1 WAC)- 3 p.m. PST
#6 Rice or #3 Hawai'i vs. #2 UTEP (15-2-0, 6-2-0 WAC)- 5:30 p.m. PST
Nov. 9 (Sat.)
Championship Match- 5:30 p.m. PST
Scouting the WAC Tournament Field
#1 SMU (10-5-4, 6-1-1 WAC): The Mustangs enter this weekend's tourney having lost only one of its last 10 matches. SMU, the 2001 WAC Champion, edged the Bulldogs 4-2 at Bulldog Stadium in the team's only meeting back on Oct. 10.
#2 UTEP (15-2-0, 6-2-0 WAC): The Miners are coming off a 3-1 loss to SMU last weekend in a showdown in Dallas. UTEP dropped just two games this season- one of which was a 2-0 upset courtesy of Fresno State back on Oct. 13.
#3 HAWAI'I (10-7-2, 6-2-0 WAC): The Rainbow Wahine are just as hot as the Bulldogs as they enter postseason play, having won five games in a row. Hawai'i downed the Bulldogs 1-0 in overtime play in the regular season finale.
#4 TULSA (7-7-4, 4-2-2 WAC): Despite entering the WAC Tournament just 2-2-1 in its last five games, the Golden Hurricane are the only conference team to defeat SMU. Fresno State dropped a 2-1 decision to Tulsa on Oct. 6.
#6 RICE (3-12-2, 3-5-0 WAC): Rice blanked Nevada 2-0 in the final match of the regular season to earn the sixth seed. This year's tournament hosts were shutout by Fresno State 2-0 in Houston on Oct. 4.
Bulldogs at WAC Championships
Fresno State, which has qualified for the WAC Tournament in each of the past eight seasons, holds a 4-7 mark in conference postseason play. The Bulldogs have never claimed the championship in their brief eight-year history and have never won more than a game in the tourney. Last season the 'Dogs defeated Tulsa 3-2 in the opening round before falling to eventual champion SMU 4-0 in the semifinals. Fresno State and Tulsa have squared off against each other at WAC Championships for three consecutive seasons.
Last Week's Action: Hawai'i 1, Fresno State 0 (11-4-02)
The Rainbow Wahine got a goal from forward Natasha Kai at the 103:36 mark to give the visitors from Hawai'i a 1-0 overtime victory over the Bulldogs in the fina regular season match. Both squads traded scoring opportunities throughout regulation, with Fresno State holding a 10-9 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. Freshman Eriko Yoshiki (Satte City, Japan) also nearly missed a header in the first overtime for Fresno State.
The Welp File
Stacy Welp enters her second season at the helm after finishing her first season with an 8-10 mark. Welp served as an assistant for the Bulldogs the past two seasons in which the team went 25-15-2. Before coming to Fresno State, she served as an assistant coach for Clemson. Welp graduated from Tulsa in '94 where she earned South Regional honors as a player.
Turning it Around
After losing nine of its previous ten matches, the Bulldogs have won five of their last six entering postseason play. The recent five-game winning streak was the longest since 1999 (Sept. 14-Sept. 30) and best in head coach Stacy Welp's two-year tenure. The early struggles of playing a tough non-conference schedule have proved valuable for the Bulldogs, who were one of the WAC's hottest teams down the stretch.
Offense Finds Right Time To Explode
When you put together five victories in a row, different aspects of your game tend to click together. For example, take a look at Fresno State's offensive production during its recent five-match winning streak. The Bulldogs outscored opponents 14-6 during that stretch and recorded at least three goals in three of those five games. Fresno State matched its highest scoring output of the 2002 season in a 4-3 overtime win at Boise State on Oct. 20.
Bulldog Stadium Woes
The home turf just wasn't that advantageous for Fresno State this season, as the Bulldogs recorded a 2-5 mark at Bulldog Stadium. However, three of those losses came to top-25 caliber progams in UCLA, California and SMU. Despite its struggles, the Bulldogs were able to upset UTEP 2-0 on Oct. 13 in front of a raucous crowd to hand the Miners just one of two losses on the year.
Hunt For Red October
Fresno State hopes to duplicate its October success in the month of November. The Bulldogs finished out the month with a record of 6-2, courtesy of a five-game winning streak during WAC competition. Victories over then-No. 24 Cal State Fullerton and UTEP highlighted the month of October for Fresno State, which had not won six games in October since the 1997 season.
So How Do You Play?
Forgive the 2002-03 Bulldogs if they have forgotten the rules for overtime. After all, the Dogs have not tied a match since the 1999 season, when they battled UTEP to a 1-1 double-overtime draw on Oct. 22 in El Paso. While just three of Fresno State's games have reached the overtime session this year, only one went into extra time last season. Overall, Fresno State has gone 61 consecutive matches without a tie.
Fantastic Freshmen
Part of the reason for Fresno State's recent surge has been the play of its freshmen. Kortney Lewis (Visalia, Calif.) has been impressive in her rookie season, and currently leads the club with eight goals scored, seven assists and 23 points. She also has taken more shots than any other player this on the roster this year- 48. Katri Nokso-Koivisto (Kokkola, Finland) has given Fresno State yet another scoring threat up front in her first year. She is second behind Lewis in goals scored (7), assists (5), points (19) and shots (37). Nokso-Koivistio had an assist in Fresno State's upset of Cal State Fullerton last week, while Lewis recorded one goal and one assist in each of the Bulldogs' two wins during that stretch.
Wall of Steel
Mary-tyler Wahl (Riverside, Calif.) has been steady in goal this season for Fresno State. She has played all but 10 minutes between the posts and has accumulated 84 saves, while allowing just 43 goals. Wahl currently has posted a 2.25 GAA and is second on the all-time list of GAA at 1.63 and with 237 saves. The senior netminder also has recorded three shutouts to her credit this season, giving her 12 for her career. She has notched a season-best eight saves on four occasions this year.
Sayegusa Turning It Up
Junior Erin Sayegusa (Honolulu, Hawaii) has been a large part of Fresno State's recent success. The forward found the net in the Bulldog's 3-2 victory over San Jose State, and then added the game-winning goal in the 2-1 upset of Cal State Fulleton last week. She followed that up with a five-shot performance against Hawai'i on Sunday. Overall on the season, she is third in goals scored (5), points (11) and shots (35). She also has come through in the clutch this year, notching three-game winning goals for the 'Dogs.
All-Time Against the WAC
Fresno State is 22-19-4 all-time against WAC opponents during the regular season, and holds a 4-7 mark in WAC Championship action. The Bulldogs have a losing record against just one current WAC team, SMU (1-7). Fresno State is 1-1 against Boise State. The Bulldogs' most common foe and also the one they've had the most success against is San Jose State. FS is 7-2-1 against the Spartans. Against Tulsa, Rice, Nevada and Hawai'i, the Bulldogs have a combined 11-7-3 mark.
Run at the Records
Junior forward Erin Sayegusa (Honolulu, Hawaii) moved into seventh place all-time with 28 career points. Sayegusa found the net twice against Boise State with two goals, including the game-winner in a 4-3 win. She is also currently in seventh place with 11 goals on the all-time list, as well as eighth place with six assists. Katri Nokso-Koivisto (Kokkola, Finland) has also made her mark, as she is tenth on the career points list with 19 and eleventh on the goals list with seven. Kortney Lewis (Visalia, Calif.) is also steadily making a climb up the charts, as her 23 points rank ninth in that category and her seven assists are good for fifth on the charts.
'Dog Bones
- FS is 79-76-7 since the inception of the program in 1995.
- FS has appeared in the WAC Tournament every season since 1995.
- The Bulldogs made their only NCAA appearance in 1999 when they faced Cal Poly in the first round (a 2-1 loss on Nov. 10 at Bulldog Stadium).
- Prior to this year, FS had posted a 17-9-1 mark at Bulldog Stadium over the past three seasons.
- Since 1996, FS has ranked in the top 15 in the nation in attendance average.
- Last season marked the first time FS face three top-six nationally ranked teams in one year.
- The highest ranked opponent the Bulldogs have beaten was No. 7 USC in 1999.
- FS has produced 11 first-team All-WAC selections and nine second-team selections since beginning WAC play in 1996.
- Freshman Kortney Lewis is the first FS recruit to have played in the USYSA Region IV U-15.
- FS has one professional player (Christina Bell) in the 2001 inaugural WUSA. Bell helped the Bay Area CyberRays win the first ever WUSA Championship.
