Fresno State Athletics
2001 Men's Soccer Review
4/23/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
April 23, 2002
Two-straight victories, six shutouts, a three-goal performance that tops all others since a 6-0 win over Western Kentucky back on Sept. 23, a win over a No. 24 ranked Air Force Academy and the first home win of the season, that's how Fresno State ended the season.
The 'Dogs ironically began the 2001 campaign with two-straight victories, while combining for eight goals. The men won the LMU/Fila Cup Tournament, after tossing their opponents, UC Riverside and Loyola Marymount University to the side. Junior goalkeeper Jeremy Proud was named the tournament MVP and sophomore Justin Sorsabal and senior Curt Posey each were named to the all-tournament team for limiting their opponents to just one goal. But, the victory run was short-lived. The following weekend, Fresno State played host the 20th Annual Nike Goal Rush Classic. Marshall actually won the classic and Fresno State did not fair to well. It dropped to Marshall, 2-0 and tied with Evansville at zero. The following week of Sept. 21, the team spent a weekend in Sin City at the UNLV Rebel Classic. This tournament turned out to be a successful one as the Bulldogs took No. 5 UConn into a double-overtime match that ended in a 2-2 tie, and then the squad demolished Western Kentucky, 6-0.
The fourth and final tournament on the Fresno State slate was a two-match stanza at Stanford. Here the 'Dogs first faced California and again went into double-overtime only to end with a tie at one. On Sunday, Sept. 30, the men took the pitch versus No. 3 Stanford, in what was the biggest loss of the season for the squad, 4-0. Next up was UC Santa Barbara. Well that match was played amidst the twilight of southern California. The match did not begin until 9 p.m. and then went into double-overtime. After the sprinklers had subsided, the 'Dogs again ended in a double-overtime tie, 1-1. Before beginning the actual conference matches of the season, the crew hosted San Francisco for their first home match of the year. Unfortunately, a 3-2 loss was the result.
As part of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, the 'Dogs had seven teams to play (New Mexico, UNLV, Sacramento State, San Diego State, San Jose State, Denver and Air Force Academy.) There is no doubt Fresno State history was made this season. Overall the team tallied a record nine overtime matches and tied the Bulldog record for most ties in a season with seven. This was never more apparent than in the first five matches, which were in case very, very long. The team spent an additional 60-plus minutes challenging its opponents. The reason was three overtimes were played. One against New Mexico, which ended in a 0-0 score. Another versus UNLV, which was ended by a goal within the first minute of overtime by UNLV, making the score 1-0. Finally, at home again, the 'Dogs tied with Sacramento State, 1-1. The next two home matches resulted in two losses, with the first coming from a 2-0 loss to San Diego State on Sunday, Oct. 21, and the second from a 2-1 score versus San Jose State. For the team's final road trip, the challenge now was to earn a conference win. The unfortunate victim of the Bulldogs' attack was the University of Denver, as sophomore Ernie Vega tapped one in to make the score 1-0. The final match of the season just so happened to be at home, the exact place where the Bulldogs were still seeking a win. They got just that with a 3-0 shutout over No. 24 Air Force Academy.
The 'Dogs finished in seventh place in the MPSF with a 3-4-3 record and a 6-7-7 overall record. Fresno State was the host for the 2001 MPSF Men's Soccer Championships from Thursday, Nov. 8, through Sunday, Nov. 11.
