Fresno State Athletics
Men's Soccer Hosts 21st Annual Goal Rush Classic
9/3/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
This Week
Fresno State will host the 21st annual Goal Rush Classic at Bulldog Stadium. FS will play UC Irvine Friday and Ohio State Sunday. Loyola Marymount will be the third team participating and will face off against Ohio State and UC Irvine.
What Just Happened
Fresno State was edged out by the Alumni squad on Sunday 2-1. The Bullodgs dominate most of the action, outshooting the alumni 24-7. The former Bulldogs were more efficient with their shooting, however, firing four of their seven shots on goals while Fresno State could just shot six of their 24 on goal. Last Friday, FS began its season with a 2-2 tie against Saint Mary's in double overtime. Sophomore midfielder Eli Delgado scored his first goal of the year and of his Bulldog career in the match. Freshman midfielder Jeff Margarian came to the rescue in that match with 2:09 left in regulation. Margarian also scored his first ever goal as a Bulldog to tie the match and force overtime.
Goal Rush Fever
This weekend the Bulldogs welcome Ohio State, UC Irvine and Loyola Marymount to the 21st annual Goal Rush Classic. Last season the tournament was won by Marshall, as they went 2-0. Fresno State is 27-8-2 all-time in the Goal Rush Classic, but were held winless last season as they posted a 0-1-1 mark against Evansville and Marshall. The last time the Bulldogs have captured a Goal Rush title was in 1998 when they defeated Massachusetts 2-0. Forward Noah Delgado (1998-2001) was named the tournament attacking MVP. That season the Bulldogs finished with a 11-6-5 record, including a WAC Championship and an NCAA appearance.
New Kids on the Block
Fresno State will join the likes of Stanford, UCLA, California and Oregon State when it joins the Pac-10 this season. The conference change is the seventh for the Bulldogs. The program has been a member of the Southern California Intercollegiate Soccer Association (SCISA), the Pacific Soccer Conference (PSC), the Pacific Coast Athletic Association (PCAA), the Big West Conference, the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) and most recently the Moutain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF).
Against Ranked Opponents
This season the Bulldogs will face four opponents that finished in the top-25 last season. Three of those opponents will be in the Pac-10, where the Bulldogs will play each twice. The the lone non-conference match will be against Portland who finished last season with a No. 16 ranking. Last season the Bulldogs tied in their only match against a ranked foe with a 2-2 score versus No. 4 Connecticut in double overtime.
What About the Road?
Fresno State is 0-0-1 this season on the road. The Bulldogs tied 2-2 against Saint Mary's. With most of their matches taking place away from home last season, the Bulldogs felt comfortable in foreign surroundings, posting a 4-2-2 record. Four of those matches were on neutral soil, which Fresno State was undefeated with a 2-0-2 mark. The Bulldogs started the first five non-home matched undefeated with a 3-0-2 record, outscoring their opposition 17-4 in that stretch. The Bulldogs never lost more than one match in a row in non-home matches last season.
At Bulldog Stadium
The normally friendly confines of Bulldog Stadium were unkind to Fresno State as they posted a record of 3-5-2. The three wins came in the Bulldogs' remarkable run at the MPSF Tournament when they made the championship match. Going into the tournament, FS was 0-4-2 at Bulldog Stadium. This season the Bulldogs have 10 matches slated for home play. including five against Pac-10 oppopents.
