Fresno State Athletics
Women's Soccer Faces Rice In WAC Tournament
11/3/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
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"Kickin' It With Fresno State Women's Soccer"
2003 WAC Women's Soccer Tournament-
First Round
No. 3 Rice Owls (9-7-1, 6-2-0 WAC)
vs.
No. 6 Fresno State Bulldogs (7-8-2, 4-4-0 WAC)
Date: Thursday, Nov. 6
Time: 3 p.m. PST
Site: Dallas, Texas
Stadium: Westcott Field
Series History: Fresno State leads 2-1
Last Meeting: Rice 4, Fresno State 1 (Oct. 26, 2003 in Fresno, Calif.)
The Opening Kick-Off
After suffering a 4-1 loss to Rice in the regular season finale, Fresno State gets a chance at redemption when the two schools face off in the opening round of the 2003 WAC Tournament. That victory assured the Owls of the tournament's No. 3 seed, while the Bulldogs slipped to No. 6 after losing a three-team tiebreaker with Boise State and UTEP. Fresno State can finish the year with a record of .500 or better with at least two victories.
2003 WAC Women's Soccer Championship
The Bulldogs have qualified for the WAC Tournament each year since the inception of the program in 1995. Only the top six schools of the nine-member league advance to the postseason tournament based on regular season standings. The top two teams receive a first-round bye, while the remaining four face off in single-elimination format. The tournament champion receives the conference's automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Nov. 6 (Thu.)
#6 Fresno State (7-8-2, 4-4-0 WAC)
vs. #3 Rice (9-7-1, 6-2-0 WAC) - 3 p.m. PST
#5 UTEP (10-7-0, 4-4-0 WAC)
vs. #4 Boise State (8-11-1, 4-4-0 WAC)- 5:30 p.m. PST
Nov. 7 (Fri.)
#6 vs. #3 winner vs.
#2 Hawai'i (13-4-1, 7-1-0 WAC)- 3 p.m. PST
#5 vs. #4 winner vs.
#1 SMU (15-2-0, 7-1-0 WAC)- 5:30 p.m. PST
Nov. 8 (Sat.)
Championship Match- 5:30 p.m. PST
Scouting Rice
Not much has changed since these two squads hooked up two weeks ago in Fresno. Rice claimed a 4-1 triumph in that match to extend its winning streak to a season-high five games. The Owls' final regular season match against Baylor was cancelled. Rice has been impressive on defense, having allowed just 14 goals all year. The Owls have played nine games ending in a 1-0 result. Sarah Yoder (five goals, 11 points, 33 shots) has been a catalyst on offense for the Owls. Netminder Lauren Shockley has been one of the WAC's best goalies, posting a 0.75 GAA in 17 games. Head coach Chris Huston is in her third year at the helm.
Fresno State All-Time vs. Rice
Rice broke through with its first victory in the overall series when it defeated Fresno State 4-1 back on Oct. 26. Prior to that meeting, the teams had met two other times with the 'Dogs claiming both victories. Fresno State notched a 2-0 shutout in the WAC opener last season and blanked the Owls 1-0 in Fresno the previous year.
Scouting the 2003 WAC Tournament Field
#1 SMU (15-3-1, 7-1-0 WAC): The Mustangs, winners of two straight WAC Tournament titles, enter this year's event as both the host school and the top seed. SMU's last two games have ended in a loss and tie following a 10-match win streak.
#2 Hawai'i (13-4-2, 7-1-0 WAC): A 4-3 loss to SMU back on Oct. 3 means that Hawai'i checks in as the tournament's No. 2 seed. The Rainbow Wahine had won seven in a row before playing BYU to a 2-2 tie in the regular season finale.
#4 Boise State (8-11-1, 4-4-0 WAC): Perhaps the hottest team in the tournament is the Broncos, who have won three straight. Boise State, which began the year 2-7, handed No. 1 seed SMU its only loss in WAC competition.
#5 UTEP (10-7-0, 4-4-0 WAC): UTEP checks in as the No. 5 seed after picking up only two wins in its final five matches. The Miners advanced to the WAC Tournament championship match last year, ultimately falling to SMU.
Fresno State at WAC Championships
Fresno State, which has qualified for the WAC Tournament nine straight seasons, holds a 6-8 mark in conference postseason play. The Bulldogs have never claimed the championship in their brief nine-year history and have never won more than one game in the tourney. The previous two seasons have yielded similar results- a first round win over Tulsa and a semifinal loss to SMU. In 2002, the Bulldogs blanked the Golden Hurricane 4-0 before falling to the Mustangs in double-overtime 2-1.
Last Week's Action- Fresno State 4, Tulsa 0 (Oct. 23)
Fresno State secured a WAC Tournament berth and improved to 4-0-1 at home with a 4-0 shutout of Tulsa at Bulldog Stadium. The Bulldogs outshot Tulsa 20-3 on the evening, including a 12-0 edge in the second half. First half scores from Katri Nokso-Koivisto and Erin Sayegusa set the tone as the 'Dogs took a 2-0 lead. In the second period, Koleen Anderson's header off a Nokso-Koivisto feed made it 3-0 and Eriko Yoshiki notched her fifth goal of the year in the 70th minute.
Last Week's Action- Rice 4, Fresno State 1 (Oct. 26)
The 'Dogs missed out on a chance to improve their WAC Tournament seeding, dropping a 4-1 decision to Rice in the final regular season match in front of 3,358 fans at Bulldog Stadium. Rice took a 2-0 lead into halftime, courtesy of two scores by Callye Dannheim. Despite being outshot 9-8, Rice continued to press on offense and received a third goal from Becky MacAllister. Fresno State's only score of the match came in the 60th minute, when Kortney Lewis dribbled past a group of defenders and fired an off-balance shot into the corner of the net.
The Hunt For Red October
The Bulldogs have traditionally been impressive during the month of October and this season was no different. Fresno State went 4-2 in six matches last month, improving to 22-13-2 during the month of October over the previous four seasons. More importantly, the late season surge helped the Bulldogs qualify for the conference tournament.
Slightly Ahead of Schedule
Through 17 games last year, Fresno State's record stood at 6-11. This year's squad checks in at 7-8-2 through the same pace. The Bulldogs head into the WAC Tournament having won four of their last six games. Last season's team managed to finish strong also, winning six of their final eight contests for an 8-13-0 overall finish.
It Would Seem Obvious
It's interesting to get a closer look at the Bulldogs. A quick glance at the statistics indicate that this year's results have been either hit or miss. For starters, the Bulldogs closed out the year 4-1-1 at home while finishing up just 3-7-1 in matches away from Bulldog Stadium. The team is 7-0-1 when leading at the half and conversely 0-8-1 when trailing. Fresno State has outshot its opponents on 10 occasions, winning six of those contests. When the 'Dogs are outshot on the scoreboard, the team is just 1-6.
Almost Perfect
A win over Rice in the regular season finale on Oct. 26 would have guaranteed Fresno State its first unbeaten season at home in school history. However, the Bulldogs fell short in their quest as they fell to the Owls 4-1 and closed out the year 4-1-1 at Bulldog Stadium.
Return of the Offense
Several Bulldog players have managed to boost their statistics during the team's four victories in the month of October. Among them:
- Erin Sayegusa: Started all six matches at the midfield position and caught fire, notching four goals and four assists. Two of those goals came during a 7-1 rout of San Jose State on Oct. 10. She has recorded either a goal or an assist in five of the last six games. Sayegusa blasted six shots in a loss to Hawai'i.
- Kortney Lewis: The Bulldog's top scorer from a year ago, she has continued to shine again this year. Lewis has found the net five times in the last six games and has added two assists. Through that same stretch, she has fired off a combined 24 shots, 16 of which have been on goal. Leads team in goals (9), points (21), shots (43) and shots on goal (27).
- Katri Nokso-Koivisto: Checks in with four goals and three assists over the last six matches. Best game of the stretch came against San Jose State on Oct. 10 when she tallied two goals and two assists. She has taken 22 shots during the same time frame, nine of which have been on goal. Finds herself second on the team in points (15) and goals scored (5).
Balance Has Been The Key
Nine different players have already scored a goal for the Bulldogs this season. While last season's offense centered around two forwards, the scoring this year has come from all over the field. In contrast, eight different players tallied a goal for Fresno State all of last year. Three players (Cortney Sobrero, Lisa Esteves, Kristyn Kellogg) have scored their first career goals this year, while Koleen Anderson netted her second career score against San Jose State on Oct. 10.
Tough Way To Begin
In what has become a fall ritual, the Bulldogs have already faced five nationally-ranked programs. Each of Fresno State's first four losses came vs. top-20 teams.
Opponent Rank Site ResultCharlotte 25 at Charlotte, NC W, 3-1Tennessee 12 at Knoxville, TN L, 3-1California 13 at Berkeley, CA L, 2-0Washington 14 at Seattle, WA L, 3-0Portland 10 at Seattle, WA L, 1-0
Give Us One More Try
Just five days after equaling its highest single-game shot total in school history, Fresno State got it right the second time around. After blasting 27 shots in a 3-0 shutout of Nevada on Oct. 5, the Bulldogs responded with a program-best 34 shots in a 7-1 rout of San Jose State last weekend. Fresno State outshot San Jose State 24-3 after halftime and was led by sophomores Koleen Anderson and Kortney Lewis with six shots apiece. Fresno State fell just shy of matching its highest single-game scoring output of eight goals, achieved Sept. 17, 2000 against Weber State.
Her Paine Is Bulldog's Gain
Freshman Jeannette Paine has proven herself as the team's starting goalkeeper. She has played 1538:08 in goal through 17 games, while making 61 saves overall. She has registered three shutouts, including her first career shutout on Sept. 6 in a 2-0 win over Sacramento State. Paine also stopped a penalty kick attempt by No. 12 Tennessee on Aug. 31. Her seven saves against No. 10 Portland at the Husky/Nike Invitational on Sept. 19 are a career-best.
Run At The Records
Several Bulldog athletes continue to establish themselves in the program record book. Sophomore Kortney Lewis now ranks fourth in points (48), third in goals (19) and her 96 shots are also good for sixth overall. Senior Erin Sayegusa has moved into fifth place all-time with 42 career points and is currently fourth with 16 goals. She is third overall with 133 shots. Sophomore Katri Nokso-Koivisto has also made her mark, as she ranks seventh in points (38) and is tied for seventh in goals (14). All three players sit in a third-place tie in assists with 10.
Learning How To Draw
After a span of 67 consecutive matches not resulting in a tie, Fresno State has played to a draw twice already this year. The Bulldogs tied Pacific 2-2 back on Sept. 9 for its first tie result in almost four years, then accomplished the feat again one week later vs. UC Riverside (1-1). Entering the contest against Pacific, Fresno State last played to a draw when it battled UTEP to a 1-1 double-overtime decision on Oct. 22, 1999. And who better to snap that streak than the Tigers, a team that the Bulldogs had gone to overtime with in six of the nine previous meetings.
Defending The Home Turf
Fresno State closed out the 2003 regular season with a 4-1-1 ledger at home. The Bulldogs are now 44-28-3 all-time on their home turf, despite managing just a 14-12 record at home over the previous three years. Fresno State's eight home victories in 2000 were a program-best, but the best season came in 1997 at 7-3.
PK's Are Back In Style
When sophomore Eriko Yoshiki converted on a penalty kick attempt against Tennessee on Aug. 31, it ended a lengthy drought. Prior to the match against the Lady Vols, the last time Fresno State scored on a penalty kick was during a 3-2 double-overtime win over Nevada back on Oct. 21, 2001. Erin Sayegusa earned the honor in that contest, giving the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead at the time.
