Fresno State Athletics
2002: A Season To Build On
5/21/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
May 21, 2003
Fresno State completed the 2002 campaign with an 8-13-0 overall mark and a 5-3-0 ledger in the WAC. The Bulldogs started the season 2-11 after facing one of the toughest schedules in the nation, but closed out the year strong by winning six of their final eight matches.
Despite their sub-.500 record, last year's young Bulldog squad chalked up some impressive highlights. It didn't start out that way though, as the 'Dogs were on the short end of nine of their first 10 contests.
A brutal opening schedule that featured six road games in one month and three contests against nationally-ranked opponents put Fresno State at an immediate disadvantage before the start of conference play.
Lack of offensive punch was the Bulldog's biggest hurdle early on, as the team was shutout in four of its first 10 games. A 4-0 drubbing of Southern Utah at the UNLV Tournament in early September accounted for Fresno State's lone victory. Among the losses was a 3-2 overtime defeat at the hands of Pacific, along with cold-shooting nights against No. 3 UCLA and No. 4 California.
And as the calendar turned to October, the Bulldogs immediately hit their stride. Fresno State began WAC competition on the road and blanked Rice 2-0 in the conference opener before falling to Tulsa 2-1 two days later.
The 'Dogs returned to Bulldog Stadium the following week for a homestand against the WAC's elite- SMU and UTEP. Fresno State dropped a tough 4-2 decision to SMU but bounced back to upset the Miners (undefeated at the time) 2-0 in one of the biggest wins of the season. Susan Shivokevich and Erin Sayegusa tallied goals for Fresno State in the victory, while Kortney Lewis chipped in with two assists.
That triumph would turn out to be the beginning of a five-game winning streak for the Bulldogs, the team's longest since the 1999 season and best in head coach Stacy Welp's two-year tenure. A road sweep of Nevada and Boise State followed, leading up to a 3-2 victory over rival San Jose State in front of the home crowd the following week.
The fifth win in that five-game stretch was a 2-1 road upset of then-No. 24 Cal State Fullerton, representing Fresno State's first win over a nationally-ranked squad in three years. More importantly, the offense carried the team throughout the streak as the Bulldogs outscored opponents 14-6 and recorded at least three goals in three of those five games.
A 1-0 overtime loss to Hawai'i in the regular season finale ended the streak, but the Bulldogs qualified for the WAC Tournament as the fifth seed.
Fresno State rebounded from the Hawai'i loss with a 4-0 shutout of Tulsa in the first round. Lewis and Katri Nokso-Koivisto each tallied two goals in the win for the 'Dogs, who ended the Golden Hurricane's season in the opening round of the conference tournament for the second straight year.
However, the Bulldog's upset bid of eventual WAC champion SMU in the semifinals came up short as the Mustangs posted a 2-1 double-overtime win. SMU's Sasha Andrews scored the game-winner with just over three minutes remaining in double-overtime before a penalty-kick shootout to give the Mustangs the win. This after Fresno State's Koleen Anderson headed in the tying goal with just over a minute left in regulation. It marked the fourth time in program history that SMU had defeated Fresno State in the WAC Tournament.
Several Bulldogs stepped up their play in 2002, with two freshmen forwards leading the charge. Lewis was impressive in her rookie season, leading the club with 10 goals scored, seven assists and 27 points. Nokso-Koivisto gave Fresno State yet another scoring threat up front in her first year, finishing second behind Lewis in goals scored (9), assists (5), points (23) and shots (43). During the Bulldog's five-game winning streak, the two first-year players accounted for three goals scored and seven assists.
Lewis and Nokso-Koivisto were so impressive that the duo has already established themselves in the women's soccer record book. Lewis is making a steady climb up the charts, as her 27 points rank eighth all-time and her seven assists are good for fifth overall. Nokso-Koivisto currently ranks 10th on the career points list with 23 and is 10th on the goals list with nine. Sayegusa joined her teammates this season in the record books, as the forward moved into seventh place all-time with 28 career points. She is also in seventh place in the goals scored category with 11 and sits in eighth place on the assists list with six.
That being said, the Bulldogs have several key starters returning in 2003 and should be poised for one of their best seasons in school history.
