Fresno State Athletics
Conference Play Resumes This Weekend For Women's Soccer
10/4/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Oct. 4, 2004
Fresno State Bulldogs (3-5-3, 0-0-2 WAC) at
Boise State Broncos (7-4-0, 1-0-0 WAC)
Date: Friday, Oct. 8
Time: 3 p.m. PST
Site: Boise, Idaho
Stadium: Boas Tennis & Soccer Complex
Series History: Fresno State leads 2-1-0
Last Meeting: Fresno State 5, Boise State 2 (10-3-03)
Fresno State Bulldogs
vs. Nevada Wolf Pack (2-8-1, 0-1-0 WAC)
Date: Sunday, Oct. 10
Time: 1 p.m.
Site: Fresno, Calif.
Stadium: Bulldog Stadium
Series History: Fresno State leads 4-0-0
Last Meeting: Fresno State 3, Nevada 0 (10-5-03)
The Opening Kick-Off
Fresno State (3-5-3, 0-0-2 WAC) resumes conference play this weekend with a pair of matches. The Bulldogs travel to Idaho on Friday afternoon for a match against Boise State, then return to Fresno two days later to host Nevada at Bulldog Stadium. In its first two league contests, Fresno State played to ties against UTEP (0-0) and No. 16 SMU (1-1). Four of the Bulldog's final six WAC games will be played on the road, where the team has posted a 1-3-0 record. Through the first week of conference play, Fresno State currently stands in fifth place after earning two points for both ties last week. Hawai'i leads the WAC at 2-0 through the first week.
Scouting Boise State
Fresno State might be challenged against Boise State, as the Broncos are off to their best season in school history at 7-4-0. A 2-0 victory over Nevada in its WAC opener last weekend gave Boise State a 1-0 start in conference action. The Broncos are 4-1-0 at home this year and will look to continue their success against Fresno State on Friday. Boise State has been involved in a number of low-scoring games so far this year, as the team has outscored its opponents 11-10. In fact, nine of Boise State's 11 games have been shutout decisions (win or loss). Players to watch include: Lisa Balsama (four goals, nine points), Kaziah Hill (two goals, four points, 16 shots) and Kim Parker (11 games, 1.21 GAA, 43 saves). Boise State is led by head coach Steve Lucas.
Fresno State All-Time vs. Boise State
Fresno State has won two of the three meetings between the two schools. The Bulldogs dominated the Broncos last season in a 5-2 victory at Bulldog Stadium. In 2002, Fresno State recorded a 4-3 overtime win at Boise. The programs first met back on Oct. 18, 2001, when Boise State pitched a 1-0 shutout.
Scouting Nevada
Nevada is off to another slow start this year, entering the week at 2-8-1 overall. In two games last week, the Wolf Pack dropped their WAC opener against Boise State 2-0 and fell to Utah Valley State 3-2 on the road. Nevada's only wins this season came against Utah State and Northern Arizona. Scoring and defense have been problem areas for the Wolf Pack, who have been outscored 26-8 and shutout on five different occasions. Nevada, which hosts San Jose State on Friday before taking on Fresno State, has also been outshot by a 147-103 count. The Wolf Pack rely on: Annie Baxter (three goals, six points, 15 shots), Lauren Kinneman (three assists, team-best 23 shots), Blaine Dugan (17 shots, 11 shots on goal) and Megan Tarpenning (2.31 GAA, 53 saves). Terri Patraw leads Nevada this year in her first season as head coach.
Fresno State All-Time vs. Nevada
Fresno State owns a 4-0 edge in the all-time series. The Bulldogs have shutout the Wolf Pack by a 3-0 score in three of those matches, including a 3-0 win during last year's meeting in Reno. The two squads have met just once in Fresno; the result a 3-2 double-overtime victory for the Bulldogs back on Oct. 21, 2001.
Two Draws Equals Two Points
After going nearly five years without a tie against a conference opponent, Fresno State has now played to two straight draws. Prior to the Bulldog's WAC opener last Friday, the club had not played to a tie against a conference foe since Oct. 22, 1999 (1-1 at UTEP). That all changed in Fresno State's first two WAC matches, which included a 0-0 draw against UTEP and a 1-1 stalemate with No. 16 SMU two days later. In addition, the back-to-back tie matches were Fresno State's first since the 2001 campaign. Fresno State has never tied three straight games.
Getting Physical
Through the first eight games of the year, Fresno State committed 11 fouls or less in seven of those contests. After a 4-0 shutout loss at No. 13 California that saw the Bulldogs get whistled for just two fouls, the games have become more physical. In the last three games alone, Fresno State has been called for a 63 fouls compared to 34 for its opponents. The Bulldogs did not receive their first yellow card until the seventh game of the year, but were cautioned four times against SMU last weekend (three yellow, one red).
Sobrero Leading Bulldog Charge
Fresno State's offensive success can be traced back to the play of sophomore forward Cortney Sobrero. In a 4-2 win at New Mexico on Sept. 19, she recorded Fresno State's first hat trick in four years. Sobrero, the Bulldog's leading goal-scorer with seven, became just the third player in school history to score three times in a game and the first since Jill Pearson did it back on Sept. 17, 2000. For her efforts, Sobrero was also named WAC Player of the Week.
Youth Is Served
10 of the 22 players on this year's roster are freshmen, and nine of those have been penciled into the starting lineup at least once. Fresno State started five freshmen in the each of the first two games of the year.
The Hunt For Red October
Fresno State, which has traditionally been impressive during the month of October, has begun the month 0-0-2. Fresno State went 4-2 in six matches during the month last year, improving to 22-13-2 during the month of October over the previous four seasons.
Lewis Gets On Track
Kortney Lewis, a 2003 second team All-WAC selection and Fresno State's leading scorer in each of the past two seasons, is steadily becoming a part of the Bulldog offense again. Lewis was held in check during Fresno State's first two matches, failing to take a single shot. However, in the last nine games she has scored four times and assisted twice. She is second with 20 shots.
Defending The Home Turf
Fresno State is now 46-27-5 all-time on its home turf, despite managing just a 10-8-1 record at home over the previous three years. The Bulldogs are 2-1-2 at home this year and will host Nevada later this week. Fresno State's eight home victories in 2000 were a program-best, but the best season came in 1997 at 7-3.
Bulldogs Feel Paine
While her last name may suggest differently, Fresno State enjoys having sophomore goalkeeper Jeannette Paine back in the starting lineup. Paine, who played all but 31:52 in goal last year as a rookie, has notched 39 saves and posted a GAA of 1.34 after missing the first two games with the flu. More importantly, she has provided much-needed experience and stability to an early-season Bulldog lineup that has featured an abundance of freshmen or players adjusting to different positions. Paine made a career-best eight saves against New Hampshire and shutout Sacramento State on Sept. 12.
Moving Up The Ranks
Junior Kortney Lewis continues to rewrite the program record books and establish herself as one of the best all-around players in school history. After scoring her fourth goal of the year in a 1-1 tie with SMU last week, Lewis now ranks third all-time in points (58), goals (23) and assists (12). She also currently ranks sixth in shot attempts with 116.
