Fresno State Athletics
Women's Soccer Hosts Pair of Exhibition Matches This Weekend
8/16/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Aug. 16, 2004
Fresno State Bulldogs vs.
Cal State Stanislaus Warriors (EXHIBITION)
Date: Friday, Aug. 20
Time: 7 p.m.
Site: Fresno, Calif.
Stadium: Bulldog Stadium (41,031) Fresno State Bulldogs vs.
Fresno Pacific Sunbirds (EXHIBITION)
Date: Sunday, Aug. 22
Time: 8 p.m.
Site: Fresno, Calif.
Stadium: Bulldog Stadium (41,031) The Opening Kick-Off
The 10th season of Fresno State women's soccer gets underway on Friday, Aug. 20, with an exhibition match against Cal State Stanislaus scheduled for 7 p.m. at Bulldog Stadium. Mark Your Calendars
Meet the Team festivities are slated for 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 21 at Sierra Vista Mall in Clovis. First-year head coach Steve Springthorpe, his staff and the women's soccer team will greet the public, hand out this year's poster and sign autographs. Looking Ahead
For the fourth consecutive season, Fresno State will open its regular season schedule on the road. The Bulldogs begin non-conference play on Friday, Aug. 27 against UC Riverside at 3 p.m. The Southern California road trip concludes on Sunday, Aug. 29 with a match against Cal State Fullerton. A Quick Look Back At 2003
Fresno State closed out the 2003 campaign with a 7-9-2 overall record and a 4-4-0 WAC mark. Playing one of the toughest schedules in school history that featured five opponents ranked in the top-25, the Bulldogs also advanced to the WAC Tournament for the ninth straight season. Fresno State's 4-4-0 conference ledger signaled the third straight year with a record of .500 or higher in league play. Bulldogs Picked Fifth Overall In Preseason Coaches Poll
Fresno State, which finished 7-9-2 overall last season, has been picked to finish fifth in the 2004 WAC preseason poll, as selected by the league's nine head coaches. SMU, which will be gunning for its fourth-straight WAC title, earned eight first-place votes and registered 64 points to top the poll. Hawai'i finished in second place with 55 points and one first-place vote, while Rice took third with 50 points. UTEP tallied 37 points to check in fourth, just ahead of Fresno State in fifth with 35. Boise State was sixth with 28 points, followed by Tulsa (26), San Jose State (18) and Nevada (11). In comparison, Fresno State was tabbed to finish third in the 2003 preseason poll. The Springthorpe File
Steve Springthorpe begins his first season as head coach of the Fresno State women's soccer program. Springthorpe, who served as an assistant coach at the University of Florida for the previous five seasons, was named head coach June 3, 2004. In five years at Florida, Springthorpe helped the Gators win three Southeastern Conference (SEC) regular season championships, three SEC Tournament Championships and reached the NCAA Tournament on four occasions. Last season, the Gators were 19-4-2 and advanced to the NCAA quarterfinal round. Springthorpe helped the Gators to an 87-28-5 overall record in his five seasons at Florida. While at Florida, he worked with the goalkeepers and was involved in recruiting and scouting. Chestnutt, Sosovec Named Assistant Coaches
First-year head coach Steve Springthorpe began assembling his staff with assistant coaches Thomas Chestnutt and Lindsey Sosovec. Chestnutt, who served two seasons as an intern at the University of Florida, previously served four years as the technical advisor for the Gainesville Select Soccer Club and Legacy Soccer Club. Sosovec comes to Fresno State after spending the previous two seasons as a graduate assistant and goalkeeper coach at South Dakota State. Back In The Rankings
Fresno State re-established its reputation as one of the nation's top-watched programs in 2003, ranking third nationally in average match attendance among all other Division 1 women's soccer programs. The Bulldogs drew an average of 1,607 fans over six home dates last year, trailing national-leader Texas A&M with 1,977 and checking in just behind second-ranked Texas at 1,609. Fresno State's 2003 national average attendance ranking matched the school's previous high set back in 1998, when the Bulldogs closed out the year ranked third-best in the country with a program-best 1,637 average. Fresno State's No. 3 national ranking also made Bulldog Stadium the top-ranked site in the west for average attendance. `Dogs Excel In The Classroom
Nine Fresno State student-athletes earned WAC All-Academic accolades for 2003, an upgrade over the eight selections in 2002. Prior to that, the Bulldogs had never totaled more than five selections on the WAC All-Academic squad. In addition, the team also achieved a cummulative GPA of 2.99 during the 2003-04 school year. Other individual academic honors in 2003 included Kristyn Kellogg (Kiwanis Torch of Excellence Award winner) and Katri Nokso-Koivisto (Academic All-District VIII). Scouting The Defense
Seniors Regina Esparza and Heather Young are returning defensive starters who will be counted on to help anchor the backline. Esparza played in a career-high 17 contests last year while making 11 starts. Young, who has seen time in 50 consecutive matches dating back to her freshman season, has proved to be another dependable option. Sophomore Rochelle Jagdeo is a capable defender who gained experience as a reserve in 2003. Jagdeo saw action in 11 games and was one of three freshmen to receive a starting nod in the Bulldog's WAC Tournament loss to Rice. Scouting The Midfielders
Junior Koleen Anderson headlines a group of talented athletes in the midfield who are suited for different matchups and playing styles. Anderson, who enters the season having started 39 straight matches, chipped in with two goals and two assists last year while firing off a career-best 29 shots in the process. Anderson's impact in the midfield over the past two seasons has been impressive, and she will be relied on to provide leadership to an underclassmen-laden club. Sophomores Antonea Lugo and Erika Sugano are versatile players who have also been used in the midfield at some point. Lugo, who moves well along the sideline, played in 15 games as a freshman and was accurate around the net, with eight of her 12 shots on target. Sugano played in 13 games and also recorded an assist. Scouting The Forwards
The forward position is stocked with several proven options, led most notably by one of the most explosive scorers in the conference in junior Kortney Lewis. A second team All-WAC selection in 2003, Lewis is coming off a season in which she led the `Dogs in the following offensive categories: starts (18), goals (9), points (21), shots (43) and shots on goal (27). That followed up a freshman season in which she led the club in the same categories and earned a spot on the WAC All-Tournament Team. In just two seasons, Lewis continues to rewrite the program record books and establish herself as one of the most prolific goal scorers in school history. Entering this year, she ranks fourth all-time in points, third in goals and assists and sixth in shots. Another local product, junior Barbara Davis, will give the Bulldogs added depth and leadership. Davis played in 17 games last season and immediately made her presence known with a goal in a road win over No. 25 Charlotte in the season opener. A redshirt in 2002, Davis rebounded nicely last year and shared the team lead in assists with five while seven of her 19 shots were on goal. Sophomore Cortney Sobrero is an equally-talented scorer who should benefit from increased playing time in 2004. A gifted scorer who has the ability to create her own scoring opportunities, Sobrero was Fresno State's top freshman last season on offense. She notched three goals and three assists while playing in all 18 games. Scouting The Goalkeepers
Sophomore Jeannette Paine is coming off a rookie season that saw her start all 18 games in goal for the Bulldogs. The coaching staff believes that a full season of collegiate experience, along with an improved defense, should allow Paine to continue her development as an effective netminder. Paine played a total of 1628:08 in goal last year, while making 63 saves overall. She registered three shutouts, including the first of her career in a 2-0 win over Sacramento State on Sept. 6. Paine also stopped a penalty kick attempt by No. 12 Tennessee on Aug. 31 and made a career-best seven saves in a 1-0 loss to No. 10 Portland on Sept. 21. Junior Chelsea Mays served as Paine's backup in 2003 and held San Jose State scoreless for 20 minutes of action in the only match she appeared in last year. A Look At The 2004 Schedule
A road trip to Southern California that features matches against UC Riverside and Cal State Fullerton opens the season. The Bulldogs then travel to Corvallis, Ore., to compete in the OSU Nike Invitational where they will face 2003 NCAA Tournament participant UNC Greensboro and New Hampshire. The home opener is slated for Sept. 12 against regional rival Sacramento State, while the Bulldogs will also host Pacific and Cal State Northridge during the same month. Road contests at New Mexico and annual NCAA Tournament entrant California round out the non-conference ledger. The 2004 WAC season begins with a critical early homestand against UTEP and defending-champion SMU. Fresno State then travels to Boise State before coming home to face Nevada, which will be making its first appearance at Bulldog Stadium since 2001. After tangling with San Jose State on the road, the squad returns home for the last time hoping to defeat Hawai'i for the first time since the 2000 campaign. Road games at Tulsa and Rice wrap up the conference schedule before the WAC Tournament gets underway Nov. 4 in Honolulu, Hi. Lewis Earns Second Team All-WAC Accolades
Sophomore forward Kortney Lewis was awarded second team All-WAC honors in 2003 after leading the `Dogs in the following offensive categories: starts (18), goals (9), points (21), shots (43) and shots on goal (27). That followed up a freshman season in which she led the club in the same categories and earned a spot on the WAC All-Tournament Team. In just two seasons, Lewis continues to rewrite the program record books and establish herself as one of the most prolific goal scorers in school history. Entering this year, she ranks fourth all-time in points, third in goals and assists and sixth in shots. 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 and were defeated by Rice 4-1 to finish the year 4-1-1 at Bulldog Stadium. The Bulldogs are now 44-26-3 all-time on their home turf, despite managing just a 10-8-1 mark at home over the previous three years. Fresno State's eight home wins in 2000 were a program-best, but the best year came in 1997 at 7-3. The Hunt For Red October
The Bulldogs have traditionally been impressive during the month of October and 2003 was no different. Fresno State went 4-2 in six October matches last year, improving to 22-13-2 during the month over the previous four seasons. 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 the next 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.
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/ Women's SoccerSoccer Media Availability (8/4/25)
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