Fresno State Athletics
Three-Match Homestand On Tap For Women's Soccer
9/26/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Sept. 26, 2004
Fresno State Bulldogs (3-4-1) vs.
Cal State Northridge (5-2-1)
Date: Monday, Sept. 27
Time: 7 p.m.
Site: Fresno, Calif.
Stadium: Bulldog Stadium
Series History: Series tied at 2-2
Last Meeting: CS Northridge 2, Fresno State 0 - Sept. 19, 2001
LATER THIS WEEK...
Fresno State Bulldogs vs.
UTEP Miners (7-2-0)
Date: Friday, Oct. 1
Time: 7 p.m.
Site: Fresno, Calif.
Fresno State Bulldogs vs.
No. 17 SMU Mustangs (5-2-1)
Date: Sunday, Oct. 3
Time: 1 p.m.
Site: Fresno, Calif.
The Opening Kick-Off
After playing six of its first eight games on the road, Fresno State (3-4-1) returns to Bulldog Stadium for a three-game homestand this week. Prior to Friday's 4-0 loss at No. 13 California, the Bulldogs had reeled off three straight wins to climb back to the .500 mark. Three home contests should help get the `Dogs back on track though, as the team is 2-0 at Bulldog Stadium so far and has outscored opponents 7-1 combined. Fresno State wraps up non-conference play Monday night when its hosts Cal State Northridge at 7 p.m. The homestand continues later in the week, with the Bulldogs taking on UTEP (Friday, Oct. 1- 7 p.m.) in the WAC opener and two-time defending conference champion SMU (Sunday, Oct. 3- 1 p.m.) two days later.
Scouting Cal State Northridge
Fresno State's final non-conference opponent of the season will be Cal State Northridge (5-2-1). The Matadors have enjoyed some early success, recording four shutout victories. They have been able to outlast their opponents as well with a 3-0-1 record in double-overtime matches. In its most recent action, Cal State Northridge dropped a 3-2 decision to San Diego State at home. The team has been involved in several low-scoring games, as evidenced by a 13-7 goals scored advantage over its opponents. Players to watch include: Brianna Monka (three goals, seven points, 20 shots), Rebecca Hidalgo (three goals, 17 shots, 10 shots on goal) and Karen Comstock (0.84 GAA, 23 saves, six goals allowed). Head coach Terry Davila is in his first season at the helm.
Fresno State All-Time vs. Cal State Northridge
The all-time series is even at 2-2. Cal State Northridge posted a 2-0 shutout in the most recent meeting, back on Sept. 19, 2001. All four games in the series have resulted in a shutout. Fresno State has suffered losses in the last two meetings and the Bulldogs are 1-1 against Cal State Northridge in Fresno.
Scouting UTEP
UTEP (7-2-0) is in the middle of a stretch in which it plays five of seven games on the road. The Miners have started strong, piecing together a seven-match winning streak between their only two losses of the year. UTEP's two losses this year have come in the form of 3-2 double-overtime decisions. The Miners were upset 3-2 by Utah Valley State on the road in their last game. UTEP has outscored its opponents 29-10 and holds a 175-67 edge in shot attempts. The offense centers around: Christine McCartney (six goals, 15 points, 33 shots), Jami Tullius (six goals, 14 points, 29 shots), Kia Sams (three goals, four assists) and Brittany Popoff (seven games, 0.68 GAA, 5-0 record, 25 saves). Head coach Kevin Cross enters his fourth year in El Paso.
Fresno State All-Time vs. UTEP
The series stands at 2-2-2. Fresno State has won two of the last three meetings, including the most recent matchup in Fresno with a 2-0 win back on Oct. 13, 2002. The Miners notched a 2-0 shutout victory in last year's battle.
Scouting No. 17 SMU
SMU (5-2-1) has established itself as the most dominant team in the WAC, adding a fifth WAC Tournament title to its credit in 2003. Nationally-ranked for much of the year, SMU will open conference play at San Jose State on Friday before facing Fresno State two days later. SMU has won four of its last five games, including back-to-back 3-0 shutouts in its previous two victories. The Mustangs have already squared off against several tough non-conference opponents that include Oklahoma, Santa Clara, Stanford and UCLA. SMU has outscored its opponents 22-9, but has been outshot 131-126. SMU players to watch include: Krystal Bailey (four goals, nine points, 14 shots), Jill Heinemann (three goals, three assists, 15 shots) and Amanda Clark (0.86 GAA, 43 saves, three shutouts, seven goals allowed). Head coach John Cossaboon is in his third year.
Fresno State All-Time vs. SMU
The series has been lopsided with SMU owning a 9-1 edge. The Mustangs have won seven consecutive matches, including a 6-1 win in the team's meeting last season in Dallas. Fresno State's only victory over SMU came back on Oct. 15, 1999 at Bulldog Stadium when the `Dogs scored a 3-1 win. SMU was ranked No. 10 in the nation at the time.
Fresno State In WAC Openers
The Bulldogs have been impresive in their previous WAC debuts, checking in at 5-2-1. Fresno State, which is 47-62-2 all-time in WAC matches, had won three consecutive conference openers before falling to UTEP 2-0 last season in El Paso. Prior to that, the Bulldogs had not lost a WAC debut since 1996.
Offensive Onslaught
After scoring just two goals in its first three matches, Fresno State has chalked up 13 scores over the last five games. The offensive outburst can be traced back to a number of factors, including a healthy starting lineup and standout performances from the forwards. In addition, Fresno State has attempted 64 shots over the last five games in comparison to 24 through the first three.
Sobrero Leading Bulldog Charge
The play of sophomore forward Cortney Sobrero has contributed to Fresno State's recent offensive turnaround. The best example came in a 4-2 win at New Mexico on Sept. 19, when she recorded Fresno State's first hat trick in four years. Sobrero, the Bulldog's leading goal-scorer with seven in six games played, became just the third player in school history to score three times in a game and the first since Jill Pearson found the net four times against Weber State on Sept. 17, 2000. For her efforts, Sobrero was also named WAC Player of the Week- the first award given to a Bulldog player since Pearson earned the same honor for her hat trick in 2000.
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.
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 six games she has scored three times and assisted twice. She is second with 16 shots.
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 26 saves and posted a GAA of 1.77 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.
Defending The Home Turf
With a victory over Pacific last week, Fresno State is now 46-26-3 all-time on its home turf, despite managing just a 10-8-1 record at home over the previous three years. The Bulldogs are 2-0 at home this year and begin a three-game homestand on Monday against Cal State Northridge. Fresno State's eight home victories in 2000 were a program-best, but the best season came in 1997 at 7-3.
