Fresno State Athletics
Soccer Opens Three-Match Homestand Friday Night
10/18/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Oct. 17, 2005
Fresno State Bulldogs (5-8-1, 2-1-0 WAC) vs.
Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters (7-6, 0-3 WAC)
Date: Friday, Oct. 21
Time: 7 p.m.
Facility: Bulldog Stadium
Series History: First Meeting
Last Meeting: First Meeting
Looking Ahead...
Fresno State Bulldogs vs.
Utah State Aggies (5-7-3, 2-1-0 WAC)
Date: Sunday, Oct. 23
Time: 1 p.m.
Facility: Bulldog Stadium
The Opening Kick-Off
A critical conference road sweep last week has put Fresno State in position to clinch its 11th consecutive WAC Tournament berth as early as this weekend. After recording back-to-back 1-0 wins against Idaho and Boise State, Fresno State (5-8-1, 2-1-0 WAC) continues to climb in the conference standings. The Bulldogs look to continue their surge on Friday night, hosting Louisiana Tech (7-6, 0-3 WAC) to open a three-match homestand at Bulldog Stadium. The weekend concludes with conference newcomer Utah State (5-7-3, 2-1-0 WAC) making its first-ever appearance in Fresno.
Scouting Louisiana Tech
Louisiana Tech is in just its second year of existence and enters the weekend with a 7-6 overall record and a 0-3 mark in the WAC. The Lady Techsters, who were 0-10-2 in 2004, opened the year with five victories in their first six games and outscored their opponents 27-4 during that stretch. Louisiana Tech has shown up in the national rankings for scoring offense, having totaled at least seven goals in a match on five different occasions. Conference play has been a different story, however, as the Lady Techsters have yet to score a goal and are constantly getting outshot (31-9 vs. San Jose State and 38-2 vs. Hawai'i). Players to watch include: Emily Cleaveland (nine goals, five assists, 23 points), Kathleen McCullough (four goals, four assists, 28 shots) and Chrissy Haisler (1.62 GAA, 68 saves, 5-6 record, four shutouts). Head coach Jennifer Soileau is currenty in her second year.
Fresno State All-Time vs. Louisiana Tech
Fresno State and Louisiana Tech will be meeting in soccer for the first time.
Scouting Utah State
Utah State (5-7-3, 2-1 WAC) plays at Nevada on Friday night before squaring off against Fresno State two days later. Another newcomer to the WAC, Utah State did not get their first win of the year until defeating San Francisco 3-1 on Sept. 15 as they began the season 0-4-2. The Aggies have opened conference action with two wins in their first three games, including a 2-1 upset of then-first place Hawai'i last weekend at home. Utah State has outshot its opponents 254-192 but has been outscored by a 24-18 count. The Aggies are just 1-4 on the road in 2005. Players to watch include: Charity Weston (six goals, four assists, 16 points, 45 shots), Dana Peart (four goals, nine points, 37 shots) and Kelli Allred (1.99 GAA, 33 saves, 16 goals allowed). The head coach of the Aggies is Heather Cairns.
Fresno State All-Time vs. Utah State
Fresno State and Utah State have hooked up just once before on the pitch, with the Bulldogs notching the win. Fresno State blanked Utah State 2-0 on Sept. 17, 1999, in the opening round of the Pacific Invitational at Stockton, Calif.
CJSL Day On Tap This Weekend
Clovis Junior Soccer League (CJSL) Day has turned into one of Fresno State's most-anticipated home draws, attracting a season-high turnout of 3,358 last year. Youth soccer teams from Clovis participate in pre-game introductions while Bulldog student-athletes will be on hand to sign autographs following the game. In addition, fans have the opportunity to tailgate prior to the match.
Larsen Named WAC Defensive Player of the Week
Junior goalkeeper Angie Larsen has been named the Xbox Live WAC Defensive Player of the Week for Oct. 17. The honor is the first for a Fresno State player this season and also the first of Larsen's career. Larsen played a key role in Fresno State sweeping back-to-back road matches last weekend as she notched two shutouts between the posts. In a 1-0 victory over Idaho, Larsen tallied three saves. Two days later against Boise State, Larsen notched two saves in helping preserve the Bulldog's 1-0 double-overtime win over the Broncos. For the weekend, she made five saves and held the opposition scoreless for a span of 204:40. Larsen is the first Fresno State player to earn a WAC Player of the Week honor since September of 2004 when Cortney Sobrero received the honor for registering a hat trick.
It's Not Too Early To Start Looking Ahead
The 2005 WAC Tournament is scheduled to get underway Thursday, Nov. 3 in Boise, Idaho. Boise State is the host for this year's event. Only the top six schools advance to the conference tournament based on the regular season standings. Two points are awarded for a win and one for a tie. The top two teams receive a first-round bye and the tournament champion receives the conference's automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament. Fresno State is currently part of a four-team grouping that has accumulated six points. The Bulldogs, who have made the WAC Tournament every season in their history, would likely just need to win two of their final four games to qualify. Defending champion SMU left the WAC to join Conference USA so there will be new titlist crowned in 2005.
Name Is The Same On Offense
No matter how you spell it, the majority of the offensive production has come from the usual suspects: senior Kortney Lewis and junior Cortney Sobrero. Lewis leads the `Dogs in points with 11, as she has scored three goals and added five assists. Sobrero has four goals, while leading the team in shots (51) and shots on goal (24). Both players continue to climb in the record books as well. Lewis currently ranks second in points (73) and shots (166) and third in goals (27) and assists (19). Sobrero is close behind, ranking fifth in points (42), fourth in goals (17) and third in shots (145).
Fresno State All-Time At Bulldog Stadium
Fresno State is now 48-30-6 all-time in games played at Bulldog Stadium. The Bulldogs are winless in four home matches this year and look to get on track Friday against Louisiana Tech. Fresno State's eight home victories in 2000 were a program-best, but the best season came in 1997 at 7-3. The only other time that happened was in 2002, when Fresno State lost to No. 3 UCLA, No. 4 California and Pacific to begin the season 0-4 at home.
