Fresno State Athletics
The 2015 Soccer Season in Review
12/2/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
2015 MW Stats 
By Jason Kelm
jakelm@csufresno.edu
GoBulldogs.com
FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno State women's soccer head coach Brian Zwaschka, who has now coached the most games (141) in program history, completed his seventh season at the program's helm.
The Bulldogs finished ninth in the Mountain West with a 4-6-1 Conference record and went 5-12-1 overall. The 'Dogs were in contention to make the Mountain West Championship going into their final game, had two sophomores selected to the 2015 MW All-Conference Second Team (Myra Delgadillo and Maria Gomez), played some of the top competition in the country and four of their top five offensive leaders were underclassmen.
The Mountain West had a very competitive 2015 season. Going into the final game of the regular season, nine of the 12 teams were still in contention for the six spots in the MW Championship.
As for the MW Championship, for the first time in school history, the San José State Spartans took home the crown. After battling No. 1 seed San Diego State to a 1-1 draw through two overtime periods, the No. 2 seeded Spartans claimed the title thanks to a victory in a penalty kick shootout, 4-2.
A Season in Review
Zwaschka scheduled tough non-conference opponents to challenge the young team. After an exhibition at No. 2 Stanford, Fresno State traveled to the East Coast to face Duke and No. 7 North Carolina, followed by a northwest trip to face Oregon State and Oregon. The Bulldogs averaged four goals allowed per game during the four-game road trip and failed to score.
Happy to be back home, the 'Dogs finally found the back of the net courtesy of junior defender Angie Weiner's first collegiate goal in their home opener against CSUN, but dropped the match 2-1.
Fresno State would go on to be shut out by Cal Poly before wrapping up non-conference play by capturing its first win at Sacramento State 1-0 after sophomore Peyton Cline placed in the first goal of her career.
Cline would go on to rank fourth on the team in shots with 29 throughout the season as well as garner recognition on the College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-District VIII Second Team for her accomplishments in the classroom as well as on the field.
By the time MW play began, the Bulldogs had almost fully recovered from injuries and were able to begin to settle into specific roles, but that didn't keep bench players from finding their moments to contribute.
The 'Dogs tied Colorado State 2-2, fell to Wyoming 3-0, dropped the MW home opener 3-2 to Utah State, but finally capitalized on their growth in a 4-1 blowout over Boise State.
Fresno State was finally scoring, from everywhere, whether it be from bench players such as sophomore Carly Bracken, defenders like senior team captain Fanny Johansson, 2014's second-leading scorer Ashari Hines, senior Sam Brechmann finding the net for the first time in her career, or 2015 MW All-Conference Second Team selections Myra Delgadillo and Maria Gomez.
Junior Alyssa Holsworth was instrumental in the midfield for Fresno State. Though most of her accomplishments on the field can't be counted statistically, she was able to record two assists and ranked second on the team with 31 shots.
Delgadillo would emerge as the top striker for the Bulldogs, contributing six goals out of 16 shots on goal during the season while Gomez took the most chances at the net with a team-leading 44 shots, while adding two goals and one assist.
Delgadillo and Gomez would knock in the game-winning goals over the next two games to defeat both Colorado College and Air Force 1-0, respectively. Following that weekend, Weiner was named MW Defensive Player of the Week and the 'Dogs sat in fifth place in the Conference. Delgadillo would also become the first Bulldog since 2009 to score in three-straight games and the first to rack up seven points in a three-day span since 2007.
On a three-game winning streak, Fresno State would head into its toughest MW weekend of the season when it traveled to San Diego State and New Mexico, getting swept 2-1 and 5-1, respectively. As opponents began to focus on defending Delgadillo, sophomore Alissa Pham stepped up to provide speed and energy from the bench, scoring in San Diego, while Delgadillo found the net late in the game against New Mexico.
As the Bulldogs came home to host Nevada in a heated battle, Holsworth was able to set up Delgadillo for the game-winning goal to overcome 1-0. This left the 'Dogs in control of their own fate.
Unfortunately, despite a season-high 32 shots against UNLV, and a terrific header from Pham, Fresno State fell 2-1, meaning that to make the MW Championship, it would have to defeat San Jose State in its final regular season game, as well as get some help from two other matches being played that evening.
The Bulldogs were executing their game plan very well against San Jose State, which finished second in the MW, until Delgadillo was forced to leave the game with an injury. In a tough defensive battle, the 'Dogs would allow the Spartans to score in the final 10 minutes, ending Fresno State's season.
Roster Depth
Going into the season, Zwaschka was confident that the highlight of this team would be its depth.
"We have solid depth in every position, which can help raise the overall level as the everyday preparation process remains very competitive," Zwaschka had said as fall camp began. "We also have an important blend of versatile players that can fit into more than one position or role."
This was no exaggeration. Injuries on the defensive side of the ball prompted Zwaschka to move Johansson from forward to defender prior to the first game, which would come to be her roll during her final year as a Bulldog. Throughout the season, 17 different players recorded shots, nine different players scored goals, five different players led the team with two assists each and three different goalkeepers saw action.
With only eight upperclassmen making up the 24-player roster, good depth was going to be imperative.
Freshman Marie Berwinkel-Kottmann started at the goalkeeper position for the majority of the season. She appeared in 13 games and started 10, including the final nine. Berwinkel-Kottmann notched 51 saves and allowed 20 goals to finish with a 4-6-0 record with three shutouts.
Returning sophomore Domenique Banta appeared in seven games, starting four, and saved 19 goals while allowing nine to finish with a 1-2-1 record. Freshman Nicole Theroux completed her initial year with an 0-4 record after she started the first two games, along with the fifth and sixth games this season. In her four games, she recorded 10 saves and allowed 13 goals.
For most of the season, the back line consisted of Johansson, Weiner, junior Amanda Nunes and sophomore Sara Jo Ciapponi. Due to injuries in the beginning of the year, sophomore Marina Kerrache, senior Rianna Cota and freshman Olivia Muhrbeck also put in some time as defenders.
As far as midfielders and forwards, so many rotations and lineup possibilities had Zwaschka excited. Even though Delgadillo was a clear threat, the bench was crucial to keeping the players on the field fresh and kept the opposition guessing.
Due to these rotations and various injuries, just five players appeared in all 18 games, and only Holsworth started each one.
Statistically Speaking
Throughout the 2015 campaign, Fresno State recorded the fewest saves (80) in program history and was outscored (42-16) and outshot (287-238) by opponents.
Among MW members during Conference play, the Bulldogs ranked second in shots (177), third in corner kicks (55), fourth in assists (12) and sixth in goals (14) and points (40). However, the 'Dogs also ranked seventh in fouls (113), 10th in saves (42) and 11th in goals allowed (20).
Fresno State was second among Conference members with a home attendance average of 691 during the season. New Mexico led with 1,143.
Going Forward
It's now time for Zwaschka and the Bulldogs to get back to the drawing board. With 13 letterwinners returning, the team has a lot to work on, but also a lot to work with. Though the season is over, their eyes are already set on 2016, and the future looks bright.
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