Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State Drops Exhibition to No. 3 Stanford
8/14/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
By Jason Kelm
jakelm@csufresno.edu
GoBulldogs.com
STANFORD, Calif. - The Fresno State women's soccer team showed the epitome of perseverance Friday night in their exhibition against No. 3 Stanford at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium as they fell 3-0.
Stanford struck early, with Ryan Walker-Hartshorn scoring on a corner kick by Haley Rosen in the fifth minute; but over the next 63 minutes, the Fresno State defense regrouped and limited the Cardinal' chances before allowing two more Stanford goals in the 68th and 81st minutes.
"The idea of giving up an early goal on a corner kick was really disappointing," Fresno State head coach Brian Zwaschka said. "But from that point on, I thought the team reacted tremendously against a very good and well-drilled team."
Stanford shot a total of 24 goals throughout the game, compared to the Bulldogs' three. This kept Fresno State freshman goalkeeper Nicole Theroux busy all night, contributing with six saves.
"In any team, the goalkeeper is going to be a really important position, because when you do have to face a team that's going to keep you pinned back, you need somebody that's sturdy there and up to the task," Zwaschka said. "We're really happy that she played exactly like that today."
The 'Dogs knew what kind of match they were coming into, as Stanford posted a 20-2-3 record in 2014, finishing the season with a No. 3 national ranking.
"Our preseason is about preparation, so we're throwing ourselves right into the fire against some top teams so that we can really learn and push ourselves," Zwaschka said.
Fresno State will have one more scrimmage on Monday before heading to Chapel Hill, N.C., to face Duke and No. 7 North Carolina.
"We want to be realistic about where we are and what we need to work on," Zwaschka said. "We certainly have potential to play with teams like this, but we know we have a lot of work to do."
Regardless of the score, Fresno State did not back down against one of the strongest opponents in the country and Zwaschka is looking forward to the 2015 season.
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