Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State tabbed to finish sixth in the MW coaches preseason poll
8/7/2018 3:32:00 PM | Women's Soccer
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The 12 Mountain West women's soccer head coaches chose reigning MW Tournament Champion San Diego State as the preseason favorite to win the 2018 MW regular season title. Fresno State was picked to finish sixth in the MW for the second consecutive season, announced by the conference Thursday morning.
"We are appreciative of the recognition from our peers," head coach Brian Zwaschka. "The conference is highly competitive end to end and following through would mean a playoff spot, so we respect the opinion of the coaches and look forward to improving upon the forecast."
The poll puts San Diego State (112 points, four first place votes), San Jose State (111 points, five first place votes), Boise State (99 points, two first place votes) and UNLV (83 points) at the top of the conference.
New Mexico (80 points), Fresno State (65 points, one first place vote), Utah State (64 points) and Wyoming (51 points) were slated to finish in the middle of the conference. Air Force (47 points), Colorado College (42 points), Colorado State (26 points) and Nevada (12 points) filled in the last four spots to round out the preseason rankings.
Fresno State returns 11 letterwinners and four starters, including 2015 All-MW Second Team honoree Maria Gomez. Nicole Theroux will also return to the goal for Fresno State. Last season, Theroux started all 20 games as the Bulldogs' goalkeeper, grabbed 70 saves and recorded a 0.83 goals against average. The Bulldogs restocked their roster for the upcoming season with eight newcomers, six freshman and two transfers.
In 2017, Fresno State finished with a 10-6-4 (5-4-2 MW) record. The Bulldogs had seven home wins in front of the Red Wave this season, the most since 2007 (7) and six losses for the Bulldogs were the fewest since 2011. Fresno State finished within the top half of the conference which ensured their spot in the 2017 Mountain West Championship Tournament, marking the first championship run since 2013, and increased its win total for the fourth consecutive season. Fresno State fell in an exhilarating quarterfinal match of the 2017 Mountain West Women's Soccer Tournament to New Mexico in sudden death penalty kicks.
The Bulldogs will open up conference play on the road against Air Force on Friday, Sept. 21 at 6 p.m. PT.
What's next – Fresno State will kick off its 2018 campaign on Friday, Aug. 10 with an exhibition match on the road against reigning national champion Stanford at 7 p.m. PT. The Bulldogs will open their regular season competition at Montana on Friday, Aug. 17 at 4:30 p.m. PT, before returning home on Friday, Aug. 24 to host Sacramento State for their 2018 home opener at 7 p.m. PT in the Fresno State Soccer and Lacrosse Stadium.
Place     Team (1st place votes)             Points Â
1.           San Diego State (4)                  112
2.           San Jose State (5)                     111
3.           Boise State (2)                        99
4.           UNLV                                         83
5.            New Mexico                               80
6.           Fresno State (1)                       65
7.           Utah State                                 64
8.           Wyoming                                   51
9.           Air Force                                   47
10.         Colorado College                      42
11.         Colorado State                         26
12.         Nevada                                      12
"Just the Ticket to Build Our Community" - The Bulldog Scholarship Fund gives Bulldog alumni, fans and friends the opportunity to support Fresno State Athletics and the student-athletes who inspire them. For information about how you can support the Bulldog Scholarship Fund, please visit www.bulldogscholarshipfund.com or call 559-278-7160.
Â
"We are appreciative of the recognition from our peers," head coach Brian Zwaschka. "The conference is highly competitive end to end and following through would mean a playoff spot, so we respect the opinion of the coaches and look forward to improving upon the forecast."
The poll puts San Diego State (112 points, four first place votes), San Jose State (111 points, five first place votes), Boise State (99 points, two first place votes) and UNLV (83 points) at the top of the conference.
New Mexico (80 points), Fresno State (65 points, one first place vote), Utah State (64 points) and Wyoming (51 points) were slated to finish in the middle of the conference. Air Force (47 points), Colorado College (42 points), Colorado State (26 points) and Nevada (12 points) filled in the last four spots to round out the preseason rankings.
Fresno State returns 11 letterwinners and four starters, including 2015 All-MW Second Team honoree Maria Gomez. Nicole Theroux will also return to the goal for Fresno State. Last season, Theroux started all 20 games as the Bulldogs' goalkeeper, grabbed 70 saves and recorded a 0.83 goals against average. The Bulldogs restocked their roster for the upcoming season with eight newcomers, six freshman and two transfers.
In 2017, Fresno State finished with a 10-6-4 (5-4-2 MW) record. The Bulldogs had seven home wins in front of the Red Wave this season, the most since 2007 (7) and six losses for the Bulldogs were the fewest since 2011. Fresno State finished within the top half of the conference which ensured their spot in the 2017 Mountain West Championship Tournament, marking the first championship run since 2013, and increased its win total for the fourth consecutive season. Fresno State fell in an exhilarating quarterfinal match of the 2017 Mountain West Women's Soccer Tournament to New Mexico in sudden death penalty kicks.
The Bulldogs will open up conference play on the road against Air Force on Friday, Sept. 21 at 6 p.m. PT.
What's next – Fresno State will kick off its 2018 campaign on Friday, Aug. 10 with an exhibition match on the road against reigning national champion Stanford at 7 p.m. PT. The Bulldogs will open their regular season competition at Montana on Friday, Aug. 17 at 4:30 p.m. PT, before returning home on Friday, Aug. 24 to host Sacramento State for their 2018 home opener at 7 p.m. PT in the Fresno State Soccer and Lacrosse Stadium.
Place     Team (1st place votes)             Points Â
1.           San Diego State (4)                  112
2.           San Jose State (5)                     111
3.           Boise State (2)                        99
4.           UNLV                                         83
5.            New Mexico                               80
6.           Fresno State (1)                       65
7.           Utah State                                 64
8.           Wyoming                                   51
9.           Air Force                                   47
10.         Colorado College                      42
11.         Colorado State                         26
12.         Nevada                                      12
"Just the Ticket to Build Our Community" - The Bulldog Scholarship Fund gives Bulldog alumni, fans and friends the opportunity to support Fresno State Athletics and the student-athletes who inspire them. For information about how you can support the Bulldog Scholarship Fund, please visit www.bulldogscholarshipfund.com or call 559-278-7160.
Â
Players Mentioned
MF
/ Women's Soccer
GK
/ Women's SoccerSoccer Media Availability (8/4/25)
Monday, August 04
WSOC Highlight: vs. Air Force - Senior Night (10/24/24)
Friday, October 25
WSOC Highlight: vs. CSU Bakersfield [9/8/24]
Tuesday, September 10
WSOC Highlight: vs. Weber State (8/22/24)
Friday, August 23