Weekly Release (PDF)
THIS WEEK
The Cal State Fullerton men's soccer team travels to Irvine, Calif. on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. to take on seventh-ranked UC Irvine at Anteater Stadium. The game is a matchup of the top two teams in the Big West Conference South Division. If the Titans can pull out a win against their Southern California rivals, they can pull ahead of the Anteaters to top the division standings. The Anteaters will try to keep their magical season going, and look to extend their points lead over the Titans and the rest of the division.
QUICK HITS
• Cal State Fullerton head coach George Kuntz is in his first year with the Titans after spending 19 years at UC Irvine.
• In Cal State Fullerton's first win of the year, and its first win of the George Kuntz era at CSF, the Titans staged a 4-3 come-from-behind double overtime victory over then 14th-ranked Maryland, Baltimore County.
• Fullerton has totaled 23 goals this season, matching last season's total, coming from 10 different players as Spencer Johnson added his name to the list with his goal last Monday against Pacific.
• UC Santa Barbara came into last Thrusday's Big West showdown against Fullerton on a 12-game conference winning streak, earning them votes in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll for that week, but were shut out by the Titans, 2-0, its first conference loss of the season.
• After topping out at No. 3 on the National Soccer Coaches of America Assosciation poll, UC Irvine is currently ranked seventh and is the only Big West Conference team in the poll.
HOW TO FOLLOW THE ACTION
Cal State Fullerton fans can follow the action as the Titans take on the Anteaters Saturday at 7 p.m. by logging on to FullertonTitans.com
Live Stats.......FullertonTitans.com
OPPONENT & HISTORY
#7 UC Irvine | 7:00 PM
Saturday, Oct. 18 | Anteater Stadium
The UC Irvine Anteaters come into the Big West South Division showdown with the Titans on a two-game conference winning streak after wins against UC Davis and Sacramento State last week. This game has serious implications on the South Division, mid way through the conference schedule, as UC Irvine is currently only one point ahead of CSF in the standings.
The man to watch out for on the Anteaters' roster is two-time Big West Offensive Player of the Week award winner Gor Kirakosyan, who has totaled five goals on the season. Leading the team in that category, however, is Edwardo Calzada with six.
Earlier this season, UCI acheived it's highest ranking in the NCSAA poll, topping out at No. 3 in the country.
Head-to-Head: The Anteaters hold the edge in the all-time series between these two Big West Conference schools, Fullerton's record against UC Irvine is 19-22-7.
Last Time Out: Cal State Fullerton got a late goal from Mark Vasquez, but it wasn't enough as UC Irvine got a pair of goals and held on to win, 2-1, Nov. 2, 2013 at Anteater Stadium.
BE A FOLLOWER
Fans can keep up with the latest in Titans athletics by following us on Facebook (CSUF.Athletics) and Twitter (@FullertonTitans). In addition, the men's soccer team has established its own Facebook and Twitter presence at Facebook.com/CSUFMensSoccer or at @CSUFMensSoccer.
Kuntz Returns
After spending 19 years making the UC Irvine men's soccer program into a Big West powerhouse, first-year Fullerton men's soccer head coach George Kuntz will make his first trip back to Anteater Stadium as a visitor. In the past six seasons before his departure from UC Irvine, Kuntz won a total of 80 games, most in the Big West during that time. His Titans will face off against his old team, Saturday at 7:00 p.m.
Home Is Where The W Is
In the all-time series between Cal State Fullerton and UC Irvine, the home team has the edge. Fullerton's record at Titan Stadium against the Anteaters is 11-9-4, while the record at Anteater Stadium stands at 8-13-3. CSF looks to reverse this trend as this week's match-up takes place in Irvine, Calif.
NOT SHY ABOUT SHOTS
With the win last Monday, the Titans extended their streak to 12 consecutive games of outshooting their opponent. The streak started on Sept. 1, with a double overtime draw against San Diego. The only time the Titans have been outshot by an opponent this season was on Aug. 29 at Ill.-Chicago, 13-12, in a 3-2 loss at Flames Field.
DEFENSE DEFENSE DEFENSE
The Titans have now shut out six of their 14 opponents on the year, leading the Big West in that category. Keepers David Rodriguez Elias and Jeff Salt have shared the workload in those games, Salt earning four shutouts and Rodriguez Elias netting two.
WEARING OUT THE CORNER
Cal State Fullerton prides itself on a possession oriented attacking style that leads to not only a lot of assists, but corner kicks as well. The Titans must be doing something right because they lead all Big West Conference teams in corner kicks on the season, earning a total of 86. The closest team to Fullerton in the Big West is UC Irvine with 75.
LET'S PLAY TWO
The men's and women's soccer teams both played at Titan Stadium last Thursday against conference opponents. The women played Long Beach State to a 0-0 double overtime draw and the men shut out (RV) UCSB, 2-0. The last time the men and women played a doubleheader at Titan Stadium was Sept. 30, 2012. The men's opponent in that game was also UCSB, playing the Gauchos to a 0-0 double-overtime draw.
PREVIOUS BUFFALO WILD WINGS STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE WEEK:
Sept. 22 - Sophomore defender Mitchell Bell scored the first goal of his Titan career leading Cal State Fullerton to a 1-0 shutout over Grand Canyon on Sept. 28. Bell's header, courtesy of a Robert Coronado cross, proved to be the game-winner in just the third minute as the defender went on to limit the Lopes to just three shots on goal.
Sept. 15 - Senior Garrett Losee scored two goals for the Titans during the Sept. 19 and 21 weekend homestand against Santa Clara and Nebraska-Omaha, both goals became game-winners. He still leads the team in goals (3) through eleven games.
Sept. 8 - Senior forward Marc Fenelus was the first Titan in any sport to earn the award. Fenelus scored two goals at the UNLV Nike Invitational, Sept. 12-14, including the game winner in Sunday's 4-3 upset of 14th-ranked UMBC, to earn the first Buffalo Wild Wings of Brea Student-Athlete of the Week honors.
ON THE BOARD EARLY
Mitchell Bell's goal in the third minute of play Sunday, Sept. 28 against Grand Canyon not only ended up being the game-winner, but Bell's goal is the earliest goal the Titans have scored all season.
OVERTIME EXPERIENCE
Throughout this season, the Titans have played many close games, taking five of their 14 games into overtime. That overtime experience was almost needed last Saturday against Cal Poly, but Dyllan Stevens' 90th minute goal saved CSF from making its sixth overtime appearence this year as Fullerton held on to win the game 3-2.
COMING ON STRONG
After starting the 2014-2015 season with a dissapointing 0-3-2 record, the Titans have come on recently to win 7-of-9 games to push their overall record to 7-5-2, 2-2-0 in Big West play. This puts Fullerton in second place in the Big West South Division, just one point behind this week's opponent UC Irvine.
STATS
• Cal State Fullerton leads the league in corner kicks (86), total shots (217) and shutouts (6).
• Cal State Fullerton moved into second in the Big West Conference averaging 22 total assists (1.57 per game) and the Titans are second in the league with 208 fouls (14.9 per game).
PRESEASON PREDICTIONS
Cal State Fullerton senior Ian Ramos was selected to the Big West Preseason All-Conference Team as chosen by the league's coaches, it was announced on Aug. 21, 2014.
A native of Highland, Utah, Ramos is a two-time all-Big West honoree earning honorable mention accolades in 2013 after picking up first team honors in 2012.
UC Santa Barbara was picked to finish first in the North Division with eight first place votes, while CSUN was picked to finish first in the South Division with six first-place votes.
Cal State Fullerton was selected to finish last in the South Division.
NUMBERS GAME
• The Titans have 17 returning letterwinners and nine returning starters from last year's team, and have added 14 newcomers. Of the newcomers, five are transfers, three come from the junior college ranks and six are freshmen.
• Fullerton scored 23 goals and added 22 assists for 68 points in 2013, and six of the team's top scorers return in Ian Ramos (4 goals, 3 assists), Garrett Losee (3 goals, 1 assist), Amara Soumah (3 goals), Marc Fenelus (2 goals, 2 assists), Spencer Johnson (1 goal, 1 assist) and Alex Cannas (2 goals, 1 assists). In fact, the Titans return 97 percent of their scoring from a season ago.
WHISTLE WHILE YOU WORK
Cal State Fullerton has been whistled for four fouls resulting in penalty kicks for opponents this season. Junior goalkeeper Jeff Salt has stopped 2-of-4 opponent PK attempts. The transfer from CSUSB made his first stop at San Diego on Sept. 1, and on Sept. 5 against San Francisco, made a save in the 24th minute as the game was tied 1-1.
KUNTZ ERA BEGINS
George Kuntz, a 26-year head coaching veteran, was appointed the eighth men's soccer head coach in Cal State Fullerton history, Athletic Director Jim Donovan announced on Dec. 16, 2013.
Kuntz joined Cal State Fullerton after serving 19 years as the men's head soccer coach at UC Irvine, turning the Anteaters into a perennial soccer power that have made four NCAA Tournament appearances in the last six years, winning four Big West Tournament championships (2008, 2009,2011, 2013) and three regular season titles (2008, 2010, 2011).Kuntz, a collegiate head coach no entering his 27th year was named the NSCAA/Adidas Far West Region Coach of the Year in (2006 and 2008) and has seen a number of players jump to the next level including 12 in Major League Soccer (MLS) and three on various U.S. National Teams.
His career record is 319-218-65, ranking second in Big West history with 141 victories as a member of the Big West Conference. In addition, his 62 Big West wins ranks third all-time.
INTERNATIONAL DUTY
Marc Fenelus competed in the 2014 Caribbean Cup for the Turks and Caicos Islands national team. Turks and Caicos suffered a 1-0 loss to Aruba and a 6-0 loss to French Guiana before the team's final match. In the 31st minute in a match against British Virgin Islands, Fenelus scored the team's first goal since 2008 as the team went on to a 2-0 victory.
HALL OF FAME
The most prolific scorer in the history of the men's soccer program, forward Mike Fox remains the "gold standard" when it comes to the Cal State Fullerton record books, embarking on an 11-year professional career following a standout four seasons with the Titans. He was inducted into the Cal State Fullerton Athletics Hall of Fame on Oct. 11, 2013.
Although records are incomplete from his freshman season in 1979, Fox is Fullerton's all-time leader in points with 119 and is the school record holder with 46 goals during a collegiate career that lasted until 1982. He holds three of the top 10 single-season scoring performances in school history, including a 40-point campaign as a senior in 1982 en route to second-team All-America honors on a career-high 17 goals and a total that ranks tied for second in a season and six assists.
Fox also ranks second on the all-time list with 26 assists, including a single-season record of 13 assists as a sophomore in 1980 that still stands today.