Weekly Release (PDF)
Cal State Fullerton @ Utah Valley
Thursday, Sept. 24, 2015 | 6:00 PM
Clyde Field • Orem, Utah
TV: None
Live Video: www.FullertonTitans.com
Live Stats: www.FullertonTitans.com
Audio: None
Grand Canyon @ Cal State Fullerton
Sunday, Sept. 27, 2015 | 2:00 PM
Titan Stadium • Fullerton, Calif.
TV: None
Live Video: www.FullertonTitans.com
Live Stats: www.FullertonTitans.com
Audio: www.FullertonTitans.com
The Cal State Fullerton men's soccer team is looking to close out their non-conference schedule on a high note, starting by hitting the road on Thursday to take on the Wolverines at Utah Valley at 6 p.m.
The Titans then head back to Fullerton to host the Grand Canyon Antelopes on Sunday, Sept. 27 at 2 p.m., part of a double header with women's soccer who take on San Diego at 5 p.m. that night.
COME SEE THE TITANS
Cal State Fullerton students receive free admission to Titan home games with their Titan I.D. card.
Fullerton hosts Grand Canyon as part of a double header with women's soccer on Sunday, Sept. 27th at 2 p.m., while the women play San Diego at 5 p.m.
OPPONENTS & HISTORY
Utah Valley | 6:00 p.m. | Thursday, Sept. 13 | Clyde Field
Utah Valley has begun the 2015 season with a 6-2 overall record, almost breaking the nation's longest home winning streak as they dropped their most recent match against No. 15 Denver in a 2-1 OT loss. Utah Valley is currently receiving votes in this week's NSCAA rankings.
The Wolverines are led by Alex Neff, a two-time WAC Defensive Player of the Week recipient so far this season. Offensively, Utah Valley is led by sophomore forward Austin Buxton who has recorded three goals on the season.
Grand Canyon comes to Cal State Fullerton with a 3-2 overall record, with a tournament win in the GCU Soccer Classic. The Antelopes wrapped up their 2014 season with an overall record of 5-12-3, finishing in 9th in the Western Athletic Conference.
The Antelopes are led by Alberto Sanchez Garcia, whi is leading the squad with 27 shots, three goals and a pair of assists while goalkeeper Kendyl Day has logged 22 saves on the year.
BE A FOLLOWER
Fans can keep up with the latest in Titans athletics by following us on Facebook (FullertonTitans) and Twitter (@FullertonTitans). In addition, the men's soccer team has established its own Facebook and Twitter presence. Search for "Cal State Fullerton Men's Soccer" on Facebook or follow them on Twitter at @CSUFMensSoccer.
QUICK HITS
• Cal State Fullerton has the third highest winning percentage at .571, just below Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara.
• Cal State Fullerton is tied for 2nd in goals allowed with eight.
• Cal State Fullerton leads the Big West in shutouts, posting their third of the season this weekend.
• Freshman Brandon West is tied for first in the Big West with 2 game-winning goals.
The Titans are off to their best start since 2011 when they went 5-0-2 in the first seven games.
WEST COMING IN CLUTCH
Freshman Brandon West scored his second game-winning goal of his career on Sunday in the Titans' 1-0 victory over UTRGV. The forward has two goals on the year, both in clutch situations.
The Cal State Fullerton defense saw some new faces in the starting lineup and proved to be a success. Junior defenders Zach Bryan and Mitchell Bell found their way into the starting lineup, holding up the back line that allowed only four shots, with none of them being on goal in Sunday's match against UTRGV.
DAVID GETTING COMFORTABLE
Junior goalkeeper David Rodriguez Elias is getting comfortable in the net, playing all 630 minutes this season, surpassing his season total last year of 619 minutes. Rodriguez Elias has posted a 1.14 goals against average while managing 19 saves and a Big West leading three shutouts. The Huntington Beach native has allowed only eight goals, tied for second in the Big West.
SANCHEZ LEADING THE PACK
Sophomore Diego Sanchez had a career performance against San Francisco where he scored two goals, matching his season total from last year. The midfielder led the team with six shots, four of them on goal and has scored his three goals within two games.
Freshman Brandon West is the first Titan in history to earn Big West Player of the Week honors as a freshman. The forward scored the first goal of his career against George Washington and had the assist in the game-winning goal in Sunday's comeback victory over Santa Clara to earn him the nod.
I SCORE, YOU SCORE, WE ALL SCORE!
Seven different Titans have scored this season to total the team's 11 goals, five Titans scoring their first career goals.
Freshmen Brandon West, Michael Lopez and Ross McPhie scored their first goals in a Titan uniform in a 3-0 shutout over George Washington. Transfer Ruben Alvarez and sophomore Nicolo D'Amato scored the first goals of their careers as in a comeback victory against Santa Clara and in a 3-0 victory over San Francisco, respectively.
Cal State Fullerton was put to the test this preseason with exhibition matches against No. 16 Cal and the U17 Mexican National Team. The Titans played a 1-1 draw against Cal with Diego Sanchez scoring the Titans lone goal of the match before netting another goal against Mexico in a 3-1 loss.
PRESEASON PREDICTIONS
The Cal State Fullerton men's soccer team, defending Big West Tournament Champions, were picked to finish third in the Big West Preseason Poll.
UC Irvine, the 2014 regular season South Division champion, received five first-place votes out of the eight Big West head coaches for a total of 26 points. The Anteaters were also ranked No. 20 nationally in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America preseason poll.
To round out the South Division, Cal State Northridge received two first-place votes while Cal State Fullerton, the Big West Tournament Champion, collected 20 points and one first-place vote. In the North Division, UC Santa Barbara heads the list with 30 total points while receiving seven first-place votes.
FRESH FACES FOR 2015
The Titans added 17 new faces to the program for the 2015 season including 11 freshmen and six transfers to absorb the loss of the 12 seniors from the 2014 class. All 17 new faces will look to make an immediate impact on the pitch for Fullerton as the program looks to achieve back–to-back Big West Tournament Championships and NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time in school history.
Cal State Fullerton (10-8-6), led by first-year head coach George Kuntz won their first Big West Tournament Championship in school history. After finishing third in the Big West South Division regular season, the Titans beat UC Irvine in the championship game to give them the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Fullerton concluded its season with a heartbreaking loss in double overtime against the University of San Diego in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
With 10 wins in his inaugural season, Kuntz posted the most wins in his first season as head coach of the Titans since Al Mistri won 13 games in 1981. The 10 wins also led the Titans first winning season since 2001 and guided Fullerton to their first ever Big West Tournament Championship.
Kuntz logged the first win of his Titan career when he led the Titans to a 4-3, double overtime comeback victory over 14th-ranked University of Maryland, Baltimore County on Sept. 14. He later led Cal State Fullerton over his old team, UC Irvine, in the championship game of the Big West Tournament on Nov. 15 in a penalty-kick shootout victory, 4-3, giving the Titans the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
