THIS WEEK...
Cal State Fullerton at Pepperdine
Friday, Sept. 27, 2013 | 3 p.m.
Tari Frahm Rokus Field
Malibu, Calif.
Gonzaga at Cal State Fullerton
Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013 | 12 p.m.
Titan Stadium
Fullerton, Calif.
Complete Release 
| Big West Release
KICK OFF: After splitting a pair of matches against Pac-12 powers last week, the Cal State Fullerton women's soccer team (4-3-2 overall) turns its attention to the West Coast Conference, closing out non-conference play against Pepperdine and Gonzaga. The Titans travel to Malibu to take on the Waves on Friday afternoon (Sept. 27) at 3 p.m., before opening yet another three-match homestand on Sunday (Sept. 29) at noon against the Bulldogs.
IN THE POLLS: Pepperdine is receiving votes in both the NSCAA (12) and Soccer Times (2) coaches polls entering the weekend -- the third-straight opponent for the Titans which is gaining national attention... Gonzaga and Cal State Fullerton are unranked this week.
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 women's soccer team has established its own Facebook and Twitter presence. Search for "Cal State Fullerton Women's Soccer" on Facebook or follow them on Twitter at @CSUF_WSoccer.
"CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?": Thanks to a partnership with Arizona-based Stretch Internet, Cal State Fullerton's home matches, as well as selected road contests, can be heard live over the Internet at FullertonTitans.com. Veteran broadcaster Mike Martinez will have the play-by-play. To access the links, click on the headphones icon in the upper right-hand corner of the newly redesigned FullertonTitans.com and enjoy the action.
"CAN YOU SEE ME NOW?": For the sixth consecutive year, institutions will air select matches on BigWest.TV, including all Cal State Fullerton and UC Santa Barbara women's soccer contests. For the 2013 season, all BigWest.TV events will air free of charge. Head to www.bigwest.org/thisweek for weekly event schedules.
BigWest.TV brings together live and on-demand video from each of the Big West's nine member institutions. Now in its ninth year, BigWest.TV covers Big West sports, press conferences, interviews and features, including every home and conference contest in women's volleyball as well as men's and women's basketball. Also covered are select contests in men's and women's soccer, baseball, softball and Big West Conference Championships.
I NEED STATS, STAT!: Live stats will be available for all of Cal State Fullerton's home matches and selected road contests throughout the year. Follow along by accessing the links on the women's soccer schedule page at FullertonTitans.com.
"O CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN!": Cal State Fullerton junior midfielder Chelsey Patterson has been named team captain for the 2013 season.
PEPPERDINE BRIEFLY: The Waves enter the weekend with a 5-3-1 overall record and are coming off a loss to No. 4 UCLA (2-0) and a win over Fresno State (3-1)... Pepperdine has run a gauntlet of a schedule, facing five schools ranked in the top 25 at the time of the match: #18 California (T, 1-1); #19 Texas A&M (W, 3-1); #11 Michigan (L, 2-0); #23 USC (W, 1-0); and #4 UCLA... the Waves are 3-1-1 at home this season... in nine matches, junior forward Lynn Williams leads the way with nine goals and two assists (20 points) while leading the team with 60 shots... she is one of only three players to account for the team's 13 goals this season (Ally Holtz and Kristen Rodriguez have added two apiece), but 10 players have assisted on at least one goal... freshman goalkeeper Hannah Seabert has played every minute in net, posting a 1.08 goals against average and 59 saves (.855 save percentage) to go with three shutouts thus far.
GONZAGA BRIEFLY: The Bulldogs enter the weekend with a 3-4-1 overall record and will meet UC Riverside on Friday night before heading to Fullerton to take on the Titans... Gonzaga is coming off a 1-0 loss on the road at Washington and double-overtime scoreless draw with Nevada at home... six of the team's eight matches have been decided by a goal or less... like Fullerton, the Bulldogs' offense is also off to a slow start, scoring just six goals (allowing seven) despite outshooting the opposition, 127-68 (including a 66-33 advantage in the second half)... sophomore midfielder/forward Heather Johnson leads the way with two goals and 31 shots while four other players have found the back of the net... sophomore goalkeeper Christie Tombari has played all but 66 minutes in net for Gonzaga, posting a 0.93 goals against average, 23 saves (.767 save percentage), and four shutouts in eight starts.
SERIES NOTES: Pepperdine leads the all-time series with Cal State Fullerton, 8-4-1, having won four of the last five meetings... the Waves won an overtime thriller, 2-1, on Aug. 26, 2011, at Titan Stadium in the last meeting... Fullerton's last win in the series came on Aug. 23, 2008, clinching a 1-0 win on a Tiffany Craig goal in the 70th minute in Malibu... the Titans are 2-4-1 at home against the Waves and are winless (0-2-1) in the last three meetings at Titan Stadium... Fullerton's last win at home against Pepperdine came in 1996 as the Titans posting a 1-0 victory... three of the all-time meetings have gone to overtime with Fullerton going 0-2-1 in those contests ••• Sunday's meeting with Gonzaga will be only the second in the history of the two programs... Fullerton won the inaugural clash, 3-2, at a tournament in Santa Clara on Sept. 9, 2005.
CONFERENCE CALL: Cal State Fullerton is 32-42-3 (.435) all time against the current West Coast Conference alignment, including a 1-1 mark this season with a loss to BYU and a win over Loyola Marymount... the record including a 14-6 mark against Pacific, which was a member of the Big West Conference until this season... the Titans are 5-10 in their last 15 against the WCC (three of those wins coming against Pacific), but have won four of their last six against the conference.
TITANS RANKED 56TH IN FIRST NCAA RPI POLL: Cal State Fullerton is ranked No. 53 in the first NCAA RPI report of the season released on Monday (Sept. 23), standing behind only Long Beach State (#32) and UC Irvine (#52) among Big West Conference schools -- which, along with the Titans, are the only three programs in the league among the top 100 (Cal State Northridge is #118).
"PAC"-ING UP A WIN: Fullerton's double-overtime triumph at USC last weekend marked its first win against a Pac-12 school since Aug. 29, 2008 (3-2 in overtime against No. 15 California), ending an eight-match winless streak (0-4-4) against one of the nation's most difficult soccer conferences. It also marked the Titans' first win at home over a Pac-12 power since a 2-1 double-overtime victory over the then No. 14-ranked Golden Bears on Sept. 14, 2007.
WAIT... BOTH TEAMS SCORED?: Sunday's contest at USC marked only the second time this season that a Cal State Fullerton match did not end in a shutout for either team and the first since a 3-1 loss at BYU to kick-off the 2013 campaign.
AND THEY DID IT IN TWO STRAIGHT GAMES?: Coupled with the Titans' 1-0 loss to Washington State on Sept. 20, Fullerton allowed goals in back-to-back matches for the first time all season following its 2-1 win over USC.
BATCHELLER ON THE BOARD: Sophomore Morgan Batcheller became only the sixth different Titan to find the back of the net this season when she scored her first career goal (and first career game-winner) in the second overtime on Sunday at USC, finishing with a career-high two shots against the Women of Troy.
WHO NEEDS THAT MANY SHOTS ANYWAY?: Despite being outshot by a 24-6 margin, the Titans escaped Los Angeles with a 2-1 win over USC, logging the fewest amount of shots in a victory since taking the same number in a 1-0 shutout of South Carolina on Sept. 4, 2005, at the Auburn Rebook Soccer Classic.
A-"MAZEAU"-ING: Senior midfielder Erica Mazeau had a hand... err... foot in each of the Titans' goals Sunday against USC, netting the game-tying goal (her second score of the year) in the 16th minute and adding the game-winning assist with a cross to temmate Morgan Batcheller in the 108th minute for the win. The three points were a career high while the assist was the ninth of her career -- placing her just three helpers shy of a tie for ninth on the all-time list.
WELL, THAT WAS FAST: USC's goal just 37 seconds into the match on Sunday was the second-fastest scored against the Titans in the history of the program, trailing only Patty Teal's goal 34 seconds in for Cal Poly on Sept. 25, 1997, in a 4-1 Mustang win.
CHANGE OF FORTUNE: After being shutout just once in 20 matches all of last season, the Titans' offense has taken some time to find its legs, held to just seven goals in its first nine matches -- including four shutouts. It is the slowest start for a Fullerton offense since 2009 when the Titans were held to just six goals in the same number of matches to start the season en route to a program record-low 13 goals that year.
"THIS" CLOSE: Seven of Cal State Fullerton's nine matches this season have been decided by a single goal or fewer, save for a 3-1 loss at No. 6 BYU in the season opener on Aug. 23 and a 2-0 win over Montana on Sept. 1 at home.
DE-FENSE (CLAP, CLAP): While the offense has struggled, Fullerton's defense is one of the best in the league, ranking atop the league statistical rankings in fewest goals allowed (6) and goals against average (0.62), while standing second in shutouts (5) and saves (45). If they keep this up, the Titans could challenge the school records for fewest goals allowed in a season (15 in 2005) and shutouts in a single-season (12 in 2005).
AMONG THE NATION'S BEST: How does the Titans' defense stand up nationally, you ask? Among all 323 NCAA programs, the Titans rank No. 32 in the country in shutout percentage (.556), No. 21 in save percentage (.882), and No. 36 in goals against average (0.62). Individually, senior goalkeeper Lindsey Maricic ranks among the top 100 in four different categories: save percentage (#30), goals against average (#56), saves per game (#58), and saves (#76).
BE AGGRESSIVE, B-E AGGRESSIVE: Cal State Fullerton, whistled for a conference-high 120 fouls to start the season, has been the aggressor on the pitch thus far, racking up seven matches with 10 or more fouls and leading the opposition in that category in eight of its nine contests this season -- including a season-high 27 fouls on Sept. 15 against Utah State. Only Fresno State (23-11) has "out-fouled" the Titans this season, but to no avail, falling 1-0 to Fullerton back on Aug. 25.
THIS IS GETTING TO BE A HABIT: Senior goalkeeper Lindsey Maricic has four shutouts in eight starts this season, a total that ranks in a tie for 10th on the school's single-season list. Her 15 clean sheets for her career ranks second on the school's all-time list, standing 11 clean sheets behind Karen Bardsley (2002-06) for the all-time record and just six back of Bardsley (10 in 2005) for the top spot on the single-season list.
MARICIC MOVING UP THE CHARTS: In other categories, Maricic's 12 saves last week gave her 183 for her career, solidifying her hold on the No. 4 spot and putting her seven saves back of Suzy Strazzulla (1995-96) for third place. Maricic also enters the week also ranked among the school's top five in saves per game (5th - 3.81), save percentage (2nd - .789), goals against average (3rd - 0.99), wins (4th - 21), and minutes played (3rd - 4,446). Her six ties are also the most by a Fullerton goalkeeper in school history.