FULLERTON, Calif. - Cal State Fullerton got on the board early and often as they recorded a 3-0 non-conference victory over UAB Friday night in the Fullerton Classic presented by Embassy Suites Brea-North Orange County at Titan Stadium.
"The game today is a great example of our women playing at what is, really, getting close to our best," said Titans Head Coach Demian Brown. "I was impressed obviously with how we started the scoring in the first minute but more impressed with how we finished out the first half and then obviously how we played a full 90-minute game."
The Titans (3-3-0) peppered the Blazers (3-3-0) goal on Friday night, unleashing 15 shots overall including 11 on target while the defense stifled UAB, giving up just three shots overall, all saved by goalkeeper Jennifer Stuart. The Titans keeper picked up her third win of the season, making three saves. She and Morgan Bertsch, who saw her first action of the season in net for the Titans after entering in the 81st minute, combined to record the second straight clean sheet for Fullerton.
For the second straight match, the Titans struck historically early as Connie Caliz notched her first goal of the season just 55 seconds into the match. Tala Haddad dribbled up the left sideline and crossed the ball into the box, where a charging Caliz got her right foot on the ball and deposited it into the back of the net for a quick 1-0 lead for the Titans.
"Day in and day out we've been practicing our normal routine with crossing and finishing and our runs," Caliz said. "We have to just execute and I knew what I had to do, where I had to go and I had to get there before the ball got to my foot. I just had to throw my body in."
Caliz's goal topped Tala Haddad's goal against San Jose State last week as the fastest by the Titans to start a match this season and is the fourth fastest goal in Cal State Fullerton history.
"Her goal was fantastic," Caliz said. "I just decided to crash through it, however, with my face or whatever part of my body I could."
In the 35th minute, Haddad got in on the action with her second goal of the season to put the Titans up 2-0. The Blazers turned the ball over at the top right side of the box, where Haddad pounced on the ball and unfurled a left-footed strike from 20 yards out that found the top right corner to give the Titans a two-goal cushion.
"Every time you shoot you hope it goes in," Haddad said. "So I shot it with confidence like I did last game and it was really exciting to go in."
The Titans capped the scoring in the 64th minute as Jessica Simonian notched her first tally of the year and second of her career. Caliz took a free kick from straightaway and went for the goal but it was blocked by a UAB defender. The ball went toward Simonian and settled. That's when the Titans defender rocketed a right-footed strike low and to the right corner past the keeper to put Fullerton ahead 3-0 and the Titans never looked back.
"I told Connie before that she had me just for a little lay off," Simonian said. "She took it but it still came back to me so I guess it just kind of worked out."
The defense did the rest, holding the Blazers scoreless after UAB came into the match having outscored its last two opponents 7-1. Fullerton recorded its second straight shutout, the first time the Titans have recorded consecutive clean sheets this season and first time since Oct. 18-25 when they blanked UC Riverside and CSUN respectively.
"I think with us in the back, having to replace Jazzmin [Mancilla] and playing a couple of games without Jess [Simonian] I think whenever lose key components it takes you a little bit of time to get back into it and I think that's what happened," Brown said.
Fullerton will face Oregon Sunday evening at 5 p.m. in the final match of the Fullerton Classic. The Ducks fell to UC Irvine, 3-2, in Friday's opening match.
"Oregon's a great match," Brown said. "Watching what Irvine did with them today I think there's some things that we can learn from Irvine. We know [Oregon] will come out heated for a good game. I think this is obviously a good foundation for us as the weekend begins."
Notes: Haddad's goal against SJSU on Sunday came at 1:41. The last time the Titans had two separate goals scored within two minutes of the beginning of a match in the same season was 2001 when Jenny Mescher scored 28 seconds in on Sept. 23 and Tennli Ulicny notched a goal 42 seconds into a match against UC Santa Barbara on Nov. 4. Those are also the two fastest goals scored to start a match in program history. In addition, Erica Jacalone also scored a goal within two minutes in 2001, finding the back of the net in 1:13 on Sept. 23 against Southern Utah… Freshman Atlanta Primus made her Cal State Fullerton debut on Friday night and registered two shots, one on target… Caliz led the team with five shots overall and tied for the team lead with Simonian with three shots on target on Friday night… Fullerton is now 3-0-0 when leading at halftime.