Oct. 21, 2010

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FULLERTON, CA - Cal State Fullerton junior Casey Volk scored the only goal of the match in the 58th minute while freshman goalkeeper Lindsey Maricic made seven saves in her Division I debut, helping lift the host Titans to a 1-0 Big West Conference women's soccer victory over Cal Poly on Thursday night at Titan Stadium.

The win pushed Fullerton's record to 6-10 overall and 3-2 in league play, moving them into fifth place in the conference standings following the night's action. Cal Poly lost its fourth straight conference match - all via the shutout - in falling to 6-9-1 overall, 1-4-1 in the Big West.

Volk's game-winner came off a long pass from fellow junior Caitlin Mellano, as she took the ball on the left side, beat her defender and placed the ball into the right corner for the 1-0 advantage. It was her fourth of the year (all four of those strikes finishing as game-winners) and Mellano's team-high fifth assist of the season.

Maricic, who played in the final 8:30 against Long Beach State on Oct. 17 for her first career appearance, and the defense then took it from there, turning away several scoring opportunities in the second half, including a point blank save on Morgan Miller at the top of the box as Miller took a pass from Whitney Sisler and found herself all alone on the left side.

In her first career start, Maricic came off her line to challenge Cal Poly's forwards all night, making several highlight saves in earning her first career win and shutout. The seven saves are tied for the most by the Titans' keeper, matching Jessica Change's seven-save outing at Loyola Marymount on Oct. 1.

The Mustangs outshot Fullerton, 18-15, but Thursday night marked the third consecutive match (and the sixth time overall this season with the Titans in double figures in that category. Freshman Kishi Smith came off the bench to lead Fullerton with four shots on the night while Monica Hemenez led all players with five shots for Cal Poly.

Cal State Fullerton returns to the Titan Stadium for the final time in the 2010 regular season on Sunday (Oct. 24) as the Titans host UC Santa Barbara at 5 p.m. Fullerton's senior class of Sam Stillion, Shannon Simpson, Danielle Bitonti, Geminesse Martinez, and Christina Murillo will be saluted as part of "Senior Night" festivities at approximately 4:45 p.m.