Oct. 15, 2009
FULLERTON, CA -
LOOKING AHEAD...
10/16 vs. UC Irvine* (Fullerton, CA) &\#149; 7 p.m.
10/18 vs. Cal State Northridge* (Fullerton, CA) &\#149; 6 p.m.
KICK-OFF: After a hard-luck trip to the central coast last weekend, the Cal State Fullerton women's soccer team (3-7-3 overall, 1-2 in the Big West Conference) returns home this week as the Titans kick off a stretch that will see them play five of their final six contests of the regular season at Titan Stadium. Fullerton opens the weekend on Friday night (Oct. 16) at 7 p.m. as it welcomes cross-county rival UC Irvine. The Titans then take on Cal State Northridge on Sunday night (Oct. 18) at 6 p.m., looking to avenge a 3-1 loss in the season finale last year.
IN THE POLLS: Neither UC Irvine, Cal State Northridge, nor Cal State Fullerton are ranked entering this week's matches.
SERIES RECORDS: Cal State Fullerton holds a commanding 10-4-1 overall lead in the all-time series with UC Irvine, having won the last nine consecutive meetings dating back to 2000 - including a 2-1 win in Irvine last year... the Titans, who are 5-2 all-time against the Anteaters at home, have won the last five-straight meetings at Titan Stadium and are unbeaten in their last six at home including a tie in 1999... Fullerton's last loss in the series came in 2000, a 4-1 defeat on Nov. 3 at Irvine's Anteater Stadium... The Titans are 10-2 all-time against Cal State Northridge, including a perfect 6-0 mark at Titan Stadium... Fullerton had won seven-straight in the series until last year's season finale when the Matadors posted a 3-1 victory to snap the losing skid.
CAN'T MAKE THE MATCH?: Both of this weekend's matches will be broadcast live over the Internet at FullertonTitans.com. A free live audio stream will be available with veteran Fullerton broadcaster Mike Martinez carrying the play-by-play. Links to the broadcast are available by clicking on the microphone logo on the front page of FullertonTitans.com. Live streaming video will also be available via Big West TV on a subscription basis. Fans can log on to http://all-access.cbssports.com/player.html?code=bigw to access all the action.
ABOUT THE ANTEATERS: UC Irvine enters the weekend with a 9-5-1 overall record and a 2-2 mark in Big West Conference play for a third-place tie... the Anteaters split their two conference matches last weekend, falling 2-1 at UC Davis and shutting out Pacific on the road, 1-0... UCI has outscored opponents, 29-15, and features six players with multiple scores on the year... Tanya Taylor, Dana Sanderlin, and Mar Rodriguez have all scored five goals on the season while Taylor and Sanderlin pace the squad with 14 points apiece... Danielle de Seriere has started all 15 matches in net for the Anteaters, posting a 0.98 goals against average and 49 saves to go with seven shutouts.
ABOUT THE MATADORS: Cal State Northridge enters the weekend with a 6-8 overall mark and a 2-2 record in conference play for a third-place tie... the Matadors will meet UC Riverside on Friday night before taking on the Titans... CSUN also battled to a split of its league matches last weekend, falling at Pacific (1-0) before breaking hearts at UC Davis (1-0) in overtime... Farryn Townley leads the offense with seven goals and 14 points on the year, leading a group of five Matadors that have accounted for all 16 of the team's goals this season... Five different players have seen action in net for Northridge, which has lost junior Kellie Drenner (0.81 GAA, 24 saves) for the season... freshman Cynthia Jacobo started the team's victory over the Aggies, posting five saves in the shutout... Haley Hawes (0-2, 1.60 GAA, 4 saves), Leah Elliott (2-4, 1.84 GAA, 12 saves), and Katie Russ (1-0, 3.19 GAA) have also seen action.
DOMINATING: Fullerton has outscored UC Irvine, 23-5, during its nine-match winning streak, including posting six goals against the Anteaters in a 6-1 victory in 2002. The two squads have gone to overtime three times in that span with the last three meetings decided by a single goal.
ALL TIED UP: After a scouring of the Fullerton record books, it was discovered that the three draws this season are tied with the 1994 squad for the most in school history. The Titans had two ties on five different occasions in the 17-year history of the program with only four seasons without a draw.
ALUMNAE NEWS: Former Cal State Fullerton defender Jenae Gibbens recently helped her Finnish club, PK-35 Vantaa, to the first division championship and direct promotion to the highest league in Finland. She was a standout for the club upon her arrival, appearing in nine games, making eight starts, and scoring five goals while assisting on two more.
FAMILY PRIDE: The chest of Cal State Fullerton assistant coach Diego Bocanegra must be puffing out a little more this week after his younger brother, Carlos, helped lead the U.S. National Team to a berth in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa next summer. Carlos, a defender who is the captain of the men's squad, plays professionally in France with Stade Rennais and has a goal in 11 starts this season for the United States. His 73 caps are fourth-most on the team and he has 11 goals in his career with the U.S. National Team - the second-most all-time for a national team defender.
OFFENSIVE WOES, DEFENSE DOMINANT: Cal State Fullerton's offense has struggled to find the back of the net in its last nine contests, scoring just six times while battling to a 3-3-3 record in those matches. The defense, however, has been solid, allowing just five goals (0.52 goals against average) in that span with four shutouts.
ONE IS THE WINNINGEST NUMBER: Apparently, it's all you need. Of the Titans' last eight matches, five of those have been 1-0 results (with Fullerton going 2-3 in those contests) while two others have featured 1-1 ties (San Francisco and Washington). Neither the Titans nor their opponents have scored more than a single goal in a match since Fullerton posted a 2-0 victory over Michigan on Sept. 11 at Titan Stadium.
MY HERO ZERO: All three of Cal State Fullerton's victories this season have come via the shutout and, coupled with the Titans' 0-0 result against Cal State Bakersfield, have compiled four clean sheets on the year - one more than all of 2008 and the most since they posted eight shutouts in 2007.
MAKING THEM COUNT: The stat sheet may say that the Titans have been outshot by a 147-98 margin this season, but Cal State Fullerton is making the most of the shots they have taken. The Titans, who rank last in the league in shots taken and have had 10 or more shots in a match only twice this year (10 vs. Hawaii and 17 at UC Riverside), have put almost 44 percent of their chances on frame with 43 shots on goal this season.