Oct. 21, 2005
FULLERTON, CA -
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THIS WEEK:
A well-rested Cal State Fullerton women's soccer team (12-3 overall, 4-1 in the Big West Conference) takes a break from conference play this week, hosting future Big West rival UC Davis this Sunday (Oct. 23) at 1 p.m. at Titan Stadium. The Titans, who will have a week's rest under their belts coming into Sunday's game with the Aggies, are coming off a pair of 2-0 wins over Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara last weekend.
BIG WEST RACE HEATING UP:
The Titans are currently in second place in the Big West Conference with 12 points, standing one point back of first-place UC Riverside, which defeated the Titans back on Oct. 2 thanks to a Fullerton "own goal."
The Highlanders, who defeated UC Santa Barbara (1-0) and tied Cal Poly (2-2) play at last-place UC Irvine (4-11-1, 0-4) for their only match of the week. Long Beach State (11-3-1, 3-1) is currently in third place with nine points and faces UC Davis and UC Irvine this weekend.
All three teams are playing for the No. 1 seed and home field advantage at this year's Big West Conference Tournament, which will be held on Nov. 4 and 6 at the home field of the regular season champion.
NSCAA MOVES TITANS TO NO. 21:
Cal State Fullerton gained a larger piece of the national spotlight this week, moving up four spots to No. 21 in the nation according to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. The Titans also jumped two spots according to Soccer Buzz and they continue to receive votes in the Soccer Times Top 25.
Regionally, the NSCAA has the Titans ranked tied for sixth in the West with Soccer Buzz (No. 9) and Soccer Times (No. 8) following suit with top 10 regional rankings.
BARDSLEY EARNS WEEKLY HONOR:
Cal State Fullerton redshirt junior goalkeeper Karen Bardsley was named the Big West Conference Co-Player of the Week on Monday afternoon according to the Irvine, Calif., based league office.
It was the second career Big West weekly honor for Bardsley, who also shared conference laurels during her freshman season in 2002. Pacific's Bunny Dickson gained the other half of this week's weekly award.
Bardsley is the third Titan to earn player of the week honors from the conference office this season, joining teammates Marlene Sandoval (Sept. 5) and Kandace Wilson (Sept. 19).
ON THE AIR... SORT OF:
For the first time in the history of the program, all of Cal State Fullerton's women's soccer home matches will be broadcast live over the Internet at www.FullertonTitans.com. Students Mike Martinez and Brian Reed will provide the commentary.
UC DAVIS BRIEFLY:
UC Davis (www.ucdavisaggies.com) enters the weekend with a 4-7-3 overall record and a 1-3 mark against its future Big West Conference rivals. The Aggies split a pair of matches against Big West foes last weekend, falling 1-0 to UC Irvine and defeated Cal State Northridge, 4-3. UC Davis is led offensively by Megan Wall, who has scored four times, and Katie Snyder, who has three goals. Goalkeeper Krystyn Lizak has made 41 saves with a 1.22 goals against average. Five of the Aggies' seven losses this season have come by single goals.
FOR THE RECORD:
Cal State Fullerton won the first-ever meeting between the two schools last season with a 3-2 victory in Davis, Calif. The Titans rallied from a 2-0 deficit, scoring three unanswered goals in the final 20 minutes of the match, capped by Erica Jensen's game-winner in the 83rd minute. Kellie Cox and Rebekah Patrick also found the back of the net for the Titans.
KEEPER BREAKS SHUTOUT MARK:
Redshirt junior goalkeeper Karen Bardsley continues to shatter the Fullerton record books, breaking yet another career record and setting a new single-season mark in last weekend's victories over Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara.
Bardsley's 2-0 shutout of the Mustangs on Oct. 14 marked her 14th career whitewashing, breaking the previous career record held by current grad assistant Laura Janke (2000-03).
Sunday's 2-0 clean sheet against the Gauchos was Bardsley's seventh shutout of the 2005 season, breaking Janke's mark of six set during her senior year in 2003.
Bardsley currently leads all conference regulars in shutouts and shutouts per game and ranks second behind Long Beach State's Liz Ramos in goals against average.
TITANS PLAYING SHORT:
Fullerton will be without two of its top players this weekend when the Titans take on UC Davis. Senior leading scorer Kandace Wilson is forced to sit out the match after accumulating her fifth yellow card of the season against UCSB on Sunday. Senior defender Marlene Sandoval has been called up with Mexico's Women's National Team for an international friendly against the United States on Sunday at 10 a.m. PST in Charleston, S.C. The match will be nationally-televised on ESPN2 (check your local listings).
DOUBLE DIGIT KUDOS:
Cal State Fullerton reached the 12-win plateau for the third time in five seasons under Head Coach Ali Khosroshahin with its victory on Sunday over UC Santa Barbara. Under Khosroshahin's tutelage, the Titans have won just over 64 percent of their contests, improving to 57-31-4 in the last five seasons.
WHERE THERE'S A WILSON, THERE'S USUALLY A TITAN WIN:
Senior forward Kandace Wilson enters her final season in a Cal State Fullerton uniform ranked No. 2 in all-time points (77), goals (33), and game-winning goals (12), but it's what happens when she accumulates those numbers that stands out. The Titans are 27-2-1 when Wilson scores a point and an even more impressive 23-1-1 when she scores a goal - including an unbeaten streak of 21 matches dating back to her freshman season.
EVERYBODY SCORES:
Cal State Fullerton's offense this season has been one of the most diverse in the Big West as 10 different players have found the back of the net for the Titans - nine of those players with two or more goals. It is the most multiple goal-scorers in a single season for the Titans since 2002 when they had 14 players score, nine of those with two-or-more goals.
HELPING OTHERS:
Senior midfielder Kellie Cox has found ways to not only be successful scoring goals, she has done well helping her teammates also find the back of the net. With her 17th career assist against Cal State Northridge on Oct. 7, Cox moved into a tie for second place on the all-time list with Barbie Gil (1995-97) - needing just two more to break Dolores Browning's record of 18 which has stood since 1998.
WEEK TWO OF "NO JINX" TALK:
If the Titans' previous 15 matches were any indication, Sunday's match with UC Davis could be disasterous. Cal State Fullerton has won its last four consecutive matches - a streak that has set Fullerton up for a fall this season as all three of the Titans' losses this year have come following four-match winning streaks.
THE FRIENDLY CONFINES:
Two more victories at Titan Stadium over Cal State Northridge and Pacific moved Fullerton to 4-1 overall at home this season with the only loss coming in the season opener to San Diego State. The Titans are 72-53-6 (.573) at home all-time, including a 30-9-2 (.756) mark under Head Coach Ali Khosroshahin.
DEFENSE STILL STINGY:
A pair of shutouts last weekend has the Titan defense firmly atop the Big West Conference statistical leaders for defense. Fullerton leads the conference in fewest goals allowed with 10 and ranks first in goals against average at 0.66.
GOOSE EGGS FOR THE GOOD GUYS:
In each of the Titans' last eight losses, Fullerton has failed to score a goal, outscored by a combined margin of 10-0 in those matches with six of those defeats of the 1-0 variety. All of this despite holding an 105-79 advantage in shots and outshooting the opposition in six of those eight contests.
TITANS PICKED 2ND IN BIG WEST:
The Cal State Fullerton women's soccer team was picked to finish second in the Big West Conference in 2005 according to a vote of the league's coaches released by the conference office on Aug. 15. The Titans finished three points behind preseason favorite Cal Poly despite receiving a league-high four first-place votes. The Mustangs garnered two first place votes and 57 points to the Titans' 54 points. Long Beach State and 2004 co-champion UC Santa Barbara finished tied for third with 42 points and a first-place vote each. Cal State Northridge (30 points), Pacific (29), UC Riverside (21), and UC Irvine (13), round out the poll.