Oct. 23, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format 
FULLERTON, CA - With only two weekends remaining in the regular season, the Cal State Fullerton women's soccer team (7-9-1 overall, 2-4 in the Big West Conference) looks to close out the 2008 season on a high note beginning this Sunday (Oct. 26) at Titan Stadium. Fullerton closes out the home portion of its schedule at 6 p.m. that night as the Titans play host to UC Riverside.
CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES: Prior to Sunday night's kick-off against the Highlanders, the Cal State Fullerton athletics department and the women's soccer program will pay tribute to its departing three seniors - Tiffany Craig, Casey Schostag, and Jenae Gibbens - for their contributions to the program. Festivities will begin at approximately 5:40 p.m.
IN THE POLLS: Neither Cal State Fullerton nor UC Riverside are ranked nationally entering this weekend.
CATCH IT "LIVE": Can't make the trip out to the field this weekend? If you're near your computer, you can log on to www.FullertonTitans.com and catch the live play-by-play from veteran Titan soccer broadcaster Michael Martinez, who will have the call for this weekend's Big West Conference match. Live streaming video will also be available this weekend (on a subscription basis) via www.BigWest.org/TV.
SCOUTING THE HIGHLANDERS: UC Riverside enters the weekend with a 5-10-2 overall record an is winless in Big West play at 0-5-1... the Highlanders dropped both of their matches last weekend to Long Beach State (4-1) and UC Irvine (1-0) - the latter on a penalty kick in the 86th minute... Tessa Lennala (18 points) and Heidi Garrett (17 points) pace the offense, scoring seven goals apiece while Lennala leads the way with four assists on the year... Brittany Goetz has started all 17 matches in net on the year, posting a 1.76 goals against average and a school single-season record 122 saves on the year to go with a pair of shutouts.
VERSUS UC RIVERSIDE: The Titans narrowly lead the all-time series with the Highlanders by a 4-3-1 count... Fullerton posted a 2-1 win over UCR last season to extend its winning streak in the series to three straight games... The Highlanders' last win came during the 2005 regular season (Fullerton's only conference loss that year) by a 1-0 score in Riverside... The Titans are 2-1-1 against UCR at home.
LOOKING AHEAD: Cal State Fullerton should be well-rested for the final two weekends of the year as the Titans play only one match in each of the next two weeks. On Nov. 2, Fullerton closes out its regular season on the road as the Titans travel to Cal State Northridge for a 2 p.m. kick-off at the Matador Soccer Field.
SENIOR NIGHT: Cal State Fullerton will be looking to send its three departing seniors out on a good note in front of the hometown faithful on Sunday night, but will have to reverse a recent trend of struggling on "Senior Night." The Titans are just 5-9-1 all-time in their final regular season home matches.
VOTE FOR GIBBENS IN '08: Cal State Fullerton senior defender Jenae Gibbens has been named as one of 10 finalists for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award it was announced on Thursday.
The names will be placed on the official ballot for a nationwide vote beginning Oct. 16 and concluding Nov. 19. Votes from coaches and media will be coupled with fan balloting to determine the recipient of the award.
Votes can be cast online at www.seniorclassaward.com and the winners will be announced during the 2008 Women's College Cup scheduled for Dec. 5-7 in Cary, N.C.
"Lowe's is incredibly proud to announce the 2008 finalist class for men's and women's soccer," said Bob Gfeller, Lowe's Senior Vice President of Marketing and Advertising. "These 20 student-athletes represent all that is great about collegiate athletics. Each is to be admired for their commitment and dedication not only to soccer, but to the classroom and their community."
Finalists were selected from a list of 30 candidates in each division, based on personal qualities that define a complete student-athlete. Each finalist displays numerous accomplishments across all four award pillars: classroom, community, character, and competition.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages those leaders to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact on their circle of influence.
This prestigious awards program was launched by Lowe's, an Official Corporate Partner of the NCAA, during the 2001-02 basketball season, added six additional sports in 2007 (including soccer), and has expanded this year to include NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision seniors.
The 2008 women's finalists are: Yael Averbuch (University of North Carolina), Stefanie Baduria (Loyola Marymount University), Lizzie Barnes (United States Naval Academy), Brittany Bock (University of Notre Dame), Jenae Gibbens (Cal State Fullerton), Candace Gonzales (Georgia State University), Kerri Hanks (University of Notre Dame), Molly Johnson (Clemson University), Christie McDonald (Duke University) and Yolanda Odenyo (Oklahoma State University).