THIS WEEK...
Cal State Fullerton at Cal State Northridge
Friday, Oct. 5, 2012 | 7:00 p.m.
Matador Field
Northridge, Calif.
Game Coverage: Live Stats
Cal State Fullerton at Hawaii
Sunday, Oct. 7, 2012 | 8:00 p.m. PT
Waipio Peninsula Soccer Stadium
Honolulu, Hawaii
Game Coverage: Live Stats
KICK OFF: Coming off a huge win over a nationally ranked squad over the weekend, the Cal State Fullerton women's soccer team (4-7 overall, 1-1 in Big West Conference play) hits the road in search of six points this week as the Titans take on Cal State Northridge and conference newcomer Hawaii. Fullerton battles the Matadors on Friday night (Oct. 5) at 7 p.m. before heading to the islands for the first time in the history of the program to take on the Rainbow Wahine on Sunday (Oct. 7) at 8 p.m. PT.
IN THE POLLS: Neither Cal State Fullerton nor its opponents are ranked in the top 25 entering this weekend's contests.
BE A FOLLOWER: Fans can keep up with the latest in Titans athletics by following us on Facebook (CSUF.Athletics) and Twitter (@FullertonTitans). In addition, the women's soccer team has established its own Facebook and Twitter presence. Search for "Cal State Fullerton Women's Soccer" on Facebook or follow them on Twitter at @CSUF_WSoccer.
"CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?": Thanks to a partnership with Arizona-based Stretch Internet, Cal State Fullerton's home matches, as well as selected road contests, can be heard live over the Internet at FullertonTitans.com. Veteran Cal State Fullerton soccer broadcaster Mike Martinez will have the play-by-play. To access the links, click on the headphones icon in the upper right-hand corner of the newly redesigned FullertonTitans.com and enjoy the action.
"CAN YOU SEE ME NOW?": For the fifth year, institutions will air select matches on BigWest.TV, including all Cal State Fullerton and UC Santa Barbara contests. For the 2012 season, all BigWest.TV events will air free of charge. Head to http://www.bigwest.org/thisweek for weekly event schedules.
BigWest.TV brings together live and on-demand video from each of the Big West's ten member institutions. Now in its eighth year, BigWest.TV covers Big West sports, press conferences, interviews and features, including every home and conference contest in women's volleyball as well as men's and women's basketball. Also covered are select contests in men's and women's soccer, baseball, softball and Big West Conference Championships.
I NEED STATS, STAT!: Live stats will be available for both contests against UC Irvine and Long Beach State this weekend. Follow the links on the women's soccer schedule page at FullertonTitans.com.
CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE BRIEFLY: The Matadors enter the week with a 4-3-4 overall record and a 1-0 mark in Big West Conference play after battling to a 1-1 draw with No. 22 Portland and shutting out Hawaii, 2-0, last week... five of Northridge's 11 matches have gone to overtime with the Matadors posting an 0-1-4 mark in those games... eight of Northridge's 11 contests have been played at home this season with the Matadors going 3-2-3 in those games... Melissa Fernandez leads the offense with a pair of goals, four assists, and eight points... seven different players have scored goals for Northridge, but only Fernandez and Stephanie Galarze have scored multiple times... Cynthia Jacobo has played every second in goal, allowing just seven goals (0.58 GAA) and making 67 saves to go with five shutouts.
HEAD-TO-HEAD WITH THE MATADORS: Cal State Fullerton leads the all-time series with Cal State Northridge, 10-5, but the Matadors have won the last four-straight in the series after the Titans won seven-in-a-row from 2001-07... Fullerton is 7-4 against Northridge in Big West Conference matches... the Titans are just 4-3 against the Matadors in Northridge... the last three victories by the Matadors have all been shutouts and Northridge has outscored the Titans, 7-1, during its four-match winning streak.
HAWAII BRIEFLY: The Rainbow Wahine enter the week with a 5-5-2 overall record and will meet UC Riverside on Friday before welcoming the Titans... Hawaii is currently in the midst of a four-match losing streak -- all on the road -- after dropping matches at Bakersfield (3-1) and Cal State Northridge (2-0) last week... the Rainbow Wahine are unbeaten at home this season (4-0-2) and are unbeaten in their last 11 home contests dating back to last season (8-0-3)... Tiana Fujimoto leads the team with six goals and 13 points overall, helping pace an offense that has scored multiple goals six times in 12 matches this season -- including five goals in a win at UNLV... Kanani Taaca has played every second in net for Hawaii, posting a 1.75 goals against average and 45 saves to go with one shutout.
HEAD-TO-HEAD WITH THE RAINBOW WAHINE: Cal State Fullerton leads the all-time series with Hawaii, 5-2, winning the last meeting between the two programes by a 1-0 score at Titan Stadium in 2009... Sunday will be the first meeting between the two as conference members and the first meeting between the two in Honolulu... five of the seven meetings have been decided by a single goal... Hawaii's last win in the series with in 2008 by a 3-2 score in Fullerton.
"O CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN!": Seniors Stacey Fox, Jennifer Smith, and JeAnne Mazeau, along with sophomore Chelsey Patterson, have been selected as captains for the 2012 season.
THIRD TIME'S A CHARM: Cal State Fullerton's win over No. 21 Long Beach State on Sunday night was its first victory over a nationally ranked opponent in three tries this season and its first since a 2-0 shutout of No. 18 UNC Greensboro on Sept. 5, 2010, at Titan Stadium. With the win, the Titans, who have suffered losses to then-No. 21 Oregon State and top-ranked Florida State in back-to-back matches by 2-1 scores earlier this season, improved to 5-15 against ranked teams since 2007 under Head Coach Demian Brown.
FOX-Y LADY: With a goal and an assist in last week's Big West Conference openers, senior Stacey Fox reached double-digit points for the third time in her four seasons as a Titan, tallying her second assist of the season on Adriana Gjonovich's game-tying goal against UC Irvine and gaining a share of the team lead with her fourth goal of the season on her first career penalty kick attempt against No. 21 Long Beach State. One of only 17 players in the history of the program to reach double digits in goals scored, Fox's 39 career points rank 10th on the school's all-time list (just three points back of Christina Murillo's 42 points for ninth) while her 17 goals now place her tied for seventh with current assistant coach Lauryn Pehanich (nee Welch) and Tennli Ulicny.
BLAST YOU, BURKENROAD!!: Long Beach State is probably saying something to that effect after Titan freshman Christina Burkenroad broke 49ers hearts with her game-winning goal in the 88th minute on Sunday night. The score gave the San Diego native her fourth goal of the season -- but her first game-winning strike -- giving her a share of the team lead. With an assist against Army on Sept. 14 and a goal against Texas Tech, Burkenroad has now notched a point in three of the team's last four contests.
STAY ON TARGET: Burkenroad has also been one of the more accurate Titans this season, putting nine of her 11 shot attempts on frame (82 percent) to rank second among lineup regulars behind senior Jennifer Smith, who has put all four of her attempts on frame in 2012. Burkenroad's nine shots on goal are tied for third on the team behind Rebecca Wilson's 18 and Ann Marie Tangorra's 15.
FAN APPRECIATION: The women's soccer team's doubleheaders with the Titans' men's team brought out the fans last weekend as Fullerton drew better than 1,000 for the third time at home this season (and the fourth overall when you count the 1,123 fans in attendance at No. 1 Florida State on Sept. 7). Friday night's attendance of 1,182 against UC Irvine ranks fifth on the all-time list while the 1,002 fans for Sunday night's clash with No. 21 Long Beach State ranks ninth. The Titans also drew 1,063 fans for their season opener on Aug. 17 against USC, a total that ranks eighth.
MISSING IT BY *THIS* MUCH: It is really becoming a heartbreaking, yet consistent, story for the Titans in 2012 as nine of Fullerton's 11 matches this season -- as well as six of its seven losses -- have been decided by a single goal save the Titans' 3-0 shutout of Army on Sept. 14 and a, 3-1, loss to UC Irvine on Sept. 28. Also, in an odd turn of events, five of Fullerton's seven defeats have come via a 2-1 score -- including a pair in overtime in back-to-back contests at Loyola Marymount (Aug. 19) and Michigan (Aug. 24) -- while three of its four wins have come via the shutout.
SINGLED OUT: Cal State Fullerton has yet to be shutout in 11 matches this season, but the Titans are still waiting for the offensive dam to burst. Fullerton, which has been outscored by just a 17-15 margin this season, has scored multiple goals in a match just three times, scoring twice against USC on Aug. 17 and No. 21 Long Beach State on Sept. 30, while netting a season-high three goals against Army on Sept. 14.
SHE'S HERE TO HELP: Erica Mazeau's three consecutive matches with an assist from Aug. 19-26 ranks tied for the second-longest such streak in school history with four other players, standing behind only Erica Jacalone and her school-record four-straight matches with an assist from Sept. 3-17, 2001. Mazeau has also assisted on two game-winners this season, ranking tied for ninth in school history in that category.
SHOT CALLERS: The duo of sophomore Rebecca Wilson and senior Ann Marie Tangorra are ranked among the top five, respectively, in shots entering this weekend's match-ups as Tangorra, with 36 overall (and 3.27 per match), is just behind leader Nadia Link of Long Beach State, while Wilson stands in fourth place with 33 on the year overall (and 3.00 per match).
SHE'S A KEEPER: Since her return to the cage against top-ranked Florida State on Sept. 1, junior goalkeeper Lindsey Maricic has been solid between the pipes for the Titans, posting a 1.33 goals against average (fourth in the Big West Conference) and two shutouts (tied for second in the league) to go with 21 saves and a .724 save percentage. With her four saves on Sept. 16 against Texas Tech, Maricic became only the sixth Titan keeper to notch 100 career saves (and currently ranks sixth on the all-time list with 108) and she earned her 13th career victory on Sunday against Long Beach State, moving her into a tie for fourth on the all-time list. Maricic's eight career shutouts also rank fifth on the career charts.