FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 3, 2016
Cal State Fullerton Women's Soccer
Contact: Rafael Guerrero

Seniors Soak in their Last 'First Day' of Fall Practice
Five Titans Seniors Reflect on time at Fullerton as their senior season officially gets underway

FULLERTON, Calif. – The three-time defending Big West Conference Tournament champion Cal State Fullerton women's soccer team officially got back on the pitch Wednesday for the first official day of fall practice.

The start of practice also officially kicked off the final season for Titans seniors Jennifer Stuart, Ali White, Ivy Diego, Jazzmin Mancilla and academic senior Tatiana Rizzotti.

FullertonTitans.com caught up with the five seniors following their first session of Wednesday's "double-day" practice to get their thoughts on the upcoming year and to reflect on their time at Cal StatJennifer Stuart>

THE SENIORS:

Jennifer Stuart, GK, Cave Creek, Ariz./Pinnacle HS

A fifth-year senior, Stuart is the reigning Big West Conference Goalkeeper of the Year, becoming the fourth Titans keeper to win the award. She ranked fourth in the Big West Conference with a 0.86 goals against average, second with an 0.837 save percentage and her 4.28 saves per game also rated second in the league in 2015. In Big West Conference games, Stuart led the league in goals against average (0.39) after allowing only three goals in eight matches and also led the league in save percentage (.900) and shutouts (4). Her 14 victories in goal tied Suzy Strazzulla (1995) for second in CSF single-season history, trailing Karen Bardsley's 16 from 2005. Stuart's seven shutouts matched Shayla Sabin (2007) for third in single-season history. Stuart's 139 career saves rank sixth at Fullerton, while her 26 career wins rank second behind Karen BardslIvy DiegoHer 14 career shutouts rate third.

Ivy Diego, F, Santa Maria, Calif./Righetti HS

A member of the 2015 Fall Big West Academic All-Conference Team, Diego has played in 61 career matches in three seasons at Fullerton. She has tallied four goals, including a career best three in 2015. Diego has logged 2,141 minutes overall and logged her first career game-winning goal in 2015, putting the ball in the back of the net in the 51st minute of a 4-2 win at Idaho State on Aug. 28. Diego was born in Santa Maria, Calif. to John and Jo Ann DiAli Whites the youngest of three daughters.

Ali White, M/F, Yorba Linda, Calif./Valencia HS

White has appeared in 36 matches in three years at Fullerton. She appeared in five matches off the bench in 2015 after coming off a season-ending injury in 2014. Prior to the injury, White played in 11 matches in 2014 and made four starts. She scored her only goal of the season in a 3-0 win at Fresno State and also assisted on the team's only goal in a 2-1 double overtime loss at Oregon on Sept. 7. A 2013 graduate of Valencia High School in Placentia, Calif., White was a four-year letterwinner and three-time Empire League Offensive MVP, scoring 11 goals with two assists as a senior. Born in La Habra, Calif., White has two sisters, Tatiana Rizzottictoria, and majors in kinesiology.

Tatiana Rizzotti, M, Burbank, Calif./John Burroughs HS

A red-shirt junior, Rizzotti is a senior academically in 2016 and a member of the 2015 Fall Big West Academic All-Conference Team. After appearing in just two matches in 2014, Rizzotti came on as a sophomore as she played 13 games, making five starts as an outside back for the Titans in 2015. She tallied two assists, the first points of her career. Her cross set up Christina Burkenroad for Fullerton's fourth goal in the 80th minute of a 4-1 victory over George Washington on Aug. 23. Another Rizzotti cross also set up a Morgan Batcheller goal in the 33rd minute of an eventualJazzmin Mancillatime victory over FGCU on Sept. 4.

Jazzmin Mancilla, D, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Los Osos HS

The veteran of the Ivy Diegoor class, Mancilla has appeared in 64 matches in her three-year Titans career, three more than fellow senior Ivy Diego. Mancilla was a member of the 2015 Fall Big West Academic All-Conference Team and also earned 2014 Big West Conference Honorable Mention. She was named to the Big West Conference All-Freshman Team after playing in 21 matches including 18 starts on the backline for the Titans in 2013, tallying one assist. In her three years at Fullerton, Mancilla has tallied one goal and five assists and logged 5,657 minutes.

THE INTERVIEW:

Jennifer Stuart>FullertonTitans.com: What was it like to finally get back out on the field?

Jennifer Stuart: I'm so excited to be here and just go 120 percent on my last season, my last hurrah for the 2016 season. It was really good. Demian put us to work on the first practice of the first day, which is aAli Whitet really sets the tempo for the rest of the fall season and I'm really excited for this team.

Ali White: It felt really great because last year I was coming back from an injury and this year I got to start fresh and just come out strong and show what I have been working on and show that I am ready for this season. I tried to focus on my fitness, my skills; just everyJazzmin Mancillang to get back with the team and just getting back to playing; getting it all back and just playing.

Jazzmin Mancilla: It was really great all the way around. We started with some fitness testing, and then got out to some juggling and even with the fieldwork. It was really awesome because I just busted my butt out there and worked as hard as I could. When Demian has all of us out there and we all see each other working, we all see each other holding ourselvIvy Diegotable for things, it's just really good to see all the work being put into it by every single person on the field today so it was a really good feeling.

Ivy Diego: I think, all spring we're thinking about, 'Wow, this is going to go into our senior year. This is all that we've been waiting for. This is it.' Like, all the years you've been working up to your senior year, this is when it really matters. And I think for all of us, for myself, we just want to go out with a big bang. We want to do what we are used toTatiana Rizzottie done it every single year since we've been here so we know what it takes and we want to go for it.

Tatiana Rizzotti: I was really excited, I mean I love playing with these girls and just to have a fresh start and get everything started was awesome today. I was really pumped. The team was good. We have a lot of work to do to get really cohesive but I felt good, felt fresh and I'm just ready to get this going.

FT.com: Have any of you given any thought to the fact that today was your last "first day" of practice? What thoughts and emotions go through your mind that this is the start of you senior year?

JS: I don' think I've given too much though to it actually. I really just try to go out there and enjoy the days that I do have, as few as they are now. I'm just going out there and doing the best that I can, practicing as hard as I can for as long as I can.

AW: It's bitter sweet. I realize this is my last year and I've got to go strong. I've got to do what I can to get that 'W' and come out strong with the team.

JM: It's really surreal to be honest. It goes by so quick. I've talked to so many girls already coming in and they are just so surprised at all the little things that we remember. Over the four years that you're here you just do so many things. You grind, you sweat, you bleed, you hurt and every little thing builds on top of each other and they're just unreal memories that you have with the people you're here with and it's something that can't be taken away from you.

ID: I think we talk about it everyday. I think all of us were like; 'This is our last first day.' It's exciting but definitely bitter sweet and we will definitely miss it.

TR: I was thinking about it but honestly I'm just thinking in more of, like, a team sense and just for myself; I just want to make it the best year possible. Yes, it was the last 'first day' but there's more days ahead and that's what I was thinking about. Just keep going.

FT.com: What are your goals for the upcoming season, both personally and for the team?

JS: Personally my goal is to win Big West Goalkeeper of the Year again. First team all-region would be awesome and I have aspirations to be an All-American. I really want to try to do that and follow in Rebecca Wilson's footsteps and make that happen for myself. For the team, I want us to win the tournament and conference. It's become our norm now and is an expectation for this team. I really want that for this group and I want us to make it past the first round in the NCAA Tournament. We've made it so far before and we've stopped for whatever reasons. I want us to keep pushing and go as long as we can.

AW: My goals are to keep working hard and show that I am strong and I can come up and keep playing and be a positive impact on this team. For this team it's to win the conference and tournament and make it past the first round in the NCAA tournament. We've made it the past three years and we can make it again. I think we've learned that; we've become, not comfortable, but it's the norm to get to the NCAA Tournament and going into this next year, we've got to get past it. We're stronger this year, we're going to develop as a team and we know how it feels to get to that first round so we know what it takes to beat it and get past it.

JM: Personally, I definitely want to put my name out there. I really want get into the attack more. Already trying to work on taking some free kicks, doing some stuff offensively so that I'm prepared when the time comes and when the opportunity is given that I start making the most of those situations. For the team I just want us to push each other and really get the most out of what we can in our opportunities and I think that's really what we all want here.

ID: I'd definitely like to be one of the goal scorers on this team but I definitely have a lot of work to do. I just want to be that player on the field that could be a go-to.  For the team, I think the Big West Conference and winning the Big West Tournament and going past the second round.

TR: I just want to get out there, like I said before, and just make some great assists and score maybe; that'd be awesome. That doesn't happen for a defender very often but I would like to do that and just be consistent. I want to be really consistent this year. As for the team, we want to get the Big West title and past the first round and I think we can do it this year too, so I'm excited about that.

FT.com: What are you most excited about for the upcoming season? What are you looking forward to?

JS: I'm most excited about playing with my fellow seniors; playing with the people I've played here the longest with. I'm most excited for seeing all these new faces and I can't wait to see them develop and be a part of this team and make this team a family.

AW: I'm excited to play with everyone. To get on the field and get touches in, score goals, and play with my friends, you know? Because they've become my family.

JM: I'm really looking forward to our competition schedule this year. We have some very, very good teams and a lot of different teams. I mean, there are some familiar faces but I think Demian did a really good job of changing who we are playing this year and getting us some trips that we haven't made. Some really hard temperatures that we're going to be in and it's really going to test us with adversity and see how much we can grind and push through things like that.

ID: It's just like the big bang. This is the last time I'll ever be playing in college. It's all the years of working when I was a teenager, a young kid, this was my dream. And to fulfill it; it's just amazing.

TR: Just being with my girls, you know. It's my family and I'm all about team and it was being with them and being in that competitive life again. In summer it's a little more lackadaisical but here it was like grind time so it was great.  I'm excited to compete and can't wait to get some minutes on the field. I'm stoked about that and I'm just going to play my heart out every time I get on the field. I'm so excited.

FT.com: What have you each learned from the players that were here when you were coming up as an underclassman and what do you hope the players coming up behind you learn from this senior class?

JS: I've learned from successes and failures on this team from different players. I was one of three people that lasted all four years out of a class that had nine coming in, which has got to say something. I'd have to say the biggest thing that I learned was really committing, just putting yourself fully in there and not giving up at any point during your soccer career at Cal State Fullerton.

AW: I've learned that it goes by really fast and you've got to put your work in. I remember my first double-days and now it's my last double-days and I just want the freshmen to know that they need to work hard like I've worked hard to get where I am.

JM: I've definitely learned a lot about leadership here; lots of different styles of leadership. People that are captains, people that aren't captains. The way people are silent leaders. Just all the way around everyone has their own way of being a huge contribution to this team and I think that's just always a thing; our team is always so good at building each other up and, you know, even when we tear each other down, we're doing it together to work toward one common goal

ID: With the hardships and success, you definitely learn a lot. You never know. The day you step on the field could be your last day. You never know if you're going to get hurt, you just cherish every moment in your senior year. I think as a freshman you should cherish every moment even though you're nervous and you're scared. You just have to take it in and go with it.

TR: I was a walk-on out of my whole class so I had a lot of people keeping me positive and I had to mature really fast in this program. So maturity and confidence was a big thing for me and now I just want to pass on to my other teammates is just my work ethic is like no other and I want them to exemplify that when I leave and be that role model for them.

FT.com: What do you each want your legacy to be? What do you want people to think of first when associating you to the Cal State Fullerton women's soccer program?

JS: I want my legacy to be that I always worked hard on the field; that I always put as much as I could out there, all my effort at every practice and every game and that I held myself accountable if I didn't feel it was up to my standards.

AW: Hard work doesn't fail. If you put the work in then you'll get a positive output.

JM: I think what I want people to take from me is; going into everyday and just going hard into every single thing you do. Never letting someone question or even yourself question; 'Could I have done that better?' or 'Did I regret that practice because I could've done this?' or even in a game I don't want to ever have someone think that, 'Dang, I could have scored that goal' or 'I could have saved that goal.' For every single thing, just go out with a bang.

ID: I definitely would like my legacy to be that I was a hard worker, that I put everything out there and that I had a positive attitude and was a positive presence on the field and definitely like to be known as a good mentor.

TR: I just want them to look at me and say, 'She was at the bottom of the pack and she rose to the top through a lot of blood, sweat and tears.' And I want them to; I want my story to just carry on and I want to just leave everything out there with no regrets my senior year.