Game 1
Cal State Fullerton vs. Saint Mary's
Date: August 19, 2016
Time: 7:00 P.M.
Location: Fullerton, Calif.
Venue: Titan Stadium
Video Stream: BigWest.tv
Live Stats: FullertonTitans.com
Audio: FullertonTitans.com
Series Record: Cal State Fullerton Leads 3-0-0
FULLERTON, Calif. – Cal State Fullerton returns to the pitch to kick off the 2016 season on Friday night, hosting Saint Mary's for a 7 p.m. start.
Single-game tickets for Cal State Fullerton women's soccer can be purchased online at fullertontitans.com or on game day at the ticket window. Cal State Fullerton students receive free admission to Titan home games with their Titan I.D. card.
FRIDAYS AT FULLERTON:
Friday night's game against Saint Mary's will be the first "Fridays at Fullerton" event. Cal State Fullerton athletics is introducing the new membership club, which is designed to enhance the Titan Athletics game day experience. Fridays at Fullerton will feature a beer/wine hospitality area at every Friday home competition for all sports with Friday events. In order to gain access, one must either join one of the Titan Athletics Booster Clubs by giving at the level designated for that specific sport and receive access for two (2) for each of that sport's Friday at Fullerton hospitality area OR give a $2,500 donation to any Titan Athletics program and receive access for two for ALL 2016-17 Fridays at Fullerton hospitalities (a total of 30). The following women's soccer games will be a part of Fridays at Fullerton: Sept. 2 vs. Utah State; Sept. 9 vs. UAB, Sept. 30 vs. UC Riverside. Please note that Fridays at Fullerton access does not include event admission.
Parking for games played Mon-Thurs. is $8. Permit machines located in lots A, D, G, S and on the ground level of the parking structures accept Discover, MasterCard, and Visa, only. The machines located in surface lots accept $1 & $5 bills only. Parking can also be purchased online by visiting the Cal State Fullerton Parking and Transportation website. Daily permits are valid in student lots and parking structures, unless restricted. After 4pm daily permits are valid in College Park Faculty/Staff. After 6pm daily permits are valid in Lots A Faculty/Staff, E Faculty/Staff, C-West, and C-East. Parking for Fullerton games played on weekends (Fri.-Sun) is free after 5 p.m. Friday through the weekend. Please plan accordingly when attending an athletic event at Cal State Fullerton.
BE A FOLLOWER
Fans can keep up with the latest news by following us on Facebook (FullertonTitans) and Twitter (@FullertonTitans). The women's soccer team has its own Facebook and Twitter (@CSUF_WSoccer) presence.
QUICK HITS
• Cal State Fullerton brings back 20 letterwinners from the 2015 squad, which won a share of the Big West Conference regular season title and took home the BWC Tournament crown for the third straight season. Among those returners are reigning BWC Goalkeeper of the Year Jennifer Stuart, 2015 all-conference selection Connie Caliz (BWC Second Team), and All-Freshman Team selections Jessica Simonian and Amanda Larsson.
• The Titans welcome 14 newcomers to the squad in 2016 including two returning redshirts.
• Head coach Demian Brown enters his 10th season at the helm of the Titans. The Titans are 84-75-25 under Brown.
PRESEASON PREDICTIONS:
The Cal State Fullerton women's soccer team, which has won three straight Big West Conference tournament titles, was picked to finish third in the conference in the BWC Preseason Poll released on Aug. 11. Long Beach State was picked to win the conference, garnering six first-place votes and 77 points overall. UC Santa Barbara was picked to place second with 69 points overall including two first-place votes while CSUN tied with Fullerton for third, netting one first-place vote and 53 points overall. Cal Poly (39 points), UC Riverside (36), UC Irvine (35), UC Davis (30) and Hawai'i (13) rounded out the poll.
Connie Caliz earned Big West Preseason All-Conference honors, the only Titan selected to the preseason squad.
IN THE POLLS
The Titans received two votes in the NSCAA national preseason poll released on Aug. 2.
OPPONENT AND HISTORY
Saint Mary's | 7 p.m. | Friday, Aug. 19 | Titan Stadium
Friday's match between the Titans and Gaels will be the first since 2008 and just fourth overall. It will be the first ever meeting between the teams at Titan Stadium. The Titans are 3-0-0 all-time against the Gaels with all three wins coming at a neutral site. Fullerton took the first ever meeting between the squads with a 1-0 win in Irvine on Sept. 6, 2002. The Titans took the next two by scores of 2-1 and 2-0 on Sept. 1, 2006 and Aug. 31, 2008 respectively, with both matches taking place in Berkeley, Calif.
SEASON OPENERS:
Cal State Fullerton defeated Liberty 1-0 in the 2015 season opener at Titan Stadium, snapping a six-year funk for the Titans. The team had gone 0-5-1 in the previous six season openers. They tied with then-No. 25 BYU at Titan Stadium in 2014 and had lost the previous five season openers. The team's last win prior to last year came in a 1-0 win on the road at Pepperdine on Aug. 23, 2008. Overall, the Titans hold a 7-14-2 record in season openers and an 8-13-2 mark in home openers.
PATROLLING THE GOAL LINE
Redshirt senior Jennifer Stuart became the fourth Cal State Fullerton goalkeeper to be named the Big West Conference Goalkeeper of the Year after leading the Titans to a tri-league title and third straight Big West Conference Tournament championship. Her 14 victories in 2015 tied Suzy Strazzulla (1995) for second in Cal State Fullerton single-season history, trailing Karen Bardsley's all-time record of 16 from 2005. The Cave Creek, Ariz. native also recorded seven shutouts in 2015, which is tied for the third most in CSF single-season history. Overall, Stuart has tallied 139 career saves in her Fullerton career, placing her sixth all-time. Her 26 wins rank second all-time behind Bardsley's 47. Stuart has also recorded 14 shutouts, which ranks her third all-time.
TITANS WIN SIX TITLES IN FOUR YEARS
Cal State Fullerton has claimed six Big West championships in four years after the Titans won a three-way share of the Big West regular season title and then won the tournament title in 2015. In 2014, the Titans clinched their fifth Big West tournament title in school history and earned the league's automatic NCAA postseason berth.
A TRADITION UNLIKE ANY OTHER
Sophomore Jessica Simonian's No. 2 jersey is the only number in the history of the Fullerton program to be worn every season since the program began in 1993.
FILLING THE GAP
While the Titans return much of their 2015 group, they will need to replace 30 goals and 21 from last year's squad with the departures of Rebecca Wilson and Christina Burkenroad.
Wilson earned a number of postseason accolades. She was named a semifinalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy, a NSCAA Al-West Region First Team selection along with a NSCAA First-Team All American nod. Wilson led the conference with 19 goals in 2015 and added 10 assists. She set a CSF record with 10 game-winning goals, leading the nation.
Burkenroad notched 11 goals and 11 assists for the Titans last year. She earned the Big West Conference Tournament MVP award in 2014 and 2015 and was named to the NSCAA All-West region First Team while earning BWC Midfielder of the Year honors in 2015. She was drafted by the Orlando Pride in the 2016 National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).
WORKING OVERTIME
In 2015, the Titans played four matches that required extra time and went 1-2-2 including a 3-3 result in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against USC, a result the Titans dropped 4-3 in penalty kicks. In Demian Brown's tenure, the Titans are now 14-17-27 in matches that are not settled in regulation time.
THE HISTORY AT CAL STATE FULLERTON
During its 23-year history, Cal State Fullerton has produced two World Cup players, two Olympians, two All-Americans, one Big West Conference Player of the Year, four Big West Offensive Players of the Year, four Big West Defensive Players of the Year, four Big West Goalkeepers of the Year and six Big West Tournament MVPs. In addition, the Titans have won eight Big West Conference regular season titles, six Big West Tournament championships and made seven NCAA Tournament appearances.
TRYING TO MAKE HISTORY... AGAIN
The Titans are the only program to have won three straight Big West Tournament titles, a feat they accomplished for the second time in 2015. The 2016 team will look to become the first squad to ever win four straight tournament titles in Big West Conference history.
2015 SEASON RECAP
• The 2015 Titans advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive year and gained their tourney berth by winning their third-straight Big West Tournament title.
• The Titans won a share of the 2015 Big West Conference regular season crown, marking the third time in the last four years (2012, 2014, 2015), the Titans earned the championship.
• Fullerton's record of 16-3-2 was its best since 2005, as the Titans opened the season with six consecutive wins – a new program record. In addition, Fullerton's 46 goals ranked fifth all-time in program history and were the most scored for the team since 2005. The Titans' 49 assists rated second in program history.
• The Titans led the Big West Conference in goals (46), points (141), assists (49) and saves (101).