Cal State Fullerton at No. 24 Auburn
Friday, Aug. 26 | 5:00 PM (PT)
Auburn Soccer Complex | Auburn, Ala.
TV/Live Stream: SEC Network-Plus
Live Stats: FullertonTitans.com
Audio: AuburnTigers.com
Series Tied 1-1-0
Cal State Fullerton at Georgia
Sunday, Aug. 28 | 10:00 AM (PT)
UGA Soccer Stadium | Athens, Ga.
TV/Live Stream: SEC Network-Plus
Live Stats: FullertonTitans.com
Series: Georgia Leads 1-0-0
FULLERTON, Calif. – Cal State Fullerton goes out on the road for the first time this season, heading east to take on a pair of SEC powerhouses. The Titans face No. 24 Auburn on Friday night followed by a Sunday affair with Georgia.
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 defeated Saint Mary's, 2-1, on Aug. 19 in the 2016 season opener at Titan Stadium. With the victory, the Titans have won two straight season openers and are unbeaten in their last three. Overall, Fullerton is now 8-14-2 in season openers and 9-13-2 in home openers.
• Fullerton improved to 4-0-0 against Saint Mary's with Friday's win being the first played at either team's home stadium. The Titans' previous three victories all came at neutral sites.
• The Titans went 5-2-2 on the road in 2015 with a 2-1-2 record in non-conference road contests.
• Cal State Fullerton played one team ranked in the NSCAA Top-25 during the 2015 season. They played No. 11 USC to a 3-3 draw in the first round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament, falling to the Trojans in penalty kicks.
• Head coach Demian Brown is in his 10th season at the helm of the Titans. Cal State Fullerton is 85-75-25 under Brown.
IN THE POLLS
The Titans received five votes in the NSCAA National Top-25 poll released on Aug. 23, up from two votes in the preseason poll released Aug. 3. They are also ranked No. 4 in the NSCAA West Region Poll. Auburn is ranked No. 24 in this week's national poll, falling 12 spots from their No. 12 ranking in the preseason poll after falling to No. 8 Clemson in the season opener. The Tigers defeated South Alabama 1-0 in double overtime in their next match. Georgia is unranked.
OPPONENT AND HISTORY
Auburn
5 p.m. | Friday, Aug. 26 | Auburn Soccer Complex
The Titans and Tigers square off for the third time ever on Friday night, the all-time series tied at 1-1. It will be the second meeting at Auburn, 11 years after Fullerton and the Tigers squared off for the first time ever. The Titans scored a 2-1 victory in double overtime back on Sept. 2, 2005. Auburn got its win on neutral ground back on Sept. 12, 2010 with a 2-0 shutout win. That match took place at the Trojan Invitational hosted by USC in Los Angeles, Calif.
Georgia
10 a.m. | Sunday, Aug. 28 | UGA Soccer Stadium
The Titans face the Bulldogs for just the second time in program history. Fullerton hosted Georgia on Aug. 31, 2014 at Titan Stadium. The Titans fell behind 1-0 in that contest before then-freshman Tala Haddad knotted things up at 1-1 for the Titans with a goal in the 79th minute. But the Bulldogs came away with a golden-goal victory as Gabby Seiler scored in the 96th minute to put down the Titans for good.
FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING
Junior Johana Rosas and sophomore Nano Oronoz each recorded their first career goals in the Titans 2-1 victory over Saint Mary's. Rosas opened the scoring in the 38th minute with a right-footed tip in inside the six-yard box and then Oronoz scored the eventual game-winner on a header in the 55th minute. Rosas is in her first NCAA Division I season after scoring three goals as a redshirt sophomore in 2015 and two goals as a redshirt freshman at Cal State Dominguez Hills the past two seasons. Oronoz had one assist in 16 games for the Titans during her freshman campaign.
HELPING HANDS...ERRR.... FEET
The Titans had four different players assist on two goals in their season-opening victory against Saint Mary's. Nano Oronoz and Jessica Simonian got the helpers on the first goal while Tala Haddad and Sarah Fajnor notched assists on the second and deciding goal.
RACKING UP THE VICTORIES
Reigning Big West Conference Goalkeeper of the Year Jennifer Stuart recorded her 27th career win against Saint Mary's on Aug. 19. She currently ranks second on the Titans all-time record book behind Karen Bardsley, who won 47 games in her Cal State Fullerton career.
FULL TIME:
Lindsey Stasinis was the Titans nominee for Big West Defensive Player of the Week after playing all 90 minutes on the back line in Fullerton's 2-1 win over Saint Mary's. Stasinis helped anchor a defense that allowed the Gaels just nine shots overall including three in the second half. Connie Caliz, Kaycee Hoover and Savannah Sloniger were the other field players that logged 90 minutes for the Titans in their season-opening win.
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.
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).