Men's Soccer Remains Home
10/9/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Oct. 9, 2003
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Complete WCC Release in PDF Format
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Sun., Oct. 12 - Cal Poly, 1 p.m.
BULLDOGS SUFFER TOUGH LOSS: Gonzaga University's men's soccer team suffered a heartbreaking 3-2 overtime loss to the University of Portland last Saturday in the West Coast Conference opener at Martin Field. The Bulldogs fell behind 2-0 in the first 7:18 of the match as the Pilots scored on a header off a free kick and on a rebound from a keeper kick. Gonzaga battled back with a goal from Scott Bertram to cut the halftime deficit to 2-1, then got the equalizer at 68:34 when Kari Arnason continued his hot streak with a goal from the top of the box. The Pilots got the winning goal at 91:23 when Miguel Guante converted Patrick Mooney's cross.
GONZAGA REMAINS HOME: After going a month between home matches, Gonzaga University gets the luxury of staying home for another week before hitting the road again. The Bulldogs will host Cal Poly in a non-conference match Sunday at 1 p.m. on Martin Field. Gonzaga won't be home again until Halloween when the Bulldogs host the University of San Diego in a West Coast Conference match.
A PAINFUL LOSS: Last Saturday's loss was literally painful to a couple of Gonzaga University players. The Bulldogs lost the services of starting defenders Robert Anderson and Jon Baune. Anderson injured a knee and Baune an ankle. Baune was injured late in the first half and did not return, while Anderson was injured late in regulation. Anderson left the game momentarily on a non-substitution and then re-entered, eventually leaving the contest in the overtime. Baune's situation is day-to-day while Anderson will probably be sidelined 4-6 weeks. The duo joined defender Grayson Tenney (ankle) on the sidelines. Tenney was injured the previous week against Sacramento State University and is likely sidelined for 4-6 weeks.
FRESHMEN GET THEIR CHANCE: Gonzaga University's defense has taken on a young look with the injury situation. Freshmen Mike Babenko (Kennewick, Wash.) and Daniel Scott (Haiku, Hawai'i) will be called on to pick up some of the slack. Scott, the brother of former Bulldog and 2001 All-West Coast Conference first-team defender Zach Scott, saw considerable minutes against the University of Portland.
SAWYER COULD SEE ACTION: Ben Sawyer, a freshman from Spokane's Mead High, will more than likely brought off his redshirt year to help fill the defensive void as a result of the injury situation, according to Gonzaga University head coach Einar Thorarinsson. "If Jon (Baune) can't play then we'll definitely use Ben," Thorarinsson said. "He could even start in Jon's place. We are really young on defense all of a sudden."
MUSTANGS RIDE IN: Cal Poly makes its third visit to Spokane in the series Gonzaga University leads 4-2-0. Gonzaga captured a 3-0 victory last season in San Luis Obispo, Calif., to extend their winning streak to four in the series. The Mustangs took the first two contests - 3-1 in 1994 and 4-2 in 1995. Gonzaga head coach Einar Thorarinsson is 4-1-0 against Cal Poly.
MUSTANGS TO WATCH: Junior forward Danny Calderon leads Cal Poly in scoring with three goals and an assist for 7 points as the Mustangs have posted a 3-3-2 record. Senior forward Brian Reed hasn't found the net this season, but has a team-leading three assists. Senior keeper Greg Blevins has played every minute of the season and has a 0.82 GAA, allowing 7 goals in eight outings. Blevins has three shutouts, including back-to-back outings. Cal Poly defeated Fullerton State University 2-0 last Saturday and battling San Jose State to a 0-0 double-overtime tie the previous weekend.
SCORING RACE IS TIGHT: Gonzaga University head coach Einar Thorarinsson thought he had better offensive balance heading into the season, and the scoring race through 10 games bears that fact out. Arni Ingi Pjeturrson leads the scoring chase with 13 points on 4 goals and a team-high 5 assists. Scott Yuska paces the team in goals with 5 and has a pair of assists for 12 points. Scott Bertram and Kari Arnason each have 4 goals, Bertram with three assists for 11 points and Arnason with 2 assists for 10 points.
NEXT SEASON'S SCHEDULE: While Gonzaga University will play just five regular-season matches at home this season, including the standard three in West Coast Conference play, the Bulldogs are guaranteed no fewer than six home matches in upcoming seasons. The WCC, with just seven men's soccer teams since Pepperdine University does not field a squad, will play a double round-robin schedule next season. That means each team will have a home-and-away meeting with each of the other six WCC members and ups the number of WCC contests to 12 per school.
LIVE ON THE INTERNET: All Gonzaga University home matches as well as all West Coast Conference road matches will be available via Livestats on the Internet at http://www.gozags.com. Some non-conference matches may also be available. Check the Gonzaga web site for all Livestats links.
THE THORARINSSON TALE OF THE TAPE: Gonzaga University head coach Einar Thorarinsson is 78-57-10 in his ninth season with the Bulldogs. His overall record is 197-109-23 that includes nine seasons across town at Whitworth College. After going 3-10-2 in his first season of 1995, the Bulldogs have had winning seasons in six of the last season seasons under Thorarinsson. His teams led the West Coast Conference in wins with a 14-4-0 record in 1997 and 12-4-2 mark in 1998, capturing WCC co-championships in each of those seasons. The Bulldogs were 9-5-2 in 2001, making their inaugural College Cup appearance.
