Aug. 25, 2003
2003 Gonzaga Women's Soccer Notes (Week 1)
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FRIDAY - AUGUST 29
Gonzaga Bulldogs at Portland State Vikings, 4 p.m.
BULLDOGS OPEN SEASON ON THE ROAD: The Gonzaga University's women's soccer team opens the regular season on the road at Portland State University on Friday, at 4 p.m. at PGE Park. The match will be the first of five straight road games to open the season, including stints at UC Riverside, Cal State Northridge, Idaho State University and Utah State University. Friday's match against Portland State also marks the fourth consecutive season opening match played on the road for the Bulldogs.
BREAKING TRADITION: Head coach Shannon Stiles looks to make history as the Gonzaga University women's soccer team has never won a season opener since the program came in existence in 1991. Stiles is 0-4 in previous season openers since arriving at Gonzaga in 1999. Last year, Air Force Academy defeated Gonzaga, 2-1, to open the Bulldog season.
RETURNING VETERANS: Gonzaga University returns two-thirds of its roster, including team captain Walker Loseno, member of the Greek National team. Joining Loseno in the veteran's march is fellow team captain Sarah Hawkins, and sophomore goalkeeper Ashley Haugen. Haugen returns for the Bulldogs after playing all but 23 minutes due to a mid-air collision, between the posts during the 2002 season. Along with an experienced staff of teammates, the trio is set to lead Gonzaga through its hearty schedule.
KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE FALL: Gonzaga University prepare to take on a vigorous fall schedule, including seven teams that participated in the 2002 NCAA College Cup. Among the 13 non-conference games, the Bulldogs will face two NCAA competitors within the first month of play. Gonzaga will also prepare for the extensive road schedule to begin the season. The five straight away matches topping off the fall season is the most consecutive non-tournament games played at an opponent's field in program history.
WITH HONORS: Gonzaga University juniors Natalie Hardin and Annie Hawkins received honorable mention All-West Coast Conference honors for the 2002 season. Hawkins led the team in scoring with six goals and three assists. Hardin controlled the defense for the Zags, and started all 19 matches of the season.
SCOUTING THE VIKINGS: Portland State University opens its season coming off of a 13-5-4 record in 2002 and tied for second place in the Big Sky Conference. The Vikings return junior midfielder Katie Miyake, who led the team with 10 goals and 27 points for the 2002 season. Miyake was also selected as the 2002 Big Sky MVP and 2002 Big Sky Newcomer of the Year. Portland State also returns senior goalkeeper Joell Giger, who started all 22 appearances last season, tallying 74 saves and a 0.88 goals against average. The Vikings were selected to finish second in the Big Sky according to the Big Sky Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll. Portland State returns 21 letterwinners and 11 starters from a year ago.
BULLDOGS VS. VIKINGS: Gonzaga University holds a 5-2-2 edge in the series with Portland State University. Gonzaga won the last meeting 1-0 in Spokane, last season. The Bulldogs are 3-0-1 against the Vikings under the direction of head coach Shannon Stiles, with the lone 0-0 tie during the 2001 season.
FACING THE RANKS: Within the West Coast Conference, three teams have been ranked according to the Soccer Buzz Top 25 preseason poll. Taking second-place in the 2002 NCAA College Cup, Santa Clara University has been ranked first in the nation, while defending NCAA champion University of Portland claims the No. 5 slot. Pepperdine University rounds out the rankings at No. 15, dropping from its No. 7 final 2002 rank. Gonzaga looks to climb up the steep WCC ladder, a conference that placed five teams in last year's NCAA College Cup, including the two final teams of the championship match.
CREATING HER OWN STILE: Head coach Shannon Stiles continues to make her mark on Gonzaga University and West Coast Conference athletics as she enters her fifth year with the Bulldogs. As the first female head women's soccer coach in the history of the WCC, Stiles also became the Gonzaga career coaching leader in victories as she collected her 16th career win with a 1-0 victory over the University of Idaho (10-31-02). Stiles looks to continue the Bulldogs' success as the team drastically improved from a 0-15-2 finish in 2001 to a 6-13-0 record at the end of the 2002 season.
A WALK TO REMEMBER: Gonzaga University junior forward Walker Loseno is one of 20 players recently selected to represent Greece in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. Loseno played in two international tournaments since the summer of 2002 as a member of the Greek National team, including a fifth place finish in the Algarve Cup in Portugal and a sixth place finish in the Nordic Cup in Denmark. Loseno also played in two international friendly matches prior to rejoining the Bulldogs for the 2003 season.
KEEPING TIME: After finishing the 2002 season with one goalkeeper, the Zags are stocking the posts. Gonzaga University sophomore Ashley Haugen returns as the starting keeper after playing all but 23 minutes of last season in the net for the Bulldogs, taken out after a mid-air collision. Junior Brooke Longacre also returns after a season-ending injury to her ACL during 2002 fall training camp. Longacre tallied 132 saves during her freshman season with Gonzaga. Transfer Erin Johnson, from University of North Texas, will be competing with Longacre for the back-up goalkeeper position .
