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Aug. 26, 2003
Men's Soccer Match Facts
FALCON INVITATIONAL @ COLORADO SPRINGS, CO
Friday, August 29
7 p.m. MST - Gonzaga vs. Air Force Academy
Sunday, August 31 2:30 p.m. MST - Gonzaga vs. Denver University
BULLDOGS KICK OFF REGULAR SEASON: Gonzaga University kicks off the 2003 regular season Friday against host Air Force Academy at 7 p.m. MST in the Falcon Invitational, then concludes tournament play Sunday at 2:30 p.m. MST against Denver University.
MEET ME IN SEPTEMBER: Gonzaga University's men's soccer team will be home just once in the month of September, facing Cal State-Monterey Bay Sept. 4 at 4 p.m. on Martin Field. It will be exactly one month between home appearances for the Bulldogs, who won't be back in Spokane for a match until Oct. 4 when West Coast Conference play opens against the University of Portland. The Bulldogs will play eight of their first nine matches away from home as Gonzaga competes in four tournaments the first five weekends of the season.
EXHIBITION TUNEUP: Head coach Einar Thorarinsson got a sneak preview of his 2003 Gonzaga University squad when the Bulldogs dropped a 1-0 exhibition contest to Seattle University last Sunday on Martin Field. The Redhawks scored the lone goal of the match at 72:29. Thorarinsson got a chance to play a blend of veterans and rookies in the contest. "It was a good match," Thorarinsson said. "Except for not scoring a goal I was pleased with the overall effort. We have some great speed on this team."
PLAYING FOR KEEPS: The goalkeeper battle is wide open with the departure of senior Mike McCarthy, last year's West Coast Conference first-team keeper. The battle is currently being waged among true freshmen Vito Higgins of Kailua, Hawai'i, Dade Smith of Bozeman, Mont., and Kris Wright of Spokane. Wright got the start in Sunday's exhibition against Seattle University and played the first 45 minutes. Higgins got the call for the second half and was touched for the breakaway goal.
KIDDIE KORPS: Twelve true freshmen dot Gonzaga University's 25-man roster, plus three redshirt freshmen, meaning there are 15 players on this year's roster who have never played a collegiate match prior to this season.
LOCAL FLAVOR: Five players from Spokane and one each from nearby Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and Sandpoint, Idaho, are on the Gonzaga University roster, giving the Bulldogs one of the most local flavors of talent in recent years. Spokane products are freshmen Grant Lundberg (midfielder, Lewis and Clark High); John Palladino (midfielder, Central Valley High); Ben Sawyer (midfielder/defender, Mead High); keeper Kris Wright (Lewis and Clark High), and junior Nick Ascolese (forward, Gonzaga Prep). Junior defender/midfielder Jon Baune hails from Coeur d'Alene High and freshman forward Luke Miller is from nearby Sandpoint High. In all, 18 players come from the states of Washington, Idaho, Oregon or Montana.
VETERAN CORPS: While there is definitely a youth movement on this year's squad, Gonzaga University's fortunes will also rely on a solid corps of veterans. It starts with the two returnees - senior midfielder Scott Yuska out of Corte Madera, Calif., and sophomore midfielder Kari Arnason from Reykjavik, Iceland. Both earned West Coast Conference honorable mention accolades last season. Yuska had a team-high 77.8 shots-on-goal percentage, 14 of his 18 attempts scoring opportunities. Arnason was 13-for-25 for 52.0 percent. Defender Robert Anderson was the only other player above .500 among the regulars, but he took just five shots with three on goal from his defensive slot. Arni Ingi Pjetursson, another Icelander with a wicked shot, was held in check by the opposition during his sophomore campaign, getting just two assists in 2002 after collecting five goals and three assists the previous season. He took a team-high 36 shots, 17 were on goal for a 47.2 average, but many of his shots were from long range. Junior forward Nick Ascolese also figures highly into the offense.
STRONG DEFENSE: Defense should be a staple for Gonzaga University this season as sophomores Robert Anderson, a West Coast Conference honorable mention selection a year ago, and Grayson Tenney, who got several late-season starts, form the nucleus. Senior Charles Wells returns following a broken leg last season and Scott Bertram is back for his senior campaign. Freshmen Mike Babenko and Daniel Scott will also vie for time. Scott is the brother of former Gonzaga standout and All-WCC first-teamer Zach Scott.
BULLDOGS VS. FALCON INVITATIONAL FIELD: Gonzaga University is 1-1-1 all time against the Air Force Academy, the Bulldogs taking a 2-1 victory last season in the Gonzaga/Nike Soccer Classic. The Bulldogs lost 1-0 in 1997 in Corvallis, Ore., and the teams played a scoreless tie in 1998 at the New Mexico Classic. Gonzaga and Denver University will be meeting for the first time.
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 74-53-9 in his ninth season with the Bulldogs. His overall record is 193-105-22 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.
