No. 22 Gonzaga Preps For WCC Home Stand
10/18/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Oct. 18, 2005
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HOME COOKIN': The 22nd-ranked Gonzaga University women's soccer team (10-3-2, 1-1-1 WCC) will return to the friendly confines of Martin Field for a pair of West Coast Conference matches this weekend. On Friday, the Bulldogs will host the University of San Diego in a 1 p.m. match and on Sunday, the Zags will host seventh-ranked Santa Clara University in an 1 p.m. match.
ZAGS IN THE RANKINGS: For the first time in program history the Gonzaga University women's soccer team has broken into the Top-25, debuting at No. 22 in the latest Soccer America poll. The Zags have also cracked into the Top-30 in the Soccer Buzz Top-30 poll, coming in at No. 30, and the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and Soccer Times polls have the Zags in the others receiving votes category. The Bulldogs are off to their best start in program history at 10-3-2 and are off to the second best West Coast Conference start in program history at 1-1-1 after registering an upset win over No. 10 Pepperdine University, GU's first win over a Top-10 team in program history, on Friday and on Sunday battling to a scoreless draw with Loyola Marymount University. "I am thrilled," said head coach Shannon Stiles. "This is something that we always knew was possible, if you consider the status that Gonzaga has received with the success of the basketball program, and also playing in one of the strongest soccer conferences in the country. This is especially great for our seniors, Ashley Haugen and Stacey Sarro. These two ladies chose to come to Gonzaga when we were not a winning program, have stuck with it, and are now reaping the rewards of four years of hard work and dedication."
WITH A WIN...: With a win over the University of San Diego or Santa Clara University this weekend the Bulldogs will register their third consecutive 11 win season and tie the program record for most wins with 11. If the Bulldogs record the win over USD they will post the best West Coast Conference start in program history, surpassing the 2-2-0 record set by the 2004 squad.
SCOUTING THE TOREROS: The University of San Diego enters the week with a 4-9-1 overall record and a 1-2-0 West Coast Conference record. The Toreros split a pair of matches this past weekend dropping a 2-1 double overtime decision to the University of San Francisco, and registering a 2-0 win over Saint Mary's College. USD is led offensively by senior forward Michelle Rowe who has registered a team-leading four goals and one assist for a team-leading nine points. The defense is anchored down by freshman goalkeeper Brittany Cameron who is posting a 1.96 goals-against-average and a team-leading 46 saves. Gonzaga and San Diego look to their 13th meeting in program history with the Toreros holding a 11-1-0 advantage. Last season the Bulldogs were defeated 1-0 in San Diego, Calif.
SCOUTING THE BRONCOS: The Santa Clara Broncos enter the week with a 13-2-1 overall record and a 3-0-0 record in West Coast Conference play, good for first place. SCU is ranked No. 7 in the latest Soccer America poll. Offensively for the Broncos sophomore midfielder Jordan Angeli leads the team in scoring with 10 goals and has added three assists for a team-leading 23 points. Junior goalkeeper Julie Ryder is anchoring down the defense for the Broncos with her 0.45 goals-against-average and 30 saves. Gonzaga and Santa Clara look to their 13th meeting in program history with the Broncos leading the series 12-0-0. In 2004, the Broncos defeated the Zags, 1-0, in Santa Clara, Calif.
LIVE ON THE INTERNET: All Gonzaga University women's soccer home matches can be followed via Gametracker on the Bulldogs athletic website at www.gozags.com. Gametracker is a service of Online College Sports, the official web provider for Gonzaga athletics, and is a real time update of the action. Selected Gonzaga road matches are also available via Gametracker. To see if Gametracker is available for a match go to Gonzaga Events at the bottom of the home page. If Gametracker is available there will be a Gametracker link.
FACING THE RANKS: Gonzaga University is 4-36-0 all-time against ranked opponents. This weekend the Zags will look to improve upon those numbers as they square off against the seventh-ranked Broncos of Santa Clara University.
LAST TIME OUT: Gonzaga University registered a huge win over No. 10 Pepperdine University, 1-0, on Friday before battling to a scoreless tie with Loyola Marymount University on Sunday. In Friday's contest the Bulldogs were not only battling the 10-ranked team in the country, but were also battling the grueling heat of 84 degrees. The Bulldogs dominated time of possession in the first half only allowing the ball into their half of the field a couple of times. In the 29th minute GU was able to register the games lone goal when sophomore Nanda McCormick fed a streaking Christine Soma the ball on a breakaway. Soma was able to punch the ball past the Waves goalkeeper for her third goal of the season. On Sunday, the Bulldogs and Lions went to battle in Los Angeles, Calif. Neither team was able to get the ball past the goalkeeper's with Gonzaga's Ashley Haugen recording fives saves in the match. Gonzaga has its best scoring opportunity in the 108th minute when freshman defender Lori Conrad hit a shot that rolled past the LMU keeper, but was saved off the goal line by a LMU defender.
HAUGEN GARNERS PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS: Senior goalkeeper Ashley Haugen helped lead the Gonzaga University women's soccer team to a pair of road shutouts this past weekend, and for her efforts she was named the West Coast Conference Co-Player of the Week. Haugen was instrumental in the Bulldogs recording its sixth and seventh shutouts of the season as she held the normally potent 10th-ranked Pepperdine University Waves scoreless in GU's first-ever win over a Top-10 team. In that match, Haugen recorded two saves as the Bulldogs were able to dominate the time of possession throughout the match. With the shutout against Pepperdine, the Littleton, Colo. native moved into a tie at Gonzaga for the most single-season shutouts with six, tying the record she set as a freshman in 2002. Haugen then recorded five saves against Loyola Marymount University on Sunday as the two teams engaged in a scoreless draw. Haugen is also the all-time leader at Gonzaga in career shutouts with 18.
MOVING UP THE CHARTS: Gonzaga University sophomore striker Nanda McCormick's one assist in Friday's 1-0 upset win over No. 10 Pepperdine University gave her 19 points on the season moving her into sixth on the Gonzaga single-season points list. McCormick currently stands with eight goals placing her in fifth on the Gonzaga single-season goals score list.
ROAD WEARY ZAGS COME HOME: Gonzaga University women's soccer team will come home for only its fifth home match of the season. Thus far the Bulldogs have played 11 of their 15 matches on the road. GU will look to remain unblemished on its home pitch this weekend with a pair of West Coast Conference matches against the University of San Diego and No. 7 Santa Clara University. Gonzaga is 15-5-0 at Martin Field since the start of the 2003 season including a 4-0-0 record this season. In 2004 GU posted a 7-1-0 home record with the only loss coming to the, then fourth-ranked, Pilots of the University of Portland.
HELPING OTHERS: Sophomore forward Christine Soma has found ways to not only be successful scoring goals, she has done well helping her teammates also find the back of the net. Soma has tied for the team-lead in assists with three and had added three goals for nine points, good for third on the team.
DOUBLE DIGIT KUDOS: Gonzaga University has reached the 10-win plateau for the third time in as many seasons under head coach Shannon Stiles with its 1-0 shutout win on Friday over No. 10 Pepperdine University. The 10 wins also marks the third consecutive winning season for the Bulldogs.
ANOTHER WEEK, ANOTHER RANKED OPPONENT: Gonzaga University will square off against No. 5 Santa Clara University on Sunday marking the third consecutive week the Bulldogs have faced a top-10 team. On Oct. 9 the Bulldogs opened their West Coast Conference schedule against the second-ranked Pilots of the University of Portland, and this past weekend the Bulldogs upset No. 10 Pepperdine University.
CREATING HER OWN STILE: The first female head women's soccer coach in the history of the West Coast Conference, Shannon Stiles enters her seventh season at Gonzaga University with the program coming off its second consecutive winning season. The Bulldogs posted their second 11-win season in school history with an 11-9-0 record and finished tied for fourth in the WCC with a 3-4-0 mark. The three WCC wins matched the 2003 team and passed the previous season-high total of two conference wins Gonzaga had collected during 10 previous seasons of WCC play. In 2003, Stiles was named the WCC Coach of the Year after guiding the Bulldogs to their first winning season in program history.
ZAGS TABBED TO FINISH 7TH IN WCC: The Gonzaga University women's soccer team is tabbed to finish in a tie for seventh in the West Coast Conference according to a WCC preseason coaches poll. The University of Portland is tabbed as the favorite to capture the 2005 WCC crown. Santa Clara University is picked to finish second and the University of San Diego rounds out the top three. Pepperdine University is tabbed fourth, Loyola Marymount University fifth, Saint Mary's College sixth, Gonzaga and the University of San Francisco tied for seventh respectively.
