Zags Prep For Final Regular Season Road Trip
10/25/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Oct. 25, 2005
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ON THE ROAD AGAIN: The 20th-ranked Gonzaga University women's soccer team (11-3-3, 2-1-2 WCC) will hit the road for the final time in the regular season this week with one match in Moraga, Calif against the Gaels of Saint Mary's College. The match is set for a noon start on Sunday at Saint Mary's Stadium.
ZAGS IN THE RANKINGS: The Gonzaga University women's soccer team continued its upward movement in the national polls, moving to No. 20 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America top-25 poll, No. 21 in the Soccer America top-25 poll, No. 23 in the Soccer Buzz top-30 poll, and were in the others receiving votes category in the Soccer Times top-25 poll. The Bulldogs registered back-to-back shutouts this past weekend defeating the University of San Diego 1-0 on Friday and battling to a 0-0 tie with No. 5 Santa Clara University on Sunday, moving their unbeaten streak to four. The 0-0 tie against Santa Clara was the programs' first tie against the Broncos ending a 12-match SCU win streak, it also marked the first tie against a top-5 team in program history. The 1-0 win against USD on Friday gave the Bulldogs their 11th win of the season, tying a program record for most single-season wins. The Bulldogs are now off to the best West Coast Conference start in program history at 2-1-2 and are off to their best start in program history at 11-3-3.
ABOUT THE RECORD: Gonzaga University is off to its best start in program history with a 11-3-3 record. GU's only losses of the season came to the defending national champion, the University of Notre Dame, No. 18 Cal State Fullerton and to second-ranked University of Portland.
400 MINUTES OF SCORELESS SOCCER: Gonzaga University has not allowed a goal over the last 400 minutes of play. GU is on a four-match shutout streak, dating back to Oct. 14th when the Bulldogs defeated the, then 10th-ranked, Pepperdine University Waves 1-0. With these four shutouts Gonzaga has set a new single-season record for most shutouts with nine, and most consecutive shutouts with four.
SCOUTING THE GAELS: The Saint Mary's College Gaels enter the week with a 8-6-1 overall record and a 2-2-1 record in the West Coast Conference, good for fourth place one point behind Gonzaga University. This past weekend SMC registered a 2-1 win over Loyola Marymount on Sunday and battled to a 2-2 tie with No. 18 Pepperdine University on Sunday. The Gaels are led offensively by freshman forward Nikki Schrey who has tallied a team-leading six goals and added three assists for a team-leading 15 points. Anchoring down the defense is senior goalkeeper Alicia Artuso who is posting a 1.26 goals-against-average and a team-leading 31 saves.
BULLDOGS VS. THE GAELS: Gonzaga University and Saint Mary's College will look to their 12th meeting in program history with SMC holding a 10-1-0 edge. The Gaels won the 2004 match 1-0 in Moraga, Calif.
LAST TIME OUT: Gonzaga University registered a huge 0-0 tie with the fifth-ranked Broncos of Santa Clara University on Sunday and tallied a 1-0 win over the University of San Diego on Friday. In Friday's win senior goalkeeper Ashley Haugen recorded her eighth shutout of the season breaking her own single-season shutout record at Gonzaga that she set as a freshman in 2002. Sophomore Cristin Leverson provided the only goal the Bulldogs would need in the 20th minute as she controlled a cross from junior Beth Drollinger and hit a one-timer into the back of the net lifting GU to victory. On Sunday, it was a defensive battle with each goalkeeper standng their ground not allowing a ball to hit the back of the net. Gonzaga's Haugen registered four saves in the match while the SCU goalkeeper recorded three saves. Christine Soma almost gave the Bulldogs the win in the 98th minute of the match when she found herself with a one-on-one situation with the SCU 'keeper, but was unable to get the ball into the back of the net.
SPREADING IT AROUND: Gonzaga University's offense this season has been one of the most diverse in the West Coast Conference as eight different players have found the back of the net for the Bulldogs - five of those players with two or more goals.
HAUGEN GARNERS INDIVIDUAL HONORS: Gonzaga University senior goalkeeper Ashley Haugen helped lead the Gonzaga University women's soccer team to a pair of West Coast Conference shutouts this past weekend, and for her efforts she was tabbed as the WCC Co-Player of the Week for the second consecutive week, and third time in the past five weeks. Haugen was also named to the Top Drawer Soccer National Team of the Week. Haugen was instrumental in the Bulldogs recording its third and fourth consecutive shutouts this past weekend serving as a brick wall for Gonzaga's defense. Gonzaga defeated the University of San Diego 1-0 on Friday and battled to a 0-0 tie with No. 5 Santa Clara University on Sunday. In the 1-0 win against USD, Haugen set a program record for most single-season shutouts with eight, surpassing the record that Haugen set as a freshman in 2002. Haugen registered seven saves over this weekend, four against SCU, and is now bolstering a 0.37 goals-against-average in WCC play, allowing only two goals in conference play, and has a 0.79 GAA overall, good for third in the WCC.
ZAGS TIE A PROGRAM RECORD: Gonzaga University has tied a program record for most single-season wins with 11. The 11 win mark ties the total number of wins registered by the 2003 and 2004 teams.
GOING STREAKING: The Gonzaga University women's soccer team is in the midst of a four-match unbeaten streak after posting back-to-back West Coast Conference shutouts this past weekend against the University of San Diego and Santa Clara University.
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.
WITH A WIN...: With a win over Saint Mary's College the Bulldogs can break the program record for most wins in a season with 12...head coach Shannon Stiles will reach the 50 win plateau...the Bulldogs will also match the program record for most West Coast Conference wins with three.
MOVING UP THE CHARTS: Sophomore forward Cristin Leverson has been making the most of her playing time as her minutes have gone up since the start of West Coast Confrence play. Leverson's goal on Friday against the University of San Diego has moved her into second on the team in goals scored with five. Leverson has also tallied two assists to give her 12 points, good for second on the team.
THE FRIENDLY CONFINES: With the back-to-back shutouts this past weekend the Gonzaga University women's soccer team has moved to 5-0-1 on their home pitch of Martin Field. This is the best record the Zags have registered at home in program history. Gonzaga is 16-5-1 at Martin Field since the start of the 2003 season. The Bulldogs have one final match at home against the University of San Francisco in the regular season finale on Nov. 5.
WHERE THE ZAGS STAND: Gonzaga University is currently in sole possession of third place in the West Coast Conference two points behind second place Santa Clara University and one point in front of Saint Mary's College. The Bulldogs can lock-up a third place finish in conference with a win over Saint Mary's this weekend. However, should SCU register a win and a tie and GU win its remaining two matches, the Bulldogs could be in sole possession of second place in the WCC, or if SCU wins one match and loses one match and GU wins its final remaining two matches the Zags would finish in second place in the WCC. But, if SCU wins their remaining two matches and GU does the same, the Zags can finish no higher then third in conference.
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.
