Nov. 1, 2005
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Complete West Coast Conference Release in PDF Format
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WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE: The 21st-ranked Gonzaga University women's soccer team (11-3-4, 2-1-3 WCC) will return to the friendly confines of Martin Field this Saturday for its regular-season finale against the University of San Francisco. The West Coast Conference match is scheduled for a noon start and will be the Zags final push for their inaugural berth into the NCAA Women's Soccer College Cup tournament. Gonzaga will be honoring its 2005 senior class prior to the start of the match. The GU seniors are; Ashley Haugen and Stacey Sarro.
LAST TIME OUT: Gonzaga University registered a 0-0 tie with Saint Mary's College this past weekend in its lone match. The Bulldogs had several good scoring opportunities in the match with its best scoring opportunity coming at the 33:04 mark when Gonzaga senior defender Stacey Sarro hit a shot from 18 yards out, only to see a diving save by the SMC goalkeeper to preserve the scoreless contest. Both teams took seven shots in the match, and both goalkeepers collected three saves each en route to shutouts. For Gonzaga senior goalkeeper Ashley Haugen it was her 10th shutout of the season.
NCAA POSTSEASON: Gonzaga University is in a must-win situation this weekend when they play the University of San Francisco. If the Zags win, they will tally 12 wins for the season and will have a 3-1-3 mark in the West Coast Conference, good for a third place finish in the WCC. GU is hoping that 12 wins and a third place finish in the WCC will be a strong enough argument to the NCAA selection committee for the Bulldogs to earn an at-large bid into the NCAA Women's College Cup tournament.
ZAGS REMAIN IN THE RANKINGS: For the third consecutive week Gonzaga University has appeared in the national rankings, moving up two spots in the Soccer Buzz top-30 poll to No. 21, dropped one spot in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll to No. 21, dropped four spots in the Soccer America top-25 poll to No. 25 and made its inaugural appearance in the Soccer Times poll at No. 25.
SCOUTING THE DONS: The University of San Francisco enters the week with a 4-13-2 overall record and a 2-4-0 record in the West Coast Conference after suffering a 3-0 loss to the second-ranked Pilots of the University of Portland this past weekend. The Dons are led offensively by junior forward Chelsea Hunt who has a team-leading 10 goals and has added two assists for a team-leading 22 points. San Francisco's defense is anchored down by freshman goalkeeper Katie Hodgson who is posting a 2.57 goals-against-average and has a team-leading 81 saves.
BULLDOGS VS. THE DONS: Gonzaga University and the University of San Francisco will look to their 13th meeting in program history with USF holding an 11-1-0 edge. The Dons won the 2004 match 4-2 in San Francisco, Calif. Gonzaga's lone win against the Dons came in the 1999 season when the Zags defeated the Dons 3-2 at Martin Field.
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.
GOING STREAKING: The Gonzaga University women's soccer team is in the midst of a five-match unbeaten streak after posting a 0-0 West Coast Conference shutout this past weekend against the Gaels of Saint Mary's College.
510 MINUTES OF SCORELESS SOCCER: Gonzaga University has not allowed a goal over the last 410 minutes of play. GU is on a five-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 10, and most consecutive single-season shutouts with five.
HAUGEN COMPLETES NEAR PERFECT MONTH: Gonzaga University senior goalkeeper Ashley Haugen has completed a near perfect month posting a 4-1-3 record and allowing only four goals in October. Haugen opened the month with a shutout against Portland State University, and then allowed two goals in a 3-2 win against nearby-rival Eastern Washington University, and opened the West Coast Conference schedule allowing two goals against the second-ranked Pilots of the University of Portland. Since that Oct. 9th match in Portland, Ore. Haugen has served as a brick wall for the Bulldogs defense not allowing a single ball to hit the back of the net, registering five consecutive shutouts. During October, Haugen has recorded 26 saves, held two top-10 teams scoreless, and posted a 0.45 goals-against-average for the month. Haugen also earned two WCC Co-Player of the Week awards, and was named to Top Drawer Soccer's National Team of the Week after posting back-to-back shutouts against the University of San Diego, and the, then fifth-ranked, Broncos of Santa Clara University for the week of Oct. 17-23. Haugen has helped lead the Bulldogs to its inaugural national ranking on Oct. 10, and has helped the team reach as high as No. 20 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll. Haugen also played a huge role in the Zags recording a couple of program-firsts; its inaugural win against a top-10 team, defeating the then 10th-ranked Waves of Pepperdine University, and helped GU snap a 12-match Santa Clara University win streak as the Bulldogs tied the Broncos 0-0 on Oct. 23, the first-ever tie against a top-5 team. For her efforts Haugen was nominated for the WCC Player of the Month for October.
DOING THE MATH: Gonzaga University currently stands in sole possession of third place in the West Coast Conference entering the final weekend of the regular season, four points behind Santa Clara University for second place, and just one point in front of both Pepperdine University, who GU defeated 1-0 on Oct. 14, and Saint Mary's College, who the Zags tied this past weekend. Since it is mathematically impossible for the Bulldogs to finish any higher then third in the WCC, here is how their WCC finish could play out:
- If Gonzaga wins on Saturday they will lock-up third place in the WCC.
- If Gonzaga ties on Saturday, the Bulldogs will need both SMC and Pepperdine to either lose, or tie in order for the Zags to finish in sole possession of third in the WCC.
- If Gonzaga loses, they need both Pepperdine and SMC to lose in order to remain in third. However, GU could still wind up in a three way tie for third if Pepperdine and SMC tie their final WCC match.
THE FRIENDLY CONFINES: Gonzaga University, who is looking to make its inaugural berth into the NCAA postseason, will look to the friendly confines of Martin Field on Saturday to help them finish their record-setting season with a program-best 12 wins. Gonzaga is currently unbeaten on its home pitch, posting a 5-0-1 record in 2005, and is 16-5-1 at Martin Field since the start of the 2003 season.
220 AND COUNTING: The Gonzaga University women's soccer team has not registered a goal in the past 220 minutes of play, as they battled to a scoreless draw with both No. 6 Santa Clara University on Oct. 23 and with Saint Mary's College this past weekend. The Bulldogs, who have outscored their opponents 25-15 on the season, have not scored a goal in only four matches this season.
WITH A WIN...: With a win over the University of San Francisco 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.
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.
CORNERING THE MARKET: Gonzaga University continues to put the pressure on opposing defenses this season, currently standing third in the West Coast Conference with 95. The Bulldogs have out-cornered opponents by a margin of 95-83 including a season-high 13 against nearby rival Eastern Washington University on Oct. 4 in Cheney, Wash.
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.
