Nov. 9, 2005
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Men's Soccer Match Facts
Thurs., Nov. 10 - Santa Clara, 1 p.m.
Sat., Nov. 12 - San Francisco, 1 p.m.
END OF REGULAR SEASON
THE CURTAIN COMES DOWN: The curtain comes down on the 2005 regular season this week when Gonzaga University hosts a pair of West Coast Conference foes in a rare Thursday-Saturday format in the schedule. The Bulldogs host fifth-ranked Santa Clara University on Thursday and the University of San Francisco on Saturday in a pair of 1 p.m. matches. The schedule was set up in order to have the regular season finished on Saturday and have all of the results in front of the NCAA Selection Committee when they convene on Saturday to select this year's College Cup field.
BULLDOGS CAN STILL CLAIM TITLE: Gonzaga University finds itself in the title hunt entering the final week of West Coast Conference play. The stars have to align properly, but the Bulldogs can still tie Santa Clara University for the regular-season title by winning both matches this week and if ...
*SCU also loses at Portland on Saturday night
*Loyola Marymount loses twice or splits its matches at Saint Mary's and at home against San Diego.
That would give Gonzaga and SCU 20 points each. The first tiebreaker would be head-to-head competition but the two teams would have split the season series, SCU taking the first meeting 1-0 at home. The next item is record against teams in descending order of finish. Gonzaga would win the tiebreaker if LMU finishes second, the Bulldogs splitting with LMU, SCU dropping two. SCU would get the nod if SMC or San Diego took second. Gonzaga split with both SMC and USD while SCU went 2-0-0 against SMC and 1-0-1 with USD. Beyond that the scenarios are too numerous to explain.
WCC TABS JOSTEN: Gonzaga University sophomore forward George Josten has been named the West Coast Conference Player of the Week. Josten scored three of Gonzaga's seven goals for the week that saw the Bulldogs go 2-1, both wins in WCC play. His first two goals came at the University of San Diego on Monday to tie the match and help Gonzaga rally from 2-0 deficit with 22:00 to play as Bulldogs scored three goals in a 17-minute span for a 3-2 win. He scored the first goal of the match on Sunday to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 halftime lead against the University of Washington, a match the Bulldogs dropped 3-2. He has 11 goals for the season to rank sixth on the Gonzaga single-season list, and his 16 career goals are tied for sixth on the Gonzaga charts. The native of Idaho Falls, Idaho, has 5 goals and 2 assists in last seven matches that has seen Gonzaga go 4-2-1 in that stretch.
JOSTEN ACADEMIC PICK: In addition to his on-the-field exploits, Gonzaga University sophomore forward George Josten has also been named to the ESPN The Magazine College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) District VIII All-Academic team. Josten carries a 3.89 GPA in civil engineering. He is the first Bulldog so honored since Scott Bertram in 2003. Josten will now go on the national ballot for Academic All-America honors. He was one of five West Coast Conference student-athletes on the 12-member District VIII team.
SCORING TITLE AT STAKE: Individual stats aren't the most important thing at stake with Gonzaga University in the title hunt, but sophomore George Josten leads the West Coast Conference in scoring with 26 points and is tied with Michael Clegg of Saint Mary's College for the goals lead with 11. Josten is trying to become the first Bulldog to win the WCC scoring crown since Jeff McAllister had 19 goals and 46 points in 1997 to lead the conference in both categories. McAllister was named the WCC Player of the Year for his efforts.
PDL HONORS Josh Westermann: Gonzaga University senior defender/midfielder Josh Westermann has been named to the 2005 Premier Development League All-League Team, recognizing 11 of the best players in the PDL for the past regular season as voted on by team coaches and general managers. Westermann helped the Cascade Surge to a second consecutive Northwest Division title with a 12-2-2 record. He scored three goals and added an assist in 15 matches this past summer.
BULLDOGS VS. BRONCOS: The Santa Clara University Broncos hold a 9-4-1 edge in the series against Gonzaga University after taking the first meeting this season 1-0 at Buck Shaw Stadium. The Broncos have won four straight and five of the last six.
BULLDOGS VS. DONS: After 13 previous meetings, Gonzaga University and the University of San Francisco played the first tie in their series in the first meeting this year at USF. The teams battled to a 1-1 deadlock and Gonzaga still trails the series 7-6-1. The Dons took both meetings last year by 1-0 scores, and the tie snapped a four-match Gonzaga losing streak to the Dons. USF is the defending West Coast Conference champion.
DOG FIGHT GOES TO HUSKIES - AGAIN: Gonzaga University's men's soccer team was on the verge of making program history last Sunday, but the University of Washington scored twice in a span of 2:18 inside the 85-minute mark to post a 3-2 non-conference victory and keep history on the side of the Huskies. The Bulldogs have never defeated the Huskies in 19 meetings and have only a 2-2 tie in 1999 to show in the series that dates back to 1981.
THE THORARINSSON TALE OF THE TAPE: Gonzaga University head coach Einar Thorarinsson is 91-86-14 in his 11th season with the Bulldogs. His overall record is 210-136-27 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 nine 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.
