Oct. 2, 2008

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LEAGUE-LEADING BULLDOGS HOME FOR PAIR: Yes, the West Coast Conference season is just one match old, but Gonzaga University finds itself atop the conference standings after last Friday's 2-1 conference-opening victory at the University of Portland. The Bulldogs will get a couple of stern tests this weekend as the Bulldogs make their WCC home debut. The University of San Francisco visits for a 3 p.m. match Friday followed by defending champion Santa Clara University Sunday at 2 p.m.

WELLER'S FIRST GOAL A BIG ONE: Gonzaga University freshman Mitchell Weller won't soon forget his first collegiate goal. The freshman from nearby Cheney, Wash., scored the match winner at 74:43 last Friday at the University of Portland in the Bulldogs 2-1 victory. In addition to giving the Bulldogs the West Coast Conference opener, it also kept Gonzaga undefeated in the last seven meetings with their Pacific Northwest rival, sporting a 4-0-3 record against the Pilots dating back to 2005.

ONE WCC DRAUGHT ENDS... Tye Perdido's fourth goal of the season at 45:22 pulled Gonzaga University into a 1-1 tie at the University of Portland last Friday, but the goal had even bigger ramifications. The goal snapped a WCC scoring draught of 493:35 for the Zags since a 1-0 win over the University of San Francisco last Nov. 2. The Bulldogs went the final four WCC matches of the season without a goal. Earlier this season, Gonzaga snapped an overall scoreless string of 601:21 that dated back to the USF match.

...AND SO DOES ANOTHER: The West Coast Conference season-opening win was the first for Gonzaga University since the Bulldogs defeated the University of Portland 1-0 at home to kick off the 2001 WCC campaign. Since then the Bulldogs had been 0-3-3 the past six seasons. The Bulldogs went on to finish tied for second in the WCC in 2001 and earned their inaugural NCAA Tournament berth.

BULLDOGS DROP DOG FIGHT: After snapping a 20-match winless streak a year ago against the University of Washington, Gonzaga University wasn't able to put together back-to-back victories as the Huskies got back on the winning track with a 2-1 home victory last Sunday. Ben Funkhouser, who scored the winning goal a year ago, got the equalizer this time but the UW scored the match winner at 69:05. The Huskies now lead the series 19-1-1.

WCC OPENER ON NEW FIELD: Friday's match against the University of San Francisco will be Gonzaga University's first West Coast Conference match on the new Gonzaga Soccer Field. The Bulldogs played two matches in the Gonzaga Nike Soccer Classic for their only home appearances to date.

BEST MARK: Gonzaga University boasts the best record in the West Coast Conference through the first month of the season. Gonzaga sports a 4-3-1 mark. The University of Portland has the next-best record at 3-3-2.

BULLDOGS VS. DONS: Gonzaga University blanked the University of San Francisco twice last season, 2-0 at USF and 1-0 in Spokane. The Bulldogs knotted the overall series at 9-9-1 with the sweep. The Dons have been outscored 7-3 in their seven matches, six of the opponent goals coming in the second half. USF (1-5-1) will be playing its West Coast Conference opener Friday at Gonzaga.

BULLDOGS VS. BRONCOS: Gonzaga University played Santa Clara as well as anybody last year in the West Coast Conference as the Broncos went 10-0-2 in the WCC and 16-2-4 overall in advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Broncos were ranked third in the country both times the teams met last year, the Bulldogs getting a 1-1 tie at Santa Clara and suffering a hard-fought 1-0 double-overtime setback on the last match of the regular season in Spokane. The decisive goal came at 109:16.

WCC PLAY REST OF THE WAY: Last Sunday's match at the University of Washington was the final non-conference match of the season for Gonzaga University. The Bulldogs close the season with 11 straight West Coast Conference matches beginning with this weekend's homestand. The Bulldogs close the regular season Nov. 16 at Saint Mary's College.

GAMETRACKER, VIDEO AVAILABLE: Gametracker, a function of web site provider CBS Collegesports, and live video will be available for all Gonzaga University home matches and select Bulldog road contests this season. To follow Gonzaga University via Gametracker log on to http://wwww.gozags.com and go the Gametracker link in the schedule portion of the site. The video is subscription based off the All-Access portion of the website.

THE THORARINSSON TALE OF THE TAPE: Gonzaga University head coach Einar Thorarinsson is 114-105-21 in his 14th season with the Bulldogs. His overall record is 233-157-34 that includes nine seasons across town at Whitworth College. He picked up his 100th Gonzaga win in 2006 with a 3-0 home win at Saint Mary's College. After going 3-10-2 in his first season of 1995, the Bulldogs have had winning seasons in six of the last 10 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. In 2005 Gonzaga went to the final match of the season with a chance to win the WCC title. He was accorded his third WCC Coach of the Year honor in 2005 to go with similar honors won in 1996-97 as he was the first coach in Gonzaga history to receive back-to-back WCC Coach of the Year accolades. He is the fourth winningest coach overall in WCC contests with 46 wins and is second among active coaches, Seamus McFadden of the University of San Diego atop both lists with 73 wins.