Zags Wrap Up Four-Match Homestand This Weekend
10/14/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Oct. 14, 2010
Gonzaga Bulldogs (5-8-1, 0-1-0 WCC)
vs.
Pepperdine Waves (7-3-4, 0-0-1 WCC) Gonzaga Soccer Field, Spokane, Wash. - Friday, Oct. 15, 12:30 p.m. PDT
Loyola Marymount Lions (8-3-1, 0-0-1 WCC) Gonzaga Soccer Field, Spokane, Wash. - Sunday, Oct. 17, 11:30 a.m. PDT
THIS WEEK: This weekend will be a busy one for Gonzaga University as both the women's and men's soccer teams will be at home for two doubleheader matches against West Coast Conference foes. Friday the women face Pepperdine University at 12:30 p.m. followed by the men against the University of San Francisco at 3 p.m. To accommodate the opponents traveling schedule, kickoff times for Sunday's matches have been moved back a half hour. The women will kickoff against Loyola Marymount University at 11:30 a.m. and the men will kickoff against Saint Mary's College at 2 p.m. Some schedules reflect later starting times.
FOLLOW THE BULLDOGS LIVE: All Gonzaga University home matches will be video streamed and available via Gametracker on the internet at http://www.gozags.com. Check the Gonzaga website to sign up for live video streaming.
FOLLOW THE BULLDOGS ON TWITTER: Follow every step of the Gonzaga University's women's soccer season at www.twitter.com/zagswsoccer. You can also get instant game scores and updates at the official Bulldog athletic twitter site at www.twitter.com/GonzagaBulldogs.
COMING UP: Gonzaga University will head to California next week for two matches. The Bulldogs will open the road trip at Santa Clara University Friday at 7 p.m., the first and only match the Bulldogs will play under the lights this season. The Broncos are currently ranked No. 12 in the NSCAA-Hendrickcars.com and No. 15 in the Soccer America rankings. The Zags will close out the weekend at the University of San Diego Sunday at 1 p.m.
ABOUT THE BULLDOGS: Gonzaga University dropped its West Coast Conference season opener 4-0 to the University of Portland last Sunday on Breast Cancer Awareness Day. The Pilots remain ranked No. 2 in the NSCAA-Hendrickcars.com and are now No. 3 in the Soccer America rankings this week. Redshirt junior Lauren Ames made nine saves against the Pilots.
ABOUT HEAD COACH Amy Edwards: The 2010 season marks the second year for Amy Edwards at the helm of the Gonzaga University women's soccer team. Edwards is in her sixth year as a NCAA Division I head coach and has a career record of 60-45-37. After getting to know Edwards' style of play, the Bulldogs have developed a mindset of being aggressive on attacking opponents.
ZAGS ON THE ASSIST: With a combined total of 18 assists recorded this season, Gonzaga University sits third in the West Coast Conference. Senior midfielder Sheridan Jones and freshman forward Cassie Geerdts both lead the Bulldogs in that category with three while four others have both recorded two. Four others also have notched one.
WAVES, LIONS REGIONALLY RANKED: Both Pepperdine University and Loyola Marymount University are ranked sixth in the NSCAA-Hendrickcars.com West Regional rankings.
ABOUT PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY: Pepperdine University enters this weekend's contest on a six-match unbeaten streak. During the streak, the Waves shocked 2009 NCAA Tournament semifinalist and then-No.11 ranked UCLA 1-0 in Los Angeles. In addition to upsetting the Bruins on the road, the Waves ended the nation's longest home unbeaten streak at 73 that dated back to September 2005. Recently, the Waves opened their West Coast Conference season last Sunday at nearby rival Loyola Marymount University. The two teams played to a 1-1 tie.
ABOUT LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY: Loyola Marymount University is back on the road for two matches after playing six of its last seven at home. The Lions have been unbeaten in five of their last six matches. The Lions opened their West Coast Conference season against nearby rival Pepperdine University last Sunday. The two teams played to a 1-1 tie. Before the Lions head to Spokane for Sunday's match, they will take on defending WCC champion No. 2/3 University of Portland Friday.
BULLDOGS ON THE ATTACK: Gonzaga University has been very aggressive attacking its opponents this season. The Bulldogs are second-best in the West Coast Conference in shots with 211, an average 15.07 per match. In their match against Eastern Washington University, Gonzaga had 32 shots to set a conference-high.
SCHEDULE ONCE AGAIN PROVIDING CHALLENGES: Similar to the 2009 season, Gonzaga University is facing another challenging schedule this season. On this year's schedule, seven of 20 opponents were participants in the 2009 NCAA Tournament and four opponents were ranked in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America-Hendrickcars.com and Soccer America preseason polls. In last year's NCAA Tournament, No. 5/3 University of Portland and No. 6/9 Florida State University reached the quarterfinals; No. 9/10 Santa Clara University reached the third round; No. 21 (NSCAA only) Washington State University and San Diego State University reached the second round, and University of Denver and No. 19/20 University of Southern California appeared in the first round.
JONES RANKED IN TOPDRAWERSOCCER.COM: Since its first weekly release on Sept. 2, TopDrawersoccer.com, an online college soccer website, has ranked senior midfielder Sheridan Jones every week in the Top 100 players to watch in the nation. She is currently ranked No. 39. In addition, TopDrawersoccer.com has Jones ranked No. 7 on the player watch list for the West Coast Conference.
JONES, RILEY CHASING HISTORY: As they enter their final season in their collegiate careers, seniors Sheridan Jones and Ashley Riley will look to exit holding the career record for assists. After notching a pair of assists on Sept. 10 against the University of Colorado, Jones now sits in a tie for second with Christine Soma (2004-07) on the program's all-time list with 12. Riley sits in a five-way tie for fourth with nine. Sara Streufert (1997-00) holds the record with 15.
ZAGS PICKED TO FINISH SEVENTH IN WCC: The Gonzaga University women's soccer team has been selected to finish seventh in the West Coast Conference 2010 preseason poll voted by the coaches. The Zags received 12 points to finish ahead of the University of San Francisco's 11. Gonzaga finished the 2009 season 8-12-0 overall and 2-5-0 in the WCC. Three-time defending WCC champion University of Portland has been favored to successfully repeat as champions. The Pilots garnered seven-of-eight first place votes while receiving 49 points. Santa Clara University received the other first place vote and 41.5 points as the Broncos were selected to finish second.
