Sept. 28, 2010

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BULLDOGS MAKE 2010 HOME DEBUT: Gonzaga University's men's soccer players will get to sleep in their beds the night before a match for the first time this season when the Bulldogs make their home debut this week. The University of Portland visits Wednesday at 3 p.m. in the home and West Coast Conference opener for the Bulldogs, with Santa Clara University in town Friday for a 2 p.m. WCC contest.

REGIONALLY RANKED FOE: The University of Portland comes into Wednesday's match ranked sixth in the latest NSCAA/HendrickCars.com Far West regional ranking. Wednesday marks the third straight match the Bulldogs will be facing a regionally-ranked opponent. The University of Washington was sixth and Oregon State University was ninth last week.

BULLDOGS SNAP LOSING, SCORING SKID: Gonzaga University had a lot of firsts last Saturday in a 3-2 non-conference men's soccer victory at Oregon State University. The Bulldogs got their first victory in four matches, snapping a three-match losing streak. The Zags also got their first goal in four matches, snapping a scoreless streak that reached 195:53 since a 1-0 victory over the University of Illinois-Chicago on Sept. 12. And freshmen Andrew Owenson scored his first collegiate goal when he rifled a 22-yard shot into the net at 12:18 to break the scoreless draught for the Zags.

HUSKIES TAKE DOG FIGHT IN SEATTLE: For the 21st time in 23 meetings it was the University of Washington winning this dog fight with Gonzaga University, taking a 2-0 victory last Wednesday at Husky Soccer Field. Washington scored in the final minute of the first half, and got an insurance tally in the 84th minute to run its dominance against the Zags to 21-1-1 in the series dating back to 1981. Gonzaga has been able to manage just a 2-2 overtime tie in 1999 and a 2-1 victory in 2007, both breakthroughs on the Bulldog pitch.

LOVE BACK IN ACTION: Gonzaga University head coach Einar Thorarinsson not only saw the Bulldogs snap a three-match losing streak at Oregon State University last Saturday, but he also saw forward Nick Love return to action for the first time in three matches. The top returning scorer for Gonzaga University, who has a goal and an assist this season, injured a hamstring Sept. 17 against Northwestern University. He missed two matches, but played 25 minutes in the second half against the Beavers. He's expected to be in action this week when the Bulldogs open West Coast Conference play at home.

MATERN WILL BE SIDELINED FOR SEASON: Sophomore midfielder James Matern will be sidelined for the season. He is scheduled to have hip surgery within the next 10 days. The Spokane native and graduate of Ferris High has not played yet this season. He started all 16 of his appearances a year ago.

BULLDOGS VS. PILOTS: Gonzaga University is 4-2-4 in the last 10 meetings against the University of Portland, the Bulldogs having a seven-match winless streak snapped in 2008 when Portland took a 2-1 victory at Gonzaga Soccer Field. The teams tied the first meeting 2-2 at Gonzaga a year ago and the Pilots took a 5-1 home victory four days later. The teams played to a pair of ties in 2007, Gonzaga swept the season series in 2006 and Gonzaga captured a win and a tie in 2005. Last year was the first time Portland won on its home field since 2004 when the Pilots claimed a 2-0 victory. Portland still leads the overall series 19-9-4 dating back to 1981. Since Gonzaga joined the West Coast Conference in 1993 the Pilots hold a slim 11-9-4 edge in the series.

BULLDOGS VS. BRONCOS: Gonzaga University lost a pair of 1-0 decisions to Santa Clara University last season, the second an overtime affair that ended at 92:44 when the Broncos took advantage of a Gonzaga turnover in front of the goal at Gonzaga Soccer Field. The Bulldogs had won two straight in the series heading into last season. SCU leads the series 12-8-3. Six of the last eight meetings between the teams have gone into overtime and those six games are evenly split 2-2-2.

COACHES TAB BULLDOGS 7th: The West Coast Conference coaches have tabbed Gonzaga University to finish seventh this season. The WCC again figures to be a strong conference with Loyola Marymount University edging the University of Portland and the University of San Diego for the preseason top spot. Four teams - LMU, Portland, San Diego and Saint Mary's College - received first place votes and just six points separated first through third place. The Lions finished with 32 points and three first-place votes, followed by the Pilots (28 points and two first place votes), the Toreros (26 points and one first place vote) and the Gaels (22 points and one first place vote). Rounding out the poll was Santa Clara University in fifth (20 points), the University of San Francisco in sixth (12 points) and Gonzaga. "It's going to be another tough WCC season," head coach Einar Thorarinsson said. "But I think we will improve every week and be ready for the start of conference play. I think we can be a factor in the race."

THE THORARINSSON FILE: Einar Thorarinsson is in his 16th season at Gonzaga University. He has taken the Bulldogs to two NCAA Tournaments, the first in 2001 and the last in 2007. Thorarinsson is the winningest coach in Bulldog men's soccer history with a 128-124-25 record. He earned his third WCC Coach of the Year honor in 2005, and won his 100th Gonzaga match in 2006. For Thorarinsson's complete biography visit the web at http://www.gozags.com/sports/m-soccer/mtt/thorarinsson_einar00.html.

ON THE WEB: All Gonzaga University home matches and selected road contests will be available on video through the CBS College Sports Online All-Access subscription service available at http://wwww.gozags. Gametracker will be available free of charge for all home matches and selected road contests through the Gonzaga website.