Player of the Week
Boise State forward Kaziah Hill is this weeks WAC Womens Soccer Player of the Week. Hill, a sophomore from Boise, Idaho, tallied a goal and two assists over two games last weekend. Against Rice on Nov. 2, Hill contributed an assist, then added a goal and another assist in a 3-1 win over Tulsa two days later. Her four points on the weekend bring her total to 27 for the year to lead the WAC in points. Hills 27 points and seven assists both are school records, besting the previous marks of 23 and five, respectively.
Others Nominated
Joelle Sugai, a freshman midfielder for Hawai`i, posted an assist and a game-winning goal in Hawai`is two wins last week. By defeating San Jose State and Fresno State, Hawai`i earned a tie for second place in the WAC and a berth to the WAC Tournament. Sugai assisted on the Wahines game-winner against the Spartans, setting up Arlene Devitt 11 minutes into the overtime period. The assist was Sugais fourth, breaking the Wahine record for assists by a freshman. In Hawai`is 3-1 win over Fresno State, Sugai netted the game-winning goal with a left-footed shot from 30 yards out. The goal was the first of her career. Rices Amanda Garrison, a freshman goalkeeper, played 63:12 shut-out minutes against Nevada, recording three saves, before taking a seat with the Owls up 4-0. In Rices 3-1 victory over Boise State, Garrison posted eight saves on the Broncos 12 shots. Her season total stands at 98 saves. Kim Harvey, a sophomore midfeilder for SMU, scored two goals in the Mustangs 3-0 win over UTEP in El Paso last Saturday. Harvey, the WAC Player of the Week on Oct. 9, leads the Mustangs in scoring with 11 goals and two assists.
Regular Season Comes to a Close
SMU completed its domination of WAC teams, finishing the conference season a perfect 8-0. The Mustangs posted a 3-0 win over UTEP last Saturday. Boise State, Rice and Hawai`i ended in a three-way tie for second place in the league with 5-3 records. The Broncos split matches with Tulsa and Rice, beating the Hurricane 3-1 but falling to the Owls by the same score. Rice defeated winless Nevada, 4-1, to go undefeated last week. Hawai`i used its home field advantage to beat San Jose State, 2-1 in overtime and Fresno State, 3-1. Tulsa and Fresno State finished the WAC schedule with 4-4 records. Tulsa beat Nevada 2-1 in overtime to go 1-1 on the week, while Fresno States only game was the loss to the Wahine. San Jose State dropped to seventh after losing to Hawai`i. The Spartans also played to a 1-1 tie against Sacramento State in a match that was rescheduled from earlier this year. UTEP and Nevada were unable to post a win over the weekend and remained in eighth and ninth place, respectively.
WAC Tournament Pairings Announced
With the conclusion of the WAC womens soccer season on Nov. 4, the field for the Womens Soccer Championship has been set. The top six teams in the conference will travel to SMUs Westcott Field in Dallas, Texas for quarterfinal competition beginning Wednesday, Nov. 7, followed by semifinals on Nov. 8 and the championship match on Nov. 10. The six teams in ranked order are: SMU, Rice, Boise State, Hawaii, Tulsa and Fresno State.
SMU posted a perfect 8-0 conference schedule to earn the top seed in the tournament. The Mustangs, along with second-seeded Rice, receive a first-round bye. Playing in their inaugural season, the Owls shocked the competition by going 5-3 in WAC play and earning a tie for second place. Rice was determined the second seed since its record against Boise State and Hawaii, the other second-place teams, was 2-0. Boise State went 1-1 versus Rice and Hawaii, thereby earning the third seed. The Wahine finished with the fourth seed. Tulsa and Fresno State made their way into the tournament field by going 4-4 in conference action. Tulsa defeated Fresno State to earn the fifth seed while Fresno State became the sixth seed.
The format of the tournament consists of No. 3 Boise State playing No. 4 Hawaii at 5:00 p.m. on Nov. 7, while No. 5 Tulsa and No. 6 Fresno State face-off at 7:30 p.m. Then on Nov. 8, Rice will play the Boise State-Hawaii winner at 5:00 p.m. followed by SMU and the Tulsa-Fresno State winner at 7:30 p.m. At last years tournament the coaches voted to follow the non-traditional format of No. 3 versus No. 4 and No. 5 versus No. 6 in the first round. The championship match is slated for Saturday, Nov. 10 at 7:30 p.m. The WAC champion receives an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, and additional teams may be granted at-large bids. The Division I Womens Soccer Committee will announce tournament selections on Monday, Nov. 12 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern time. The 2001 NCAA Womens College Cup takes place Dec. 7 and 9, also on SMUs campus at Gerald J. Ford Stadium.
Rice a Surprise for Second
In only its first season as a varsity soccer squad, Rice finished the WAC schedule 5-3 and clinched the No. 2 seed in the WAC tournament. Teh Owls came up with big wins against Boise State, 3-1, and Hawai`i, 3-2, to earn the second seed in a tiebreaker with those two teams, also with 5-3 records. Head coach Chris Huston said of the Owls, Its an honor for such a young team like ours to be the No. 2 seed and Im really proud of what we accomplished in our first year. Rice held top-ranked SMU to just two goals in the Mustangs 2-1 win, one goal less than any other WAC team. Rice also posted non-conference wins over Army, 3-2, and Oral Roberts, 2-1. Overall, the Owls finished just under .500 at 7-8-0.
SMU to Host WAC Championships, NCAA Womens College Cup
SMU will serve as the host school for the 2001 WAC Womens Soccer Championships as well as the 2001 NCAA Womens College Cup. Games will be played at Westcott Field in Dallas, Texas, on Nov. 7, 8 and 10 for the conference tournament and Gerald J. Ford Stadium on Dec. 7 and 9 for the College Cup.