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HOUSTON After getting shutout against Hawaii last weekend for the first time since September, the Bulldogs rebounded in a huge way by defeating Tulsa 4-0 in the opening round of the WAC Championship Tournament on Thursday evening in Houston, Texas.
Leading the charge for fifth-seeded Fresno State (8-12-0, 5-3-0 WAC) was the freshman tandem of Katri Nokso-Koivisto (Kokkola, Finland) and Kortney Lewis (Visalia, Calif.), who both notched two goals in the win for the Bulldogs. Fresno State, which matched its highest scoring output of the season, now has six victories in its last seven games.
Fresno State, which outshot Tulsa 27-10 in the contest, tied its all-time record for most shots in a match (the Bulldogs also took 27 against Colgate on Sept. 24, 2000).
The first half featured several scoring opportunities for both squads, as both Fresno State goalkeeper Mary-tyler Wahl (Riverside, Calif.) and Tulsa netminder Kelly Wilson were equally tested with four saves apiece. However, the Bulldogs managed to keep the pressure on just a little longer than the fourth-seeded Golden Hurricane (7-8-4, 4-2-2 WAC) and capitalized with just over a minute left in the opening period.
After setting up for a free kick, Nokso-Koivisto blasted a shot from 20 yards out that deflected off the foot of a Tulsa defender and into the net to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 halftime edge. The first half alone featured 16 total shots, nine taken by Fresno State.
Just as quickly as the Bulldogs found the net in the first half, they were able to tack on a second score three minutes into the second stanza. Freshman Eriko Yoshiki (Satte City, Japan) flipped a quick pass to fellow freshman Lewis, who was able to fire the ball into the upper corner of the net for a 2-0 Fresno State lead.
Later in the half, Nokso-Koivisto added her second goal of the match, unassisted at 62:30.
Lewis then added her second at 69:452, when she took a pass from sophomore Regina Esparza (Clovis, Calif.) and one-touched a shot between the posts for a 4-0 Bulldog advantage.
Bulldog goalkeeper Mary-tyler Wahl helped preserve Fresno States fifth shutout of the year, making five saves in the victory.
The win for Fresno State sets up a showdown with the tournaments top seed and WAC regular season champion SMU (10-5-4, 6-1-1 WAC). The Bulldogs and Mustangs will square off in semifinal round action on Friday at 5 p.m. CST. SMU rallied to defeat Fresno State 4-2 in the two clubs meeting during the regular season.