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Soccer Notes Week 11

Waipio Peninsula
Soccer Stadium
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Weekly Notes.pdf
WAC Tournament Bracket.pdf
  • Click on Weekly Notes.pdf to the right to view the entire release, including schedules, stats, notes and polls.

    WAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
    Olivia ORear, a sophomore from Farmers Branch, Texas, had a career week as she tallied two assists in the Mustangs, 2-2, draw against No. 21 Texas. She also collected three assists against Nevada. ORear recorded first career hat trick by scoring all three of SMUs goals against Boise State. She posted 11 points on the weekend, as the Mustangs secured their fifth-straight regular season title. She has posted at least one point in SMUs last nine matches and tops the team and conference in goals scored (12) and assists (10).

    Erin Droeger, a junior from Huntington Beach, Calif., and the Owl defenders limited two WAC teams to just four shots on goal for a full 180 minutes last week. Droeger covered the opposing teams top offensive player in both games and two teams combined for only four serious shots. She also scored the game-winning goal in the Owls, 1-0, win over WAC rival San Jose State to clinch Rices spot in the upcoming the WAC tournament. For the two games last week, Droeger led the Blue and Gray in shooting percentage (.333) and she co-led the team in goals (1) and points (2).

  • Other offensive nominees included: Sarah Yoder, Rice and Cara Nordin, UTEP.

  • Other defensive nominees included: Amanda Clark, SMU and Molly Fitzsimmons, Tulsa.

    POLLS
  • NSCAA/adidas
  • SoccerBuzz.com
  • SoccerTimes.com
  • Soccer America

    STATS
  • NCAA
  • WAC

    2004 WAC TOURNAMENT FIELD SET
    The 2004 WAC Tournament will be held in Honolulu, Hawaii at the Waipio Peninsula Soccer Stadium, Nov. 4-6. The University of Hawaii plays host for this years tournament. SMU looks for its fourth-straight tournament title, as it defeated Rice in 2003 in the final minute, picking up the WACs automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

    If this tournament is anything like the WACs regular season, its sets up to be one of the most exciting in WAC history. The top seed is SMU, while Rice earned the second seed, earning the tie breaker over UTEP with its win over the Miners earlier in the season. The fourth seed will be host, Hawaii with its 5-3 conference mark; the only team without a tie. Tulsa earned the fifth seed with its, 2-1, win over San Jose State in the final match of the year. Fresno State is the sixth seed.

    The format will place the (3) UTEP against (6) Fresno State seed in the opening round at 5:00 p.m., while (4) Hawaii and (5) Tulsa will square off at 7:00 p.m. The 4/5 winner will face the (1) SMU on Nov. 5 at 5:00 p.m., with the 3/6 winner will taking on (2) Rice at 7:00 p.m. The Championship match will be held at 4:00 p.m., with the winner taking the WACs automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

    FIRST ROUND MATCHUPS
    Sixth-seeded Fresno State takes on third-seeded UTEP in the Tournaments opening round. Fresno State and UTEP tied in the regular season, 0-0, in double overtime. The Bulldogs lost their final two matches, but a Boise State loss in the final day, secured their bid. UTEP is the lone WAC team to defeat SMU this season, as they posted a, 3-2, overtime win. The Miners won their final three conference matches. Fresno State has competed in each of the WACs previous nine tournaments. UTEP has been in the last two tournaments, having lost in the semi-finals each year.

    Fifth-seeded Tulsa takes on fourth-seeded and host Hawaii. Hawaii defeated Tulsa in the regular season, shutting out the Golden Hurricane, 2-0. The Golden Hurricane are unbeaten in their last four matches, including a tournament clinching, 2-1, win over San Jose State. Hawaii is the lone WAC team without a tie this season, but suffered a loss to Fresno State in their final WAC match, moving them to the four seed. Tulsa, missed last years WAC Tourament, but return due in part to its late season run. Hawaii has competed in each of the last three tournaments.

    RICE SETS NEW FEWEST GOALS ALLOWED, SHUTOUT MARKS
    Rice allowed just seven goals in 2004, setting a new conference mark. The Owls topped its mark from last year, when they allowed 14. The seven goals allowed is tied for sixth all-time in the NCAA. North Carolina gave up two goals in 1987 to hold the NCAA record. Rices goals against average for 2004 is 0.39, tying them for 14th with Notre Dames 2000 squad.

    En route to allowing just seven goals this season, the Owls posted 14 shutouts, setting a new WAC record for shutouts in a season. The previous mark of 13 was held by the 1999 SMU, and 1998 San Diego State squads. Rice tied the WAC-season mark for shutouts with six. SMU also registered six shutouts in the 2000 WAC season.

    KAI MOVES INTO TOP FIVE IN THREE CAREER WAC RECORDS
    Hawaii junior forward Natasha Kai, moved into the top five in three WAC career records this week. Kai is second all-time in shots with 317, 51 behind BYUs Shauna Rohbuck. Kai has posted 12 goals this season, moving her career total to 57, 10 behind Kim Harvey of SMU for second. At 128 career points, Kai is two points behind New Mexicos Laurie Hegedorn.

    Kai also set a new single-season record for shots in a single season at 119. She passed BYUs Shauna Rohbuck who tallied 109 in 1996. She set the new shots mark in the conference-season as well, as she tallied 49 shots, to top 44 by Sherry Dick of TCU in 2000.

    SHOCKLEY MOVES INTO FIRST ALL-TIME IN GOALS-AGAINST-AVERAGE
    The Owls have had seven shutouts thanks to the senior goalkeeper Lauren Shockley. Shockley moved into sole possession of first place on the WACs all-time list for career goals-against-average with a league-shattering mark of 0.69 (28 goals allowed in 3655:19 career minutes). Shockley has been playing at an all-conference pace.

    SINGLE-SEASON RECORDS TO WATCH
    Rices Lauren Shockley is currently tied for most shutouts in a season at 13 with Becca Lief of SMU, who registered that mark in 1999. Shockley still has the conference tournament, and would need to throw a two-match shutout to tie the mark. Her single-season goals against average of 0.37 is currently the new conference record. Katherine Judkins of San Diego State posted a GAA of 0.609 in 1998 to set the mark. Shockleys seven goals allowed this year are two better than the single-season mark of nine set by Lief in 1998. Shockley posted six of her 13 shutouts in WAC play, giving her the new WAC-season record at six. The previous mark of five was by Erin Poole of SMU (1996) and Katherine Judkins of San Diego State (1998).

    Rice currently owns a team goals against average of 0.35, which would set a new season mark. The current mark is held by San Diego State, who had a GAA of 0.74 in 1998.

    NCAA COLLEGE CUP INFORMATION
    Cary, N.C. and North Carolina State will play host to this years Womens College Cup. The championship will be played at the SAS Soccer Park, December 3-5. For more information visit www.gopack.com or call (800) 310-PACK. This year, the selection committee meetings begin Friday, November 5 and the championships selections will be announced on Monday, November 8, at 3 p.m. EST on ESPNews. SMU was the lone WAC team to earn a bid, as it won the conference tournament.

    SMUS COSSABOON WINS 100TH CAREER MATCH
    SMU head coach John Cossaboon won his 100th career match in, 5-2, win over Tulsa Oct. 17. Cossaboon is in his second season at the helm of the Mustangs progam. He has a career record of 100-49-10 (.660) over his eight seasons as a head coach. Cossaboon is also 11-2-1 (.821) in WAC play.

    KAI NAMED TO MAC HERMANN TROPHY WATCH LIST
    Hawaiis Natasha Kai has been named as a finalist to the 2004 MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List. The 25 players are considered to be among the top players entering the 2004 college season and are the ones to watch for outstanding play this fall. A list of 15 semifinalists will be announced in November, with three finalists selected in early December. The winner will be announced at a dinner at the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis, Mo., on Friday, Jan. 7, 2005.

    Kai, the two-time WAC Player of the Year, set a WAC record for goals in conference play her freshman year, and followed that up by leading the nation with 29 goals last season. The 2004 WAC Preseason Player of the Year is tied for the conference lead in goals with seven. Kai is one of nine players on the list that were part of the U.S. Under-21 National Team that recently gave the United States its sixth consecutive Nordic Cup title.

    WAC TEAMS RANKED NATIONALLY; RICE FIFTH IN NCAA
    Conference leaders SMU and UTEP are all ranked seventh and 32nd, respectivley, in the nation in scoring offense. SMU at 3.00 gpg leads the conference, while UTEPs 2.40 is second.

    Rice is sixth the nation with a goals-against average of 0.39. The Owls have allowed just seven goals this season, including 11 shutouts. The Owls shutout percentage is good for fifth in the country at 0.71. They are anchored by one of the WACs best defenses and the WACs all-time goals-against-average leader, Lauren Shockley.

    WAC MEMBERS AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS
    Rice senior goalkeeper Lauren Shockley is ranked eighth in the nation in goals-against-average, posting a 0.41 mark. Shockley has helped the Owls to 11 shutouts this season.

    TEAMS IN THE NSCAA/ADIDAS REGIONAL POLLS
    SMU, which had one of the toughest regular-season schedules in the WAC, fell from the NSCAA/adidas poll after losing to UTEP Oct. 22. The Mustangs are 11-3-2, with their only other losses coming at the hands of 12th ranked Santa Clara in double overtime and No. 20 UCLA. After opening the season with a win over cross-town rival TCU, the Mustangs tied 2004 NCAA Tournament member, Oklahoma. This week, SMU finishes conference play, facing Boise State and Nevada in Dallas. Both SMU and Rice remain in the NSCAA Central Region poll. SMU is fifth in the Central, while the Owls are ninth.

    FOUR TEAMS IN SOCCERBUZZ.COMS REGIONAL RANKING
    SMU is ranked No. 5 in the SoccerBuzz.coms Central Region rankings. Joining the Mustangs are ninth-ranked Rice and UTEP. Hawaii is the lone WAC team ranked in the West Region, coming in 14th.

    TEAM TOURNAMENT NOTES
  • Fresno State Bulldogs
    have qualified for the WAC Tournament for the 10th straight season and will square off against UTEP when the opening round begins on Thursday, Nov. 4 ... the Bulldogs check in as
    the tournaments No. 6 seed, while the Miners are the No. 3 seed ... the WAC tournament champion receives the conferences automatic NCAA Tournament berth ... the series between the Miners and Bulldogs stands at 2-2-3 ... back on Oct. 1 in the WAC opener for the teams, Fresno State and UTEP played to a 0-0 tie ... prior to this seasons matchup, Fresno State had won two of the last three ... UTEP notched a 2-0 shutout victory in last years battle in El Paso ... Fresno State and UTEP have faced off in the WAC Tournament once before ... on Nov. 4, 1998, the two teams played to a 1-1 tie in the opening round with Fresno State winning the match 3-1 on penalty kicks.

  • Hawaii Rainbow Wahine
    will host the 2004 WAC Tournament as the No. 4 seed ... Hawaii owns a record of 12-6-2 ... the Wahine fell to Rice in the 2003 Tournament, 4-1 ... Natasha Kai moved into the top five in three WAC career records this week ... Kai is second all-time in shots (317) ... She has also posted 12 goals this season, moving her career total to 57, good for second ... at 128 career points, Kai is two points behind New Mexicos Laurie Hegedorn fo third ... Kai also set a new single-season record for shots in a single season at 119 and set the new shots mark in the conference-season as well, as she tallied 49 shots.

  • Rice Owls
    tied for second in the league standings, the teams highest finish since tying for second in 2001 ... the Blue and Gray won a school record 13 games this season which tied for the highest win total in the conference ... Rice is 20-3-3 in its last 26 games ... with a pair of wins in the WACs final weekend, the Rice soccer programs all-time record improved to 35-33-6 ... two of the teams wins this season are over regionally-ranked teams ... the Owls have had success despite the loss of three starting players, senior forward Ashley Anderson (foot), sophomore defender Laura Barber (knee) and freshman forward Caitlin Robbins (knee), who are out for the year due to injuries ... the defense recorded a total of 14 shutouts and helped the team win nine games by a score of 1-0 ... senior goalkeeper Lauren Shockleys career goals-against average is now 0.69, the best mark in WAC history ... Shockley has allowed only 28 goals in 3655:19 career minutes in net. This season she has allowed only seven scores in 1718:44 minutes for a WAC-leading 0.37 GAA.

  • SMU Mustangs
    all-time WAC record now stands at 53-6-3 (.880) ... eighty two percent of SMUs 56 goals this season have been scored by underclassmen (46 goals) ... SMU captured its fifth-regular season league title, in fact, when the WAC was divided into the Mountain and Pacific Divisions from 1996-1998, SMU won all three Mountain Division titles ... according to last weeks NCAA statistics, SMU was ranked seventh in the nation in scoring offense ... defender Kimber Bailey is the only Mustang freshman to start every game this season ... SMUs 2-2 overtime draw with No. 21 Texas was the sixth overtime game for SMU this season, the second-most in Mustang history (the season record is 10 overtime matches which took place during the 2002 season) ... SMU comes into the WAC Tournament as the three-time defending tournament champions ... SMU is 12-3 in WAC Tournament matches.

  • UTEP Miners
    finished the regular season tied for second at 5-2-1 the last time the Miners finished that high was in 2002 when they tied for first with SMU UTEP is making its third consecutive WAC Tournament appearance and its fifth overall the Miners are 2-3-1 all-time with one appearance in the championship match (2002 - 3-1 loss to SMU) UTEP is 1-0-1 in WAC Tournament overtime contests against teams in the 2004 field, UTEP is 0-0-1 versus Fresno State, 1-0 versus Rice and 0-2 versus SMU UTEP is 0-3 all-time in games played in Honolulu with all three against Hawaii.

  • Tulsa Golden Hurricane
    After being picked to finish seventh in the WAC Preseason Coaches Poll, Tulsa posted a fifth-place finish in conference play and qualified for the WAC Tournament for the seventh time in nine seasons ... Tulsas best conference tournament showing came in 2000 when the Hurricane lost to San Jose State in the WAC Championship match ... Tulsa enters the WAC Tournament riding a four-game unbeaten streak and has won four out of its last six games. TU tied Fresno State and its only blemish in the last six outings was a loss to WAC regular season champion SMU ... the Golden Hurricane has outscored its opponents, 15-9 its last six games.