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SMU won its fourth-straight
WAC Tournament title,
earning a bid to the
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Related Material
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Weekly Release.pdf
2004 Tournament Bracket.pdf
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SMU and Rice both suffered first-round losses in the NCAA Tournament. Rice, which was competing in its first ever NCAA Tournament, fell, 2-0, to Illinois. SMU falied to advance to the second round losing to West Virginia, 2-1. SMU which won its fourth-straight WAC Tournament title, earned the WACs automatic selection. It was the first time the WAC has had two teams in the NCAA Tournament, since SMU and Fresno State were both selected in 1999.
Illinois def. Rice, 2-0West Virginia def. SMU, 2-1RICE, SMU EARN NCAA TOURNAMENT BIDSSMU and Rice both received bids to the 2004 NCAA Womens Soccer Tournament. The opening rounds will be played November 12 and 14. SMU (15-3-3), which won its fourth-straight WAC Tournament title, earned the WACs automatic selection. It is the 10th overall NCAA Tournament appearance for SMU, its sixth while being a member of the WAC. Rice (14-4-3), which finished runner-up to SMU in the WAC Tournament, earned an at-large bid. It is the first appearance for the Owls in their young, four-year history. It is the first time the WAC has had two teams in the NCAA Tournament, since SMU and Fresno State were both selected in 1999.
Led by head coach John Cossaboon, the Mustangs have been ranked in the NSCAA top 25 for most of the season. They had five all-WAC selections, including WAC Freshman of the Year, Kimber Bailey. Sophomore forward Olivia ORear has been the hottest player in the league as of late, posting a point in each of her last 11 matches. Over the past five, she has registered five goals, and five assists.
It will be a change of venue for the Mustangs in the first round, but not opponent. SMU travels to Austin, Texas for its first-round round match on Nov. 12, where West Virginia (14-5-0) awaits. If the Mustangs advance, they will face the winner of North Texas (15-5-1) and host Texas (13-6-2) on Nov. 14. SMU has faced Texas in two of the last three NCAA Tournaments, both times in College Station. West Virginia lost to Villanova, 1-0, in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament. The Longhorns fell to Texas A&M in the Big 12 Championship, 3-0. North Texas won the Sun Belt Conference Title with a, 1-0, win over Florida International.
Rice and WAC Coach of the Year, Chris Huston, have relied on defense all season, and will look to do so in the NCAA Tournament. The Owls are among the top 10 in the country in goals-against-average, shutouts and shutout percentage. They are led by WAC Player of the Year, goalkeeper Lauren Shockley. Shockley became the WACs career record holder in GAA in 2004. She allowed goals in consecutive matches in the WAC Tournament for the just the second time all season.
The Owls will stay instate, as they travel to College Station, Texas for a first-round match with Illinois (13-5-2) on Nov. 12. Illinois lost in its semifinal match of the Big Ten Tournament. If the Owls advance, they play the winner of Texas State (13-9-0) and host Texas A&M (17-5-0) on Nov. 14. The Aggies won the Big 12 title, defeating Texas, 3-0, in the championship match. Texas State captured the Southland Conference title, defeating UL-Monroe.
The semifinals and championship will be held at SAS Soccer Park in Cary, N.C., hosted by North Carolina State, December 3 and 5.
Click on Weekly Notes.pdf to the right to view the entire release, including schedules, stats, notes and polls.
Click on the 2004 Tournament Bracket, to view a .pdf version of this year's College Cup.
POLLS
NSCAA/adidas
SoccerBuzz.com
SoccerTimes.com
Soccer America
STATS
NCAA
WAC
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.
HOST SID INFORMATION
Texas: Mike Forcucci; mike.forcucci@athletics.utexas.edu; (979) 471-6039
Texas A&M: Stephen Grove; sgrove@athletics.tamu.edu; (979) 458-2903
SCOUTING THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
The Western Athletic Conference faced 15 teams that were selected to the NCAA Tournament, posting a 5-9-3 record against those teams.
Rice vs. Illinois
The Fighting Illini own a 13-5-2 record and advanced to the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament, falling to No. 3 Penn State, 3-2. Illinois is ranked 18th in the country. It is the first meeting between Rice and Illinois.
Texas State
The Bobcats are 13-9 and earned a tournament bid by winning the Southland Conference title. Rice defeated Texas State earlier in the season by a score of 3-0. The Bobcats are ahead in the series with the Owls, 1-2-1. The two have three common opponents this season, Northwestern State, UTEP and Texas Southern. Both teams defeated Texas Southern, 13-0. They have wins over UTEP, while Rice defeated Northwestern State in its only meeting, while the Bobcats went, 1-1.
Texas A&M
The Aggies are 17-5 and earned a tournament bid by winning the Big XII Conference title, defeating Texas, 3-0. The Aggies are currently ranked 10th in the country. In the Owls only meeting with Texas A&M, they suffered a, 4-1, loss. Both the Aggies and Owls faced Army, Baylor and North Texas. Texas A&M went, 3-0, while Rice went 2-0-1, tying Baylor, 1-1.
SMU vs. West Virginia
The Mountaineers own a 14-5 record, advanced to the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament, falling Villanova, 1-0. West Virginia is receiving votes in the NSCAA/adidias Coaches Poll.
North Texas
The Mean Green are 15-5-1 and earned a tournament bid by winning the Sun Belt Conference title. SMU defeated North Texas earlier in the season, 3-0. Each team defeated Sam Houston State in 2004. SMU has two wins over Rice, while North Texas, fell to the Owls, 4-0.
Texas
The Longhorns are 13-6-2 and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. They fell to Texas A&M in the Big XII Championship, 3-0. Texas and SMU played to a, 2-2, draw just two weeks ago, the only goals the Mustangs have allowed in their last five matches. The lone common opponent for the pair is Oklahoma, where the Longhors, posted a, 1-0, win, while SMU drew a, 2-2, tie.
SMU WINS FOURTH-STRAIGHT WAC TOURNAMENT TITLE
SMU captured a, 2-0, win over Rice to claim its fourth-straight and sixth overall, WAC Soccer Tournament title, in Honolulu. SMU earns the WAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament which begins Nov. 12. SMU's forward Olivia O'Rear grabbed MVP honors with two game-winning goals.
It was the same outcome of the rematch from the 2003 WAC Championship. SMU defeated Rice, 2-1, in Dallas last year. The shutout for the Mustangs was their second the in the tournament. SMU defeated Tulsa, 1-0, to advance to the tournament's final. SMU finished the regular season with a 15-3-3 record. The Mustangs have been in the NCAA Tournament each of the past three seasons, advancing to the second round in both 2001 and 2002.
Oliva O'Rear, who has been the hottest player in the league as of late, registered her 14th goal of the year on an assist from Autumn Browning in the first half. It was her second game-winner in as many games. The Mustangs scored an insurance goal before the first half concluded, as Erin MacCallum scored on a cross from Amanda Jordan.
Led by head coach John Cossaboon, the Mustangs placed four on the WAC's all-Tournament team. O'Rear earned MVP honors, while midifielder, Susanne Collins, WAC Freshman of the Year, defender Kimber Bailey and goalkeeper, Amanda Clark all took home awards.
Rice didn't have the chances or looks it needed to stop the Mustang's offense. It was just the second time all season that 2004 WAC Player of the Year, goalkeeper Lauren Shockley, gave up goals in back-to-back games. Rice closes out its regular season with a record of 14-4-3.
WAC POST-SEASON HONORS
The 2004 womens soccer all-WAC teams were announced today, as selected by the conferences coaches. WAC regular season champion, SMU, placed four on the conferences first team, while second place Rice earned three. The 2004 Player of the Year went to Rice senior goalkeeper, Lauren Shockley. Freshman of the Year was awarded to defender Kimber Bailey of SMU, while Coach of the Year went to Rices Chris Huston, who went 5-2-1 in conference play. Huston coached the Owls to their best record in program history at 13-3-3.
Shockley, a native of Indianapolis, Ind., picked up the Player of the Year honor posting six shutouts in conference play. The mark is a new WAC record. She is the first goalkeeper to win the award in the WAC. She finished the year with a 0.49 goals against average in the WAC, allowing just four goals. Her save percentage of .862 leads the conference. Shockley became the WACs career leader in goals-against-average at 0.69 and ranks in the top 10 in the nation in both shutout percentage (0.75) and goals-against-average (0.37). She allowed just seven goals all season, as Rice posted 14 shutouts in 2004.
Bailey, a native of Garland, Texas, has been a strong force for the Mustang defense all season, while tying for the conference lead in goals (7). Bailey is the fifth Mustangs in the last six years to earn the honor. She posted 14 points to rank second in the conference, helping the Mustangs to be the top ranked offense in the WAC. Bailey earned WAC Offensive Player of the Week nod on October 4.
Huston, a 1992 graduate of North Carolina, led the Owls to a 5-2-1 WAC record, while the 13-3-3 overall mark is the best school history. The Owls defense ranks among the best in the nation, as the Owls allowed on seven goals on the season and posted 14 shutouts. Rices six shutouts in WAC play are a new conference record. Huston started the Owls program in 2001 with a 7-9 record.
SMU led all teams with four student-athletes on the all-WAC first team and one on the second. Sophomore forward Olivia ORear came on late in the year to take the conference goals and assists crown. She posted 20 points on seven goals and six assists. Fresno States forward, Cortney Sobrero, had a hat trick against Nevada and finished in the leagues top 10 for scoring. Hawaii forward, Natasha Kai, was named to her third-straight all-WAC first team, as she tallied 13 points on five goals and three assists. Two of the four midfielders selected came from SMU. Sophomores Adria Campbell and Susanne Collins helped the Mustangs earn the title as the WACs top scoring offense. Kaletia Roberts of UTEP earned her second-straight nod on the first team as mid fielder, while Joelle Sugai of Hawaii recorded her second.
There were three defenders selected to the team led by Rices Erin Droeger and Caitlin Currie. The pair anchored the WACs top defense, allowing only four goals in conference play and six shutouts. Kimber Bailey, the leagues Freshman of the Year, was one of the WACs top offensive threats. Although having the title of defender, Bailey scored seven goals to tie for the league lead. Lauren Shockley picked up the first-team goalkeeper honor, setting a new league mark for shutouts, posting six in WAC play.
KAI NAMED TO MAC HERMANN TROPHY SEMIFINALIST LIST
Hawaiis Natasha Kai has been named as a semifinalist to the 2004 MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List. The 15 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. The finalists will be invited to the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis on Friday, Jan. 7, 2005, for the announcement of the winner at a press conference.
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. She finished second in 2004 with 12, in an injury plagued season.
The first-team all-WAC member led the conference in shots with 130, 69 better than second place. There are six players on this year's list that were named last season. 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.
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 328, 40 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 130. 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 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 0.73 (31 goals allowed in 3835:19 career minutes). In 41 career matches, she has a save percentage of .846 on 170 saves.
SINGLE-SEASON RECORDS TO WATCH
Rices Lauren Shockley, who owns a single-season goals against average of 0.49, is currently the new conference record. Katherine Judkins of San Diego State posted a GAA of 0.609 in 1998 to set the mark. 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 0.46, 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. The Owls have allowed just 10 goals in 2004, setting a new conference mark. The Owls topped its mark from last year, when they allowed 14.
En route to allowing just 10 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.
WAC TEAMS RANKED NATIONALLY; RICE THIRD IN NCAA
Conference leaders SMU and UTEP are all ranked 11th and 29th, respectivley, in the nation in scoring offense. SMU at 2.81 gpg leads the conference, while UTEPs 2.37 is second.
Rice is third the nation with a goals-against average of 0.46. The Owls have allowed just 10 goals this season, including 11 shutouts. The Owls shutout percentage is good for third in the country at 0.67. SMU is fifth in the country with a 0.79 winning percentage, while Rice is 24th at 0.74.
WAC AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS
Rice senior goalkeeper Lauren Shockley is ranked sixth in the nation in goals-against-average, posting a 0.47 mark. Shockley has helped the Owls to 11 shutouts this season. SMUs Olivia ORear has earned 38 points this year, giving her an average of 1.81 per match, 28th best in the country.
TEAMS IN THE NSCAA/ADIDAS REGIONAL POLLS
SMU, which had one of the toughest regular-season schedules in the WAC, returned to the NSCAA/adidas poll after winning the WAC Tournament, coming in 22nd. The Mustangs are 15-3-2, with two of their losses coming at the hands of Santa Clara, currently ranked fourth, in double overtime and No. 12 UCLA. The Mustangs will face Texas State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, then with a win, could face 20th ranked Texas. Both SMU and Rice remain in the NSCAA Central Region poll. SMU is fourth in the Central, while the Owls are eight, helping them to earn an at large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
FOUR TEAMS IN SOCCERBUZZ.COMS REGIONAL RANKING
SMU is ranked No. 4 in the SoccerBuzz.coms Central Region rankings. Joining the Mustangs are ninth-ranked Rice, UTEP which is receiving votes. Hawaii is the lone WAC team receiving votes in the West Region.
TEAM NCAA TOURNAMENT NOTES
Rice Owls
finished 14-4-3 overall and were second place finishers in both the WAC regular season and post-season tournament ... they were one of 35 at-large selections to the NCAA Tournament ... the first national postseason bid is another milestone for the Owl program that started from scratch just four years ago ... the Blue and Gray will meet Big Ten power Illinois (13-5-2, 6-3-2) in College Station, Texas as part of a four team regional hosted by Texas A&M ... Rice and the Illini will play at 5:00 p.m. on Nov. 12 ... Texas A&M, the tournaments No. 9 seed overall at 17-5, will host Southland Conference champion Texas State (13-9) at 8:00 p.m. ... the winners will meet at 1:30 p.m. Nov. 14.
SMU Mustangs
who clinched an automatic berth to this years NCAA Tournament after winning the WAC Tournament, will play West Virginia Nov. 12, in first-round action ... the University of Texas will serve as host with SMU, West Virginia and North Texas making the trip to Austin ... kick-off between SMU and West Virginia is set for 4:30 p.m. (CT) with the Texas-North Texas game to start at 7:00 p.m.. ... if the Mustangs advance, they will face the winner of North Texas and host Texas on Nov. 14 ... SMU has faced Texas in two of the last three NCAA Tournaments, both times in College Station, Texas ... West Virginia lost to Villanova, 1-0, in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament ... The Longhorns fell to Texas A&M in the Big XII Championship, 3-0 ... North Texas won the Sun Belt Conference Title with a 1-0 win over Florida International ... this will be the first meeting between SMU and West Virginia ... SMU is 7-8-1 in NCAA Tournament play since 1990.