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Soccer Notes Week 6

Defender Erin Droeger
Rice
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Weekly Notes.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
    Natasha Kai, a junior from Kahuku, Hawaii, scored two goals and tallied an assist in Hawaiis wins over New Mexico and Gonzaga in the Montana Fall Classic. Kai scored the game-winning goal, her fifth of the season, in Hawaiis, 1-0, win over New Mexico. She also registered a goal and an assist in the, 3-0, win over Gonzaga, improving the Wahines record to 5-0 on the road this year. She has a conference leading seven goals on the season. The honor is her second of the season.

    Lauren Shockley, a senior from Indianapolis, Ind., recorded two shutout wins, helping the Owls to remain unbeaten in their past seven matches. Shockley made 10 saves against St. Louis in the Owls, 1-0, win, a new career high and third-highest total in school history. The Billikens attempted a total of 17 shots overall. She also made four saves in a win over North Texas. The honor is her third of the season.

  • Other offensive nominees included: Lisa Balsama, Boise State; Annie Baxter, Nevada; Angela Aaker, Rice; Krystal Bailey, SMU and Katie Ward, Tulsa.

  • Other defensive nominees included: Mahie Atay, Hawaii; Heidi Mesbah, Nevada and Amanda Clark, SMU.

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

    STATS
  • NCAA
  • WAC

    CONFERENCE PLAY BEGINS THIS WEEK
    There are four non-conference matches to open the week, then WAC play begins ... Fresno State is looking to avenge a pair of losses from a year ago, as it hosts UTEP and SMU ... SMU is a perfect 8-0 in Conference openers ... Rice and Tulsa are the off to the island and site of the 2004 WAC Championship, as they face Hawaii in the opening weekend ... San Jose State faces two of the top three scoring leaders in the WAC, as it hosts SMU and UTEP this week.

    MATCH OF THE WEEK
    With conference play opening this weekend, one of many key matches is Rice at Hawaii, Oct. 1. Hawaii, who claimed a share of the 2003 regular-season title, was knocked out of the 2003 WAC Tournament by Rice in the semifinals, 4-0. Hawaii is coming off a three-match west coast swing, defeating New Mexico and Gonzaga, while playing to a, 0-0, draw with BYU. Rice is currently on a seven-match unbeaten streak, where the Owls have held their opponents to just two goals, while scoring 25. It will be a battle in the net, with two of the conferences top goalkeepers squaring off. Lauren Shockley of Rice and Mahie Atay of Hawaii are ranked 1-2 in the WAC in goals-against-average. Shockley is currently second in the nation at .300.

    KAI NAMED TO MAC HERMANN TROPHY WATCHG LIST
    Hawaii's 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.

    SMU IN THE NSCAA/ADIDAS TOP 25
    SMU, which has one of the toughest schedules in the WAC, is ranked 17th in the Sept. 28 NSCAA/adidas poll. The Mustangs are 5-2-1, with their only 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 opens conference play on the road, taking on Fresno State and San Jose State.

    Rice cracked the NSCAA Central Region poll for the first time its young history, coming in ninth. The Owls posted a, 1-0, upset win over St. Louis, giving them the nod. SMU is third in the Central, behind Texas A&M and Kansas who are ranked ninth and 12th, nationally.

    THREE TEAMS IN SOCCERBUZZ.COMS REGIONAL RANKING
    SMU maintained its No. 3 ranking the SoccerBuzz.coms Central Region rankings. Joining the Mustangs are ninth-ranked Rice, who is off to its best start in its young, four-year history at 7-1-2. Rice is unbeaten in its last seven matches, including its first-ever win over an NSCAA regionally ranked team, with a, 1-0, upset over St. Louis. Hawaii is the lone WAC team ranked in the West Region, coming in 12th, as they own a 7-2-2 record.

    THREE ALREADY TO LUCKY SEVEN
    Hawaii, Rice and UTEP have all reached seven wins as the WAC begins conference play. This time last year, only SMU had reached that mark. Rice has the biggest change from a year ago, as they lead the WAC with a 7-1-2 record, where it was 2-4-1 in 2003. Boise State is 6-4, topping its mark of 2-7 at this time last year. All six teams that qualified for the WAC Tournament in 2003 had at least a .500 conference record. There are five teams currently with at least .600 winning percentage overall, setting up an exciting conference year.

    WAC WITH THREE TEAMS RANKED NATIONALLY
    Rice, UTEP and Hawaii are all ranked in the top 35 nationally for winning percentage. Rice at .800 leads the conference and is raked 21st nationally, UTEP, who just had a seven-match winning streak ended is 26th at .778, while Hawaii ranks 34th at .750.

    UTEP, who leads the WAC in four offensive categories, ranks 11th on the NCAA list with 3.22 goals-per-match. SMU, who is ranked 17th by the NSCAA, is averaging 2.75 gpm, good for 23rd in the nation. Rice, who also has seven shutouts on the season, ranks 33rd in scoring offense at 2.60 gpm.

    WAC MEMBERS AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS
    Rice senior goalkeeper Lauren Shockley is ranked second in the nation in goals-against-average, posting a 0.304 mark. Shockley has helped the Owls to seven shutouts this season. Rice ranks seventh in the country with .700 shutout percentage.

    Fresno State sophomore Courtney Sobrero ranks 20th in the nation in points-per-match with 2.29 a contest. Her 1.00 goals-per-match are good for 11th in the NCAA. Sobrero leads the conference both catergories as well.

    RICES BAKERS DOZEN RANKS THIRD IN NCAA
    The Rice Owls racked up 13 goals against Texas Southern Sept. 7. The total is third in the country for single-game highs. In that game, eight Owls scored, including a hat trick by Angela Aaker.

    SMUS COSSABOON FIVE WINS FROM 100
    SMU head coach John Cossaboon is just five wins shy of 100 for his career. Cossaboon is in his second season at the helm of the Mustangs progam. He has a career record of 95-48-9 (.656) over his eight seasons as a head coach.

    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 0.76 (24 goals allowed in 2825:19 career minutes). Shockley has been playing at an all-conference pace. The standout from Indianapolis has allowed three goals in 708:44 minutes of action this season, a total of eight games of which four have gone into double-overtime.

    HAWAII TO HOST 2004 WAC TOURNAMENT
    Honolulu, Hawaii and the University of Hawaii will play host to this years WAC Tournament. The championship will be played at the Waipio Peninsula Soccer Stadium, November 4-6. The format will place the No. 3 seed against the No. 6 seed in the opening round, while seeds, 4 and 5 will square off. The 4/5 winner will face the No. 1 seed, while the 3/6 winner will take on the No. 2 seed. The 2003 Championship was held at SMU, with the Mustangs taking home their third-straight crown. For more information visit www.hawaiiathletics.com, www.wacsports.com or call (808) 944-BOWS (2697).

    NCAA COLLEGE CUP INFORMATION
    Cary, N.C. and the 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.

    SMU FAVORED TO WIN 2004 CROWN
    SMU has been picked to win its fourth-straight WAC title, as selected by the conference coaches. SMU, who finished 7-1 in conference play in 2003, defeated Rice in the final minute of the conference championship match, taking home its third title in as many seasons. The Mustangs are led by head coach John Cossaboon who returns eight starters from his championship squad. Leading the way for the Mustangs will be midfielders, Jill Heinemann and Olivia ORear, defender Amanda Jordan and goalkeeper Amanda Clark. ORear was tabbed the WACs 2003 Freshman of the Year. Jordan, Heinemann (the 2001 freshman of the year) and Clark have all been main stays on the all-WAC teams. SMU has a tough non-conference schedule, including matches against Santa Clara, Stanford, Oklahoma, UCLA and Texas, preparing them for a title-defense run.

    KAI LEADS 2004 PRESEASON ALL-WAC TEAM
    The WAC announced its 2004 Preseason all-WAC team and Player of the Year as voted on by the coaches. SMU, the 2004 conference favorite, leads the team with five players. Rice placed three on the team, while Hawaii has two and UTEP one. The 2002 and 2003 WAC Player of the Year, Hawaii junior Natasha Kai, was named the 2004 Preseason Player of the Year.

    Kai, the nations top goal scorer from a year ago, was named the 2004 Preseason Player of the Year after earning the 2003 Player of the Year. The junior from Kahuku, Oahu, posted 30 points in conference, including 14 goals to lead the conference. In her rookie campaign in 2002, Kai became the first WAC player to win both Freshman and Player of the Year.

    There are 11 selections on this seasons preseason squad. At the forward position is Kai, Rice senior Sarah Yoder, and SMU sophomore and 2003 Freshman of the Year, Olivia ORear. In the midfield, there are SMU seniors Jill Heinemann and Erin MacCallum, Hawaii senior Joelle Sugai and junior Kaletia Roberts of UTEP. In defense, SMU junior Amanda Jordan and Rice senior Caitlin Currie and junior Erin Droeger were selected. SMU senior Amanda Clark was named to the team as goalkeeper. Clark posted eight shutouts for the Mustangs in 2003.

    FOUR SCHOOLS NAME NEW HEAD COACHES
    Fresno State, Nevada, San Jose State and Tulsa all made head coaching changes during the off season. Fresno State hired former Florida assistant Steve Springthorpe, while Nevada named Terri Patraw, a former head coach at Arizona State, to the helm of the Wolf Pack program. San Jose State tabbed Dave Siracusa as its head coach after three seasons as the mens assistant at San Diego State. Rena Richardson will lead the Tulsa squad after three seasons as the assistant at Alabama.

    WAC TO ADD NEW MEMBERS
    New Mexico State, Idaho and Utah State will all join the WAC beginning July 1, 2005. New Mexico State does not sponsor a soccer program. Louisiana Tech, who is already a WAC member, is in its first season of womens soccer but will compete independently for the 2004 season. The Lady Techsters will join the conference in soccer beginning in 2005 along with Idaho and Utah State.

    FACING THE NATIONS BEST
    Fourteen teams that participated in the 2003 NCAA Tournament have been opponents of WAC teams this season. The list includes the likes of 2001 National Champion Santa Clara, and 2003 Final Four member, UCLA, and Sweet 16 member, Texas A&M.

    TEAM NOTES
  • Boise State Broncos
    split last weekend in rivalry week, defeating future WAC member Idaho 1-0, before falling at Idaho State, 1-0, in overtime ... Boise State is now 6-4 on the year, its best season in history ... freshman Lisa Balsama continues to lead the team in scoring recording her third game-winning goal against Idaho giving her seven points on the year with three goals (all game-winners) and one assist ... the Broncos begin WAC action this weekend when they travel to Reno for a match with the Wolf Pack.

  • Fresno State Bulldogs
    after playing six of its first eight games on the road, Fresno State returns to Bulldog Stadium for a three-game homestand ... prior to their, 4-0, loss at No. 13 California, the Bulldogs had reeled off three-straight wins to climb back to the .500 mark ... three home contests should help get the Bulldogs back on track, as the team is 2-0 at Bulldog Stadium so far and has outscored opponents 7-1 combined ... the homestand continues as the Bulldogs take on UTEP in the WAC opener and two-time defending conference champion SMU.

  • Hawaii Rainbow Wahine
    have won seven of their last eight games ... the Rainbow Wahine won both matches at the Montana Fall Classic, picking up wins over New Mexico and Gonzaga ... the Wahine finished of their road trip in Provo, Utah, tying BYU, 0-0, in two extra frames ... Hawaii heads back to the island to open conference play, taking on Rice and Tulsa ... 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.

  • Nevada Wolf Pack
    are unbeaten in their last three matches, a school record ... the Wolf Pack posted its second shutout this season against UNLV ... its the first time a Nevada team has recorded more than one shutout in a season ... the Wolf Pack play Utah Valley State (Sept. 30), before opening WAC play against Boise State and San Jose State in Reno.

  • Rice Owls
    at 7-1-2, Rice is in first place in the WAC standings and off to its best start in the young four-year history of the program ... the Owls are unbeaten in their last seven games going 6-0-1 ... the team has been particularly tough in road games, posting an undefeated 4-0-1 mark with no goals allowed in 470 total minutes ... the Blue and Grays, 1-0, road win at St. Louis was the programs first over a regionally ranked team ... Rice was 0-9 against NSCAA-ranked teams before beating the number eight Billikens ... the win over St. Louis can clearly go to senior goalkeeper Lauren Shockley, who recorded a career-best 10 saves of 17 shots on goal.

  • San Jose State Spartan
    picked up their first shutout in two seasons, knocking off Sacramento State, 3-0 ... unfortunantely, the Spartans followed that up by getting shutout on the road against San Francisco, 2-0 ... San Jose State returns home to open conference play, taking on defending champion, SMU and UTEP.

  • SMU Mustangs
    head coach John Cossaboon needs five more victories to claim 100 career wins ... nine different SMU players have scored goals this season ... SMU has outscored its opponents, 22-9, this season and is hitting nearly 47.6% of its shots-on-goal attempts ... in this weeks national statistics, SMU is 23rd in the nation in scoring offense ... SMU has never lost its opening game of WAC play since joining the conference in 1996 (8-0) ... the Mustangs are 3-3-1 versus San Jose State and 9-1 versus Fresno State in the respective series histories.

  • UTEP Miners
    open conference play at Fresno State and San Jose State ... the matches will be the Miners sixth and seventh games on the road in their last nine ... the Miners are 4-1 away from University Field this season ... UTEP saw its seven-game win streak snapped with a double overtime loss at Utah Valley State ... both of the Miners losses this season have come with under three minutes remaining in the second overtime session ... the seven-game win streak was the second-longest in program history ... the 2002 squad opened the season with 12 consecutive wins.

  • Tulsa Golden Hurricane
    through the first eight games of the season, Tulsas offense had produced just seven goals and four assists for 18 total points ... in two games last week against Northern Iowa and Louisiana-Lafayette, Tulsa produced a scoring outburst with eight goals and four assists for 20 points, more than doubling its season total ... Tulsas six goals against Northern Iowa marked the Hurricanes most goals in a game since 2000 and the second most since 1997.