NCAA TOURNAMENT ?“ Fresno State earned its second bid to the NCAA Women?™s Soccer Tournament, taking home the 2005 WAC Tournament crown. The Bulldogs will take on second-seeded Santa Clara in Santa Clara, Calif., in the first round of the 2005 NCAA Tournament. The first rounds will be played Friday, Nov. 11. Fresno State (10-9-2), which was led by Tournament MVP Kortney Lewis, knocked off San Jose State 1-0 to claim the automatic bid. The Bulldogs are in their first NCAA Tournament since 1999, when they fell to Cal Poly in the first round.
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Tournament CentralFresno State stays in state to face its first round opponent, taking on Santa Clara, the nation?™s sixth ranked team in the NSCAA/adidas poll. The two teams met earlier in the season, with the Broncos earning a, 2-0, win. The Broncos finished their season 14-4-2 and second in the West Coast Conference. The winner will take on the winner of Stanford and St. Louis, Sunday, Nov. 13.
Led by second-year head coach Steve Springthorpe, the Bulldogs had five all-WAC selections, including four first-team selections and WAC Defensive Player of the of the Year, Rochelle Jagdeo. With the outstanding play of Lewis, Antonea Lugo and Cortney Sobrero in the WAC Tournament, the Bulldogs have won four straight matches en route to their first WAC Tournament title. As the No. 5 seed, they were the lowest to ever be crowned WAC Champions.
The semifinals and championship will be held at the Aggie Soccer Complex in College Station, Texas, hosted by Texas A&M, December 2 and 4.
Click here for a .pdf version the WAC's NCAA Tournament Notes.WAC IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT - The Western Athletic Conference is 12-8 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, while current teams are 0-2. Fresno State has a 0-1 all-time record in the NCAA Tournament.
1999 - Cal Poly; L, 2-1
2005 - vs. Santa Clara; Santa Clara, Calif.
Saint Louis/Stanford; Santa Clara, Calif.
COLLEGE CUP ?“ The 24th Annual Women?™s College Cup will be held December 2-4 at the Aggie Soccer Complex in College Station, Texas. Last season, the WAC had two teams compete in postseason play, with Rice and SMU both falling in the first round. Visit
ncaasports.com/soccer/womens/schedules/divi for more information.
2005 WAC TOURNAMENT ?“ Fresno State won its first WAC Soccer Tournament, knocking off second-seeded San Jose State, 1-0, at the Boas Soccer Complex in Boise, Idaho. Cortney Sobrero scored the lone goal for the Bulldogs, giving them the WAC?™s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. It was the first finals appearance for the Bulldogs since a double overtime loss to SMU in 1999. They have a 10-9-2 record.
Two weeks ago, junior Cortney Sobrero walked off the field at Bulldog Stadium feeling dejected after a 1-0 loss to San Jose State. After the win, she walked off the field as a WAC champion. Sobrero?™s goal in the 22nd minute of Fresno State?™s 1-0 shutout of San Jose State during the WAC Tournament championship game put the exclamation point on an improbable postseason run. The Bulldogs have now won four in a row and seven of its last nine.
First Round - November 3 (5) Fresno State def. (4) Utah State, 2-1 Fresno State scored once in each half to secure its first WAC Tournament win since a, 4-0, win over Tulsa in the first round of the 2002 Tournament. The Bulldogs scored the game-winner in the 74th minute with a turn-around shot by Kortney Lews. Utah State scored quickly in the second half to knot the score at 1-1. Dana Peart squeezed a shot to the right of first-team all-WAC goalkeeper, Angie Larsen.
(3) Nevada def. (6) Boise State, 3-0 Nevada won its first-ever postseason match, knocking off Boise State, 3-0. The weather turned from cold to colder as the game went along, leaving Boise State to struggle to get the ball moving. The Broncos fell in just their second WAC Tournament appearance. Nevada was led by a trio of goal scorers with Samantha Miller, Jessica Thompson and Miranda Montejo posting a goal.
Semifinals - November 4 (5) Fresno State def. (1) Hawai'i, 2-1
Fresno State advances to its first WAC Championship since 1999, knocking off top-seeded Hawaii, 2-1. Antonea Lugo was the star for the Bulldogs, scoring twice on the afternoon. Hawaii continued its trend of early-round losses, falling in the first round to a lower seed for the fourth-straight WAC Tournament. The Bulldogs will take on the winnner of Nevada and San Jose State, two teams they lost to earlier in the year.
(2) San Jose State def. (3) Nevada, 2-0
San Jose State scored a pair of second half goals to secure its bid in its first WAC Championship since 2000. Nevada closes out its best season in program history with an 11-7-2 record. The Spartans were led by Kristin Kale and Karin Karlsson, both of whom scored. The Spartans move on to play fifth-seeded Fresno State.
HAWAI'I CLAIMS SECOND WAC REGULAR-SEASON TITLE ?“ A school-record 3,175 fans came to watch Hawai'i wins its second WAC regular-season title. The match was the final home appearance for five seniors, including WAC all-time leading scorer Natasha Kai. Hawai'i posted a 5-2 mark in WAC play, earning 15 points for the crown. The title was its first since going 7-1 in 2001 and tying with SMU. It was the first outright title for the Wahine.
WAC IN THE NCAA ?“ The WAC boasts one team and two individual among the nation?™s best. Louisiana Tech finishes its season ranked 20th in the nation in scoring offense with 2.47 points per match. WAC Offensive Player of the Year, senior Natasha Kai of Hawai'i, ranks 10th in the NCAA in points per match with 2.27 and sixth in goals per match with one. Fellow Wahine, Adria Campbell is 21st with 0.56 assists per contest.
2005 ALL-WAC HONORS ?“ The 2005 women?™s soccer all-WAC teams were announced, as selected by the conference?™s coaches. WAC regular season champion, Hawai'i, placed three on the conference?™s first team, while Fresno State led the way with four. The 2005 Offensive Player of the Year went to Hawai'i senior forward, Natasha Kai, her third honor. Junior defender, Rochelle Jagdeo of Fresno State was tabbed the Defensive Player of the Year. This is the first season for both an offensive and defensive Player of the Year. Freshman of the Year was awarded to San Jose State forward Liz Behlen, while Coach of the Year went to Hawai'i?™s Pinsoom Tenzing, who went 5-2 in conference play. Tenzing also reached the 100-win plateau this season.
Kai, a native of Kahuku, Oahu, picked up her third Player of the Year honor, scoring eight goals in just six WAC matches. Including her two assists, she tallied 18 points in 2005. Kai posted a new WAC record with 58 shots. She passed her won record set in 2004 of 49. The senior picked up a hat trick late in the season, scoring three goals against Nevada.
Jagdeo, a native of Vacaville, Calif., lived up to her preseason billing, anchoring a defense that allowed just five goals in WAC play. The Bulldogs tied for second in the WAC this year, their best finish since winning the regular-season title in 1999.
Behlen, a native of Sunnyvale, Calif., was second in the league in scoring, posting six goals and two assists for 14 points. Her offensive efforts also earned her a first-team all-WAC selection. Belhen also ranks fifth in the WAC with 22 shots, averaging 3.14 per match.
Pinsoom, the only coach of the Hawai'i soccer program, led the Wahine to a 5-2 WAC record. It is the first outright league title for Hawai'i, sharing the title with SMU in 2003. The 10-year head coach reached the 100-win plateau with a, 2-0, win over San Jose State on Oct. 21. This is his first Coach of the Year honor.
Fresno State led all teams, with four student-athletes on the all-WAC first team and one on the second. Forward Natasha Kai of Hawai'i earned her fourth first-team nod. Fresno State forward, Cortney Sobrero, joins freshman Liz Behlen of San Jose State and Charity Weston of Utah State as the league?™s top forwards. San Jose State?™s Nicole Irwin leads the midfield corps, setting up one of the WAC?™s top offenses. Joining Irwin are Kortney Lewis of Fresno State who tallied six points to lead the Bulldogs and Hawai'i?™s Jessica Domingo. There are three defenders on the first team, including Koren Takeyama who led the WAC?™s stingiest defense. Rochelle Jagdeo follows up her Defensive Player of the Year honor with a first-team selection. Utah?™s State Elizabeth Masson rounds out the defenders. The first-team goalkeeper belongs to Fresno State Angie Larsen who posted a 0.16 goals against average in 2005.
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SoccerAmerica MagazineWAC SEASON RECORDS IN 2005 ?“ Hawai'i forward Natasha Kai continues to fill the WAC record books with her name. In just six matches, Kai posted 58 shots to better her record of 49 last season. The senior also set a WAC single-match record in shots with 16 against Louisiana Tech. She topped Sherry Dick?™s 1996 mark of 13. Louisiana Tech?™s Chrissy Haisler nearly topped the saves mark, stopping 62 shots, three shy of the WAC-play record.
HAWAI'I, TENZING REACH 100 WINS ?“ Hawai'i head coach Pinsoom Tenzing and the Hawai'i soccer progam, reached their 100th career win with a, 2-0, win over San Jose State. Tenzing, who is in his 12th year at the helm of the Rainbow Wahine, owns a career record of 101-108-18 (.485). He is the only coach in program history.
NEVADA SETS PROGRAM RECORD FOR WINS ?“ In just its second season under head coach Terri Patraw, Nevada set a new single-season record for wins. The Wolf Pack tallied 11 wins, topping the mark of four set three previous times. Nevada also tallied four WAC wins, setting a new season record. It had only posted two WAC wins total coming into 2005. Nevada reached the WAC Tournament for its first time in school history, finishing the year with a 11-7-2.
KAI RUNNING AWAY WITH WAC?™S CAREER SHOTS ?“ Hawai'i senior forward Natasha Kai, became the new WAC career leader for shots, with six against Robert Morris on Sept. 25, giving her 369. She passed BYU?™s Shauna Rohbuck who posted 368 from 1995-98. Kai continues her pace, firing 118 this season, moving her career total to 446. Against Louisiana Tech, Kai had 16 shots, setting a new WAC-match record. She passes TCU?™s Sherry Dick.
TARPENNING MOVING UP SAVES LISTS ?“ Nevada senior goalkeeper Megan Tarpenning has posted 60 saves in 20 matches this year, moving her into third on the WAC?™s all-time list with 403. She is three short of second, held by Jennifer Johnstone of Fresno State.
KAI MOVING UP RECORD LISTS ?“ Natasha Kai has posted 15 goals this season, moving her career total to 72 which is good for second and is 23 behind Shauna Rohbuck of SMU for first. At 163 career points, Kai passes SMU?™s Kim Harvey who was second with 156.
Boise State Broncos (10-8-2, 4-3 WAC)
Boise State ends its season at 10-8-2 overall which ranks as its second best mark in the program?™s eight years ... the Broncos end the season with a 10-0-2 record in matches in which they scored at least one goal ... they also had a season that saw eight defeats, all by shutout ... in addition, Boise State saw 13 school records set and one other tied, including wins in a season ... the future looks bright for the Broncos as they lose only three seniors from this year?™s squad ... head coach Steve Lucas returns the core of the team, a total of 25 athletes, for next season?™s campaign as the program continues to improve and climb upwards.
Fresno State Bulldogs (10-9-2, 4-2-1 WAC)
Fresno State will return to the Bay Area for a rematch with Santa Clara in the opening round of the 2005 NCAA Women?™s Soccer Tournament ... Fresno State is making its second NCAA Tournament appearance in school history and first since 1999, when the Bulldogs lost 2-1 to Cal Poly on Nov. 10 in a first round match played in Fresno ... the Bulldogs claimed the WAC?™s automatic bid after winning three straight matches in last week?™s conference tournament in Boise, Idaho ... it was the Bulldogs first WAC Tournament title ... Kortney Lewis was tabbed the tournament?™s MVP.
Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine (9-9-2, 5-2 WAC)
Hawai'i suffered another abrupt ending to its season with a 2-1 loss to Fresno State in the semifinals of the WAC Tournament at the Boas Soccer Complex ... the Rainbow Wahine finished the season at 9-9-2 overall with back-to-back losses to the Bulldogs ... Hawai'i, the WAC regular-season champion and top seed in this year?™s tournament, made an early exit from the post-season for the fourth straight year ... the Rainbow Wahine have not won a WAC tournament match since advancing to the finals in 2001.
Idaho Vandals (3-16, 1-6 WAC)
Idaho split on its final weekend of WAC play, finishing seventh in its first year in the WAC ... goalkeeper Lindsay Smith registered 33 and finished second in the WAC play with 4.71 saves per match ... first-year head coach Peter Showler used the offensive leadership of Jenny Springer who had four goals for eight points to lead the Vandals.
Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters (7-10, 0-7 WAC)
Louisiana Tech was winless its first season in the WAC ... goalkeeper Chrissy Haisler was the three saves short of a WAC record, stopping 62 balls this year ... after a good start, winning seven of nine to enter conference play, the Lady Techsters found out how tough WAC soccer can be ... the Techsters, a team which was among the top offesnes in the country, sported only three non-freshman on their roster ... with its talent on the horizon, Louisiana Tech looks to a better 2006.
Nevada Wolf Pack (11-7-2, 4-2-1 WAC)
Nevada?™s record-breaking regular season came to an end as the Wolf Pack dropped a 2-0 decision to San Jose State in the semifinals of the WAC Tournament ... Nevada finished the regular season with school-record 11-7-2 overall mark ... Randee Robinson and Miranda Montejo were both named to the all-tournament team ... goalkeeper Megan Tarpenning finished her career third on the WAC?™s all-time saves list with 403 ... the Wolf Pack placed five on the all-WAC second team, including three freshman and one sophomore.
San Jose State Spartans (6-12-3, 4-2-1 WAC)
San Jose State was narrowly defeated by Fresno State, 1-0, in the championship match of the 2005 WAC Tournament ... the Spartans were looking for their first WAC Tournament title and first NCAA Tournament berth since the 2000 season ... San Jose State concludes the 2005 season at 6-12-3 ... the Spartans closed out the year by going 6-2-1 over their final nine games ... freshman Liz Behlen was tabbed the conference?™s Freshman of the Year, along with earning first-team all-WAC honors.
Utah State State Aggies (7-9-4, 4-2-1 WAC)
Utah State suffered a first-round loss to Fresno State, 2-1, in the WAC Tournament ... it was the first postseason match for the Aggie soccer program ... the loss ends Utah State?™s season and drops it to 7-9-4 on the year ... Charity Weston and Elizabeth Masson were both named first-team all-WAC, helping the Aggies to a second-place finish in the WAC.