CONFERENCE ACTION HEATS UP ? In the third week of WAC action, Fresno State makes its first trip to Logan on Sunday, Oct. 22 at 12:00 p.m. Last year in Fresno, the Bulldogs and the Aggies battled to a 0-0 tie in their only regular season meeting. Both the Aggies and the Bulldogs are undefeated in conference play. Undefeated San Jose State will look to improve to 4-0 on the road at Hawai?i on Oct. 22. Idaho will look for its first win of the season at instate rival Boise State on Oct. 22.
ATHLETES OF THE WEEK ? San Jose State forward Jessica Scott and goalkeeper Marissa Dayton have been named the Western Athletic Conference women’s soccer offensive and defensive Players of the Week, respectively.
Scott, a sophomore from San Ramon, Calif. (California HS), produced a hat trick in the first half to lead San Jose State to a 5-0 home win over Louisiana Tech on Oct. 15, completing another undefeated weekend in WAC play for the first-place Spartans. After sharing the Spartan team high with three shots in a scoreless draw at Utah State on Oct. 13, Scott took four more shots against the Lady Techsters, with three of them finding the back of the net. The hat trick was the first by a Spartan since 1997, and just the sixth in the program’s 12-year history, with four of them accomplished in one half of soccer. It was also just the second hat trick by a WAC player during the 2006 season, and first in a WAC match.
Dayton, a freshman from Livermore, Calif. (Livermore), posted two more shutouts this week to extend her string to four games and 381 minutes of scoreless soccer in goal. The four shutouts in a row is a new team and individual school record, and already puts Dayton in third on the SJSU career shutouts list in her first season of action after redshirting in 2005. Dayton made a career-high 13 saves in a scoreless double-overtime tie with Utah State in SJSU’s first-ever trip to Logan, Utah, on Oct. 13. She stopped six shots in each half, including a crucial one-on-one opportunity in the first half, and added a 13th save in the first overtime period.
Other offensive nominees included: Nicole Gutierrez, Fresno State and Blaine Dugan, Nevada.
Other defensive nominees included: Kim Parker, Boise State; Rochelle Jagdeo, Fresno State; Jessica Wilcox, Nevada and Ali Griffin, Utah State.
WAC IN THE NCAA ? The WAC boasts two teams that rank in the top 30 in three categories. Nevada is 27th in goals against average at 0.607. Fresno State is 13th in the nation in shutout percentage at 0.67, while their 0.891 save percentage is ninth. Individually, Nevada’s Jen Mavis is 23rd in goals against average (0.559 GAA). Fresno State’s Angie Larsen is eighth in the NCAA in save percentage at 0.889.
AGGIES OFF TO FAST START ? Utah State is off to its best-ever start in WAC action, topping last year’s 2-1 start, and matching the 2003 season for being unbeaten through three conference matches when the Aggies had a program-best 3-0 Big West mark after three league contests. Senior forward Sierra Smith has currently played in 71 matches in her career and has started 68, and will become the USU career record holder for matches played in Sunday’s match against Fresno State and top the matches started record on Oct. 27 at Boise State, topping the previous mark of 72 matches played mark co-held by Tiffany (Jones) McQueen (2002-05) and Brigid Turner (1999-2002) and the matches started record of 70 shared by Melissa Baggaley (2001-04) and current Aggie assistant coach Megan (Edge) Tanner (1999-2002).
YOUNGSTERS LEAD THE PACK ? For the second consecutive season a newcomer is leading Nevada in both goals and points. Karen Zmirak leads the team with eight goals and 17 points, while Miranda Montejo led the team last season as a freshman with nine goals and 23 points. Zmirak is second in points in all games with 17 and is tied for first in goals with eight.
HAWAI?I’S FUKUROKU DOMINATES ? Hawai?i sophomore Taryn Fukuroku has been an offensive powerhouse this season. Fukuroku is still first in the WAC in points (22), and points per game (1.29). She is tied for first in goals scored (8) with Nevada’s Karen Zmirak. The sophomore is also first in the league in shots with 63, averaging 3.71 spg. She is also tied for first in the WAC in assists with six, tied with San Jose State’s Cristin Murphy.
LADY TECHSTERS SET SHOTS RECORD ? Louisiana Tech set a new WAC record with 68 shots against Prairie View A&M. The old record was held by UTEP with 61 against Youngstown State in 2000.
SOCCER FORMAT ? The WAC will continue its regular-season play as a single round-robin format for a total of seven conference matches, but will add in a points system. Each team will receive three points for a win and one point for a tie. The six teams with the most points at the end of the regular season will advance to the WAC Tournament which is being held Nov. 2-3, 5 in Reno, Nev.
NCAA OPPONENTS ? Of the 92 non-conference matchups, 15 are against teams that played in the NCAA Tournament last year and five are at WAC home sites. Three teams in the WAC play at least three non-conference opponents that competed in the NCAA Tournament last year.
Pepperdine def. Idaho, 5-0
Cal State Fullerton def. Idaho, 4-0
Utah State def. Weber State, 1-0
Fresno State def. Florida, 1-0
Arizona def. Utah State, 3-0
Utah def. Fresno State, 2-0
Fresno State def. BYU, 1-0
Arizona def. Hawai?i, 1-0 (OT)
BYU def. Utah State, 1-0 (OT)
California def. Boise State, 2-1
Gonzaga def. Idaho, 3-0
UC Riverside def. Fresno State (2OT), 1-0
UC Riverside def. San Jose State, 2-1
Utah def. Utah State, 1-0
Santa Clara def. San Jose State, 6-0
COLLEGE CUP ? The 25th Annual Women’s College Cup will be held December 1 and 3, in Cary, N.C. Last season, the WAC had one team compete in postseason play with Fresno State falling in the first round to Santa Clara. The following is a list of sites and dates for the 2006 NCAA Tournament:
First/Second Rounds (16)
November 10 and 12, 2006
On campus sites TBD
Third Rounds (8)
November 17, 18 or 19, 2006
On campus sites TBD
Quarterfinals (4)
November 24, 25 or 26, 2006
On campus sites TBD
Women’s College Cup
December 1 and 3, 2006
Cary, N.C.
Host: North Carolina State
TIE-BREAKING PROCEDURE ? To determine championship seeding in the event of ties between two teams or ties among multiple teams, the following criteria are applied:
In the event of a two-way tie:
1. Head-to-head competition
2. Compare the teams’ records to that of the next highest finishing team (if tie for first). If tie is for position other than first, comparison will begin at the top of the standings.
3. In the unlikely event that teams are still tied, the conference conducts a draw.
For a three or more-way tie:
1. Head-to-head competition among the teams involved in the tie. The team(s) with the best record against the other teams receives the higher seed or advances to the next tie-breaker.
2. Same procedures as above.