HAWAI?I AND BOISE STATE LOOK TO REMAIN UNDEFEATED IN CONFERENCE PLAY ? On tap this week the WAC continues conference action with both Hawai?i and Boise State looking to remain undefeated in league matches. Both the Rainbow Wahine and the Broncos have only one match this week, with Hawai?i traveling to the mainland to square off with the Spartans and Boise State at home to entertain the Vandals. Fresno State, Nevada and San Jose State will each entertain a pair of opponents on their home fields. The Bulldogs welcome the Lady Techsters on Friday and the Aggies of Utah State on Sunday. The Wolf Pack will swap opponents with Fresno State on the weekend, also playing host to Utah State and Louisiana Tech. The Spartans host non-conference foe UC Davis on Wednesday before the Rainbow Wahine come to town on Sunday.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK ? Hawai’i forward Ambree Ako and goalkeeper Kori Lu have been named the Western Athletic Conference Soccer Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively, for the week of Oct. 8-14. This is the first career WAC Player of the Week honor for each of these Rainbow Wahine student athletes.
Ako, a sophomore forward from Aiea, Hawaii (Aiea), led Hawai’i to a 2-0 start in WAC play, with wins over Nevada and Fresno State this weekend. She scored three goals and had one assist, both game-winning goals, moving her total to eight on the season. Ako registered a goal and an assist in the 3-0 shutout over Nevada, and also netted two first-half goals to help the Rainbow Wahine erase a 1-0 deficit and defeat Fresno State 2-1. With this win, Hawai’i has now won seven straight home matches, a new school record, and remains undefeated at home this season. Ako is first in the WAC in game-winning goals (4), second in goals (8) and third in total points (19).
Lu, a native of San Clemente, Calif. (Santa Margarita), earned her third solo shutout of the season in Friday’s 3-0 route of WAC pre-season favorite Nevada. With this shutout, Lu becomes the Rainbow Wahine career leader in shutouts with 10. She also tallied three saves, including a save off a Fresno State free kick, to help preserve the 2-1 win over the Bulldogs, snapping a four-match losing streak to Fresno State dating back to 2003.
Other offensive nominees included: Randi Baker of Boise State posted one goal and two assists to lead the Broncos to a perfect 2-0 start to open conference play ... Amanda Reyes of Fresno State headed in the game-winning goals off a corner kick in Friday’s victory ... Brooke Lanie of Louisiana Tech scored two goals in less than three minutes to cut a 4-0 Boise State lead in half, marking the first multi-goal game for a Tech player this season ... Jessica Scott of San Jose State notched one goal and one assist in the 2-1 win over Nevada, tallying her team-leading fifth goal of the season ... Lauren Hansen of Utah State scored two goals in the 4-0 route of Idaho on Friday, marking her fourth goal of the season.
Other defensive nominees included: Jen Burns of Boise State earned both victories in goal, helping lead the Broncos to a 2-1 win over Utah State, earning their first victory in Logan, Utah dating back to 1998 ... Kaity Revel of Fresno State earned her fifth shutout of the season in the 1-0 defeat of San Jose State ... Anna Sandman of Idaho recorded her fifth shutout of the season versus Louisiana Tech, giving her sole possession of the Idaho school record for shutouts ... Kristin Krale of San Jose State anchored the Spartan defense to a 1-1 record to open conference play ... Ali Griffin of Utah State recorded her fourth shutout as the Aggies defeated Idaho 4-0 in the WAC opener on Friday.
SEVERAL WAC PLAYERS INTO THE RECORD BOOKS ? Hawai?i’s Kori Lu earned her third solo shutout of the season in Friday’s 3-0 route of WAC preseason favorite Nevada. With the shutout, the junior goalkeeper became the Rainbow Wahine career leader in solo shutouts with 10.
Boise State freshman forward Shannon Saxton broke two single-season Broncos records for goals (12) and points (28) with her goal in the 4-2 defeat of the Lady Techsters.
Vandals goalkeeper Anna Sandman recorded her fifth shutout of the season in the 0-0 double overtime draw at Louisiana Tech, giving her sole possession of the Idaho school record for shutouts in a season.
Boise State Broncos (6-5-2, 2-0 WAC)
Boise State comes off a perfect 2-0 start in WAC play, with a 4-2 win over Louisiana Tech and a 2-1 victory over Utah State, both on the road ... the win over the Aggies was the Broncos first-ever win in Logan, Utah dating back to 1998 ... the opening weekend sweep lands Boise State in a tie for first place in the WAC standings with the Rainbow Wahine ... freshman Shannon Saxton’s goal in the defeat of the Lady Techsters broke two single-season Broncos records, for goals (12) and points (28) ... on tap this week, the Broncos welcome their arch-rival Idaho on Sunday, Oct. 14, in hopes of keeping their conference record untarnished.
Fresno State Bulldogs (6-6, 1-1 WAC)
Fresno State returns to action after splitting a pair of conference matches, a 1-0 victory over San Jose State on Oct. 12 and a 2-1 loss at the hands of Hawai?i on Oct. 14 ... the Bulldogs recorded their fifth shutout of the season in the win over the Spartans, tying them for second in the WAC in shutouts ... led by senior midfielder Amanda Reyes, who netted one goal and added two assists in the WAC opening weekend games ... Fresno State continues to lead the WAC in home attendance, with an average 1,375 fans in each of five home matches this season ... this week, the Bulldogs entertain the Lady Techsters on Oct. 19 and host the Aggies of Utah State on Oct. 21.
Hawai?i Rainbow Wahine (9-3-2, 2-0 WAC)
Hawai?i makes the trip to the mainland after a 3-0 route of 2006 WAC Tournament champion Nevada and a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over 2006 regular season champ Fresno State ... the Fresno State decision marked a school-record seventh-straight home match winning streak ... Hawai?i was led offensively by Ambree Ako, who tallied seven points on three goals, including two game-winners, and one assist ... the Rainbow Wahine were led defensively by Kori Lu, who recorded her tenth career shutout in the 3-0 route of Nevada, making her UH’s career leader in solo shutouts ... this week, the Rainbow Wahine take on the Spartans of San Jose State on Oct. 21.
Idaho Vandals (4-8-1, 0-1-1 WAC)
Idaho returns to action after going 0-1-1 on the weekend, falling 4-0 to Utah State at home on Oct. 12 and settling for a 0-0 double overtime draw with the Lady Techsters in Ruston on Oct. 14 ... the Vandals were led by goalkeeper Anna Sandman, who recorded her fifth shutout of the season, giving her sole possession of the Idaho school record for shutouts in a season ... Sandman also leads the leagues in saves with 72 and is second in the WAC in save percentage (.809) ... up next, the Vandals travel to in-state rival Boise State to challenge the Broncos at the Boas Soccer Complex on Oct. 21.
Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters (2-9-1, 0-1-1 WAC)
Louisiana Tech comes off a 0-1-1 opening weekend in WAC play, falling to Boise State, 4-2, and settling for a 0-0 double-overtime draw with Idaho, both at home ... the Lady Techsters were led offensively by freshman forward Brooke Lanie, who scored two goals in under three minutes to cut the 4-0 Boise State lead in half, marking the first multi-goal game for a Tech player this season ... Lanie is second on the team in points (7) with three goals and one assist on the season ... the Lady Techsters are still in search of their first WAC win ... up next, Tech is on the road to tango with Fresno State on Oct. 19, before heading to Reno to take on the Wolf Pack of Nevada.
Nevada Wolf Pack (4-7-1, 0-2 WAC)
Nevada looks to rebound from a winless weekend in WAC opening play, falling 3-0 at Hawai?i and coming up short against Fresno State, losing 2-1 ... with her assist in the match against the Spartans, junior Jessica Thompson became Nevada’s all-time leader in assists with 12, passing Lauren Kinneman (2003-06) ... the Wolf Pack has outscored their opponents 19-17 on the season ... Nevada is still in search of its first WAC victory ... this week, the Wolf Pack return home to Reno to entertain the Aggies of Utah State on Oct. 19 and then host the Lady Techsters on Oct. 21.
San Jose State Spartans (3-9-2, 1-1 WAC)
San Jose State comes off a weekend of split matches, first falling in a narrow 1-0 loss to Fresno State on Friday, before rebounding to take down Nevada 2-1 on Sunday ... the Spartans were led by junior forward Jessica Scott, who tallied three points on one goal and one assist in the win over the Wolf Pack ... Scott continues to lead the WAC in total shots with 46, tied with Utah State’s Dana Peart ... freshman goalkeeper Nina Butera leads the league in save percentage (.850) and saves per game (6.18) ... up next, the Spartans battle UC Davis in a non-conference mid-week match on Oct. 17, before returning to WAC action when they host the Rainbow Wahine on Oct. 21.
Utah State Aggies (5-9, 1-1 WAC)
Utah State returns to action after notching a 1-1 record in WAC opening play, blanking Idaho 4-0 in Moscow before falling to Boise State, 2-1 ... Sunday’s loss to the Broncos was the first WAC loss for the Aggies since Oct. 21, 2005, as they went 8-0-3 in their last 11 conference matches ... freshman forward Lauren Hansen scored two goals within two minutes of each other in the victory over the Vandals on Oct. 12 ... junior goalkeeper Ali Griffin recorded her fourth shutout of the season, also tallying three saves ... on tap this week, the Aggies travel to Reno to challenge the Wolf Pack of Nevada before heading to Fresno to square off with the Bulldogs.
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