COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF ? The 2007 Western Athletic Conference soccer season kicks off this Friday, August 31 with all eight teams in action. In tournament action, Boise State travels to Reno to take on Portland State in the Nevada Tournament, while preseason favorite Nevada plays host to the Oregon Ducks. Hawai’i also serves as host to Kansas at their annual Ohana Hotels & Resorts No Ka Oi Tournament, as Louisiana Tech is pitted against Furman at the LSU Tournament. Fresno State, 2006 regular season champion, hosts UC Irvine, while Utah State, San Jose State, Idaho and Louisiana Tech are all on the road as they take on Texas State, No. 8 Santa Clara, Gonzaga and Furman, respectively.
Conference play begins after seven weeks of tournament and non-conference action, leading to the six-team WAC Championship Tournament. This year’s soccer tournament will be held November 8-9, 11 at the Boas Soccer Complex on the campus of Boise State University.
SOCCER FORMAT ? The WAC will continue its regular-season play as a single round-robin format (plus a points system) for a total of seven conference matches. The points system allows each team to 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 will be held Nov. 8-9, 11 in Boise, Idaho.
TOP STAT LEADERS ? Following are the returning statistical leaders in the WAC for 2007. Topping the scoring list for the WAC this season are several veterans coming back with the top point totals. Nevada’s Karen Zmirak led the WAC with 26 points and 11 goals, averaging 3.38 shots per match and 1.24 points per match. Hawai’i’s Taryn Fukuroku led the WAC with 71 shots and six assists, while tallying 22 points and eight goals last season. Rainbow Wahine teammate Kelli-Anne Chang and 2006 Offensive Player of the Year Nicole Irwin of San Jose State also netted eight goals each to tie Fukuroku for second. Irwin also registered 20 points and led the WAC with a game-winning goals average of 0.20. Utah State’s Ali Griffin leads all returning goalkeepers in shutouts (8) and save percentage (0.838). Louisiana Tech’s Jill Medigovich is the top returning goalkeeper in saves, recording 90 to average 5.62 saves per game last season. Nevada’s Jen Mavis rounds out the top returning goalkeepers, posting a 0.70 goals against average in 2006.
RETURNING ALL-WAC PLAYERS ? The WAC returns 16 all-conference players for the 2007 season. Nevada leads the way for the second-straight year with five returning all-WAC members. Returning for the Wolf Pack are forwards Samantha Miller and Karen Zmirak, midfielder Miranda Montejo and defenders Jessica Wilcox and Randee Robinson. Hawai’i and San Jose State return three all-WAC selections each. For the Rainbow Wahine, first-team honoree Taryn Fukuroku and second-team honorees Jessica Domingo and Koren Takeyama return. San Jose State returns 2006 Offensive Player of the Year Nicole Irwin and second-team selections Jessica Scott and Marissa Dayton. Fresno State and Utah State both return two all-WAC selections. For the Bulldogs, first-team selection Alison Sill and second-team honoree Nicole Gutierrez return. Utah State returns two Aggies, including Dana Peart and 2006 Freshman of the Year Lindsey Smart, both second-team selections. Allison Tsuchida, a first-team honoree, returns for Boise State.
NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE ? The 2007 WAC schedule includes 83 non-conference matches. Of the 83 non-conference matchups, 18 are against teams that played in the NCAA Tournament last year and seven 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.
COLLEGE CUP ? The 26th Annual Women’s College Cup will be held December 7 and 9, in College Station, Texas. Last season, the WAC had one team compete in postseason play with Nevada falling in the first round to Stanford. The following is a list of sites and dates for the 2007 NCAA Tournament:
First/Second Rounds (16)
November 16 and 18, 2007
On campus sites TBD
Third Rounds (8)
November 23, 24 or 25, 2007
On campus sites TBD
Quarterfinals (4)
November 30 or December 2, 2007
On campus sites TBD
Women’s College Cup
December 7 and 9, 2007
College Station, Texas
Host: Texas A&M University
PERSONNEL CAPSULE ? Five of the eight teams in the WAC return at least eight starters for the 2007 season. Hawai’i leads the way with 10 from its 2006 squad. Louisiana Tech and Utah State both return nine, while Nevada and San Jose State bring back eight each. The Bulldogs of Fresno State and the Vandals of Idaho each return seven starters. Boise State brings back six starters from 2006.
Boise State Broncos
(0-0, 0-0 WAC) ... Boise State returns six starters and 18 letterwinners from last year’s 7-7-4 campaign ... the Broncos have their largest senior class in history this fall with 11 on the roster ... key starters returning are two-time all-WAC honoree Alli Tsuchida (Sr., defender), Randi Baker (Jr., forward), Melanie Bohnet (Sr., midfielder), and Katie Keller (Sr., midfielder) ... top scorers back for the Broncos are Keller (three goals), Baker (two goals, one assist), as well as Erin Wofford, Danielle Schwalbe and Nicole Tadman, whom all recorded two goals each last season ... the Broncos are looking for their fourth consecutive non-losing season and their third consecutive trip to the WAC Tournament.
Fresno State Bulldogs (0-0, 0-0 WAC) ... Fresno State returns 12 letterwinners and seven starters from its 2006 regular season WAC championship team ... the Bulldogs posted a 13-5-3 overall record and a 6-0-1 WAC record, and ranked as high as No. 22 in the national polls, the highest the team has ever been ranked ... top returning offensive threats are Nicole Gutierrez (four goals and one assist) and Alison Sill (two goals and five assists) ... first school in WAC history to not allow a goal in conference play last season... the Bulldog defense held opponents scoreless in 16 of 21 matches last season, and ranked second nationally in shutout percentage and save percentage and sixth nationally in goals against average.
Hawai?i Rainbow Wahine (0-0, 0-0 WAC) ... Hawai?i looks to bounce back from last year’s 8-11-2 mark, the program’s first losing record since 2000 ... the Rainbow Wahine return 18 letterwinnners and 10 starters from last season’s team squad ... among the returnees are 2006 all-WAC selections Jessica Domingo, Taryn Fukuroku and Koren Takeyama ... UH looks to qualify for its seventh-straight WAC Tournament ... the Rainbow Wahine continue to make their mark in the classroom with 13 scholar-athletes, seven all-WAC academic nods and a pair of CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine all-District selections in 2006.
Idaho Vandals (0-0, 0-0 WAC) ... Idaho returns 15 letterwinners and seven starters from last year’s squad ... the Vandals welcome nine new players to the team, including Erika Teixeira, a member of the Brazilian national U-20 team and a 2007 Soccer Buzz Magazine Top International Recruit ... coach Showler holds a solid core for the future, as the roster of 25 players features just two seniors ... the strength of Idaho should be its defense, which is anchored by junior team captain Kelsey Manning, who has started 28 games at Idaho, ans senior Mandy McAlexander, a three-year letterwinner who also has 28 starts and 40 total match appearances under her belt at Idaho ... the Vandals need to only win six matches to give the nine-year-old program its 50th win.
Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters
(0-0, 0-0 WAC) ... Louisiana Tech enters its first season under new head coach Kevin Sherry ... Sherry takes over the Lady Techster program after building successful teams at Western Illinois and Graceland University, compiling a 72-30-14 record as a head coach in the NAIA and NCAA coaching ranks ... in 2006 Louisiana Tech set a WAC record for shots in a match with 68 against Prarie View A&M ... the Lady Techsters won their first three matches last season, registering the best start in school history ... Louisiana Tech will be looking to earn its first-ever trip to the WAC Tournament ... last season 10 Lady Techsters were named to the Academic all-WAC team.
Nevada Wolf Pack (0-0, 0-0 WAC) ... In 2006, Nevada produced its best season in program history with a 13-5-4 record and its first WAC Tournament title and NCAA Tournament appearance ... Nevada returns 12 letterwinners and eight starters from its 2006 WAC Tournament Championship and NCAA Tournament team ... the Pack returns all five of its all-WAC honorees from 2006, first team members Samantha Miller and Jessica Wilcox and second-team honorees Miranda Montejo, Randee Robinson and Karen Zmirak ... Nevada set several program records in 2006 including points (126), goals (43), assists (40), wins (13), fewest goals allowed (14), shutouts (12), and longest unbeaten streak (6).
San Jose State Spartans (0-0, 0-0 WAC) ... San Jose State will be in search of its first winning season since going 12-7-1 in 1999 ... the Spartans have qualified for the WAC Tournament in back-to-back seasons, reaching the semifinals for the second year in a row in 2006 ... San Jose State returns 12 letterwinners and eight starters, inlcuding 2006 WAC Offensive Player of the Year Nicole Irwin and 2005 WAC Freshman of the Year Liz Behlen ... the Spartans retain eight of their 10 goal-scorers, who accounted for 24 of 29 goals in 2006 ... they will face four opponents who participated in the 2006 NCAA Tournament, including Santa Clara, Cal State Fullerton, Idaho State, and conference foe Nevada.
Utah State State Aggies (0-0, 0-0 WAC) ... Utah State returns 22 letterwinners and nine starters from last year’s team that went 10-8-2 and finished second in the WAC with a 5-0-2 league record ... in 2006 the Aggies established a new program-best conference record and tied their best overall record ... they also set a new school record in conference winning percentage with a .750 WAC record in 2006 ... senior midfielder Dana Peart enters the season tied for eighth all-time at Utah State in goals scored (10) and ranks ninth all-time in points (24) ... Peart was third on the team in 2006 with three goals (all of which were game-winning-goals), one assist and seven points.