WAC NOTES
SEATTLE U TO FACE PORTLAND IN NCAA FIRST ROUND
After winning the WAC Tournament Championship, the Redhawks earned the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and will face Portland in the first round. The team becomes Seattle U’s first ever women’s team to qualify for an NCAA Division I tournament. Seattle U is one of just five teams who are qualifying for the NCAA DI tournament for the first time including Arkansas, University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), Iowa, and South Alabama. The winner of the first round match will advance to face the winner of Washington State and Illinois. Nebraska earned the No. 2 seed in Seattle U’s portion of the bracket and if they advance past the first round game vs. Southeastern Louisiana, they are likely to host the second and third rounds. Portland went 16-2-1 overall in 2013 and earned a share of the West Coast Conference title with Santa Clara and BYU. The Pilots won the NCAA Tournament in 2002 and 2005 and are making their 13th straight NCAA Tournament appearance.
SEATTLE U WINS WAC SOCCER TOURNAMENT TITLE
Kansas City held WAC regular season champion Seattle U scoreless through nearly 30 minutes of play, but the Redhawks emerged victorious as the WAC Tournament Champions with a 3-0 victory. With the win, women’s soccer becomes Seattle U’s first overall team to qualify for the NCAA Tournament since reclassifying back to Division I and SU’s first ever women’s soccer team to advance to the NCAA Tournament. Extending their current winning streak to 15 games, this is the Redhawks’ 11th shutout of 2013, marking the third 3-0 shutout vs. UMKC for SU this season.
All-Tournament Team
Gabby Leong, Idaho
Katie Baran, Idaho
Lexi Robison, Utah Valley
Maddie Adams, Utah Valley
Erika Teson, Kansas City
Taylor Bare, Kansas City
Kiana Kraft, Seattle U
Stephanie Verdoia, Seattle U
Julia Besagno, Seattle U
Ashley Gann, Kansas City
MVP: Monique Escalera, Seattle U
SEATTLE U WINS WAC REGULAR SEASON TITLE, BECOMES FOURTH WAC TEAM IN LEAGUE HISTORY TO GO UNDEFEATED IN CONFERENCE PLAY
Seattle U became just the fourth team in WAC history to wrap up conference play with a perfect record. The Redhawks finished league play with a 12-0-0 record to win thier first-ever WAC regular season title. The 12 wins are the most WAC victories ever recorded in single season in league history.
SEATTLE U REMAINS 4TH IN LATEST WEST REGIONAL POLL
After picking up a pair of wins last week to improve its overall record to 17-2-2, Seattle U stays at No. 4 in this week’s NSCAA/Continental Tire West Region Top-10 Poll. The Redhawks have won 15 straight matches dating back to a Sept. 20 win over Grand Canyon.
WAC POSTSEASON HONORS ANNOUNCED
The Western Athletic Conference women’s soccer postseason award winners as selected by the league’s seven head coaches have been announced. WAC regular-season champion Seattle U led all teams with nine players selected to the all-WAC team, including four on the first team and five on the second team. Seattle U junior forward Stephanie Verdoia was named the WAC’s Offensive Player of the Year, while Utah Valley senior goalkeeper Lauren Sack received Defensive Player of the Year honors. Bakersfield’s Hedda Regefalk was named the league’s Freshman of the Year and Seattle U’s Julie Woodward was named Coach of the Year.
First Team All-WAC
Natalie Baker, Sr., F, Utah Valley
Taylor Bare, Sr., F, Kansas City
Stephanie Verdoia, Jr., F, Seattle U
Julia Besagno, Sr., MF, Seattle U
Haley Curtis, Sr., MF, Utah Valley
Erica Shelton, Sr., MF, Bakersfield
Chelsie Breen, Sr., D, Idaho
Lexi Dunn, Sr., D, Utah Valley
Monique Escalera, Sr., D, Seattle U
Mary Hill, Sr., D, Seattle U
Lauren Sack, Sr., GK, Utah Valley
Second Team All-WAC
Jennae Cambra, Jr., F, New Mexico State
Hedda Regefalk, Fr, F, Bakersfield
Taylor Ritzman, Jr., F, Seattle U
Ava Ames, Sr., MF, Seattle U
Alyssa Elver, Jr., MF, Kansas City
Natasha Howe, Fr., MF, Seattle U
Kat Prati, Sr., MF, Seattle U
Sarah Cook, Jr., D, Bakersfield
Kaely Tott, Jr., D, Kansas City
Nitalia Zuniga, Sr., D, Idaho
Brianna Smallidge, So., GK, Seattle U
Offensive Player of the Year: Stephanie Verdoia, Jr., F, Seattle U
Defensive Player of the Year: Lauren Sack, Sr., GK, Utah Valley
Freshman of the Year: Hedda Regefalk, Fr., F, Bakersfield
Coach of the Year: Julie Woodward, Seattle U
WAC TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES
Bakersfield Roadrunners (4-14-1, 3-8-1 WAC)
Seniors Erica Shelton and Taylor Jordan concluded their Bakersfield careers at NM State last week ... the ‘Runners went 0-2-0 last week to wrap up the 2013 season ... Bakersfield dropped a 1-0 decision at Kansas City before falling 2-1 in double overtime at NM State ... Shelton had the assist on the lone ‘Runner goal of last weekend at NM State ... the Bakersfield native led the Roadrunners in 2013 in points (12), and assists (5) ... her five assists tie her with eight others for 14th in school history for most assists in a season (Division I or II) ... she tied for the team lead this season with Hedda Regefalk in goals with four ... Shelton’s 23 career points are the 11th most in school history while her eight career goals are the 14th most in school history ... Jordan played in 74 matches in her career, the 14th most in school history.
Grand Canyon Antelopes (5-12-1, 4-7-1 WAC)
Grand Canyon concluded its inaugural run through the WAC with a 1-0 win over Bakersfield on Sunday ... it was the third win for the Antelopes in their final five games ... freshman Taylor Layton scored her first game-winning goal on Sunday, assisted by fellow freshman Jessica Valadez ... senior goalkeeper Cat Lena recorded nine saves through her final two games with the Antelopes and finished the season with 77 stops ... Cassie Beckwith led the squad with four goals, followed by Samantha Bush with three ... Jessica Fitzgerald and Chelsea Santos each recorded two assists ... the ‘Lopes finished the season with four shutout victories and eight games decided by just one goal ... the team also participated in seven 1-0 games throughout the season.
Idaho Vandals (4-16-0, 4-8-0 WAC)
Idaho’s season came to an end at the WAC Tournament ... for the third time in eight days Seattle U and Idaho met on the soccer pitch, unfortunately for the Vandals the result stayed the same ... the No. 1 seeded Redhawks scored three goals in the first half and defeated No. 4 Idaho, 6-1, on Friday ... sophomore keeper Marina Siegl kept busy in the first half, getting credit for two saves and challenging Seattle U’s shots left and right ... Chelsie Breen and the Seattle U keeper both challenged for a ball along the goal line ... Breen out jumped the keeper, winning the challenge and getting Idaho on the scoreboard in the 63rd minute ... Idaho was led by Schlossarek, who totaled three of the team’s five shots. Siegl and Torell Stewart combined to make five saves.
Kansas City Kangaroos (12-9-1, 8-4-0 WAC)
Kansas City went 1-1 at the WAC Tournament to close out its season ... the ‘Roos shutout Utah Valley 2-0 in the semifinals before falling to Seattle U 3-0 in the championship match ... in the win over Utah Valley, Taylor Bare scored both of Kansas City’s goals, one in the third minute and another in the 32nd to secure the victory ... Bare’s first score was assisted by Ellie Chadick ... the second was assisted by Lauren Zach ... even with the setback to SU in the title match, the loss does little to tarnish the progress made by the program in 2013, nor does it detract from the profound impact of a departing group of seniors that endured a 1-15-2 campaign as freshmen, only to come within a game of the NCAA Tournament three years later ... after winning just twice in its first two years of existence, UMKC is now a program on the rise, having appeared in two league tournaments.
New Mexico State Aggies (5-13-2, 2-9-1 WAC)
The New Mexico State Aggies ended the 2013 season with a double overtime win against Bakersfield on Sunday afternoon after falling in double OT to Utah Valley ... the Aggies outshot their opponents on goal 17-14 on the weekend and saw freshman Devin Hart earn her first career goal as an Aggies and push NM State to the 2-1 win over CSUB to end the year ... the Aggie goalkeepers also saw a combined 11 saves, eight came from freshman Tayler Hammack in her first collegiate start on Friday afternoon ... the Aggies wrap up the season with a 5-13-2 overall record and a 2-9-1 mark in conference play ... the Aggies dropped six overtime matches this season.
Seattle U Redhawks (17-2-2, 12-0-0 WAC)
After winning the WAC Tournament Championship, the Redhawks earned the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and will play at Portland ... en route to the tournament title, SU defeated Idaho, 6-1, on Nov. 8 and Kansas City, 3-0, on Nov. 10, also going 12-0 in regular season conference play ... the team becomes Seattle U’s first ever women’s team to qualify for an NCAA Division I tournament .. Seattle U is one of just five teams who are qualifying for the NCAA DI tournament for the first time including Arkansas, University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), Iowa, and South Alabama ... the winner of the first round match will advance to face the winner of Washington State and Illinois.
Utah Valley Wolverines (9-10-1, 7-4-1 WAC)
Utah Valley conceded twice in the first half, as early as the third minute, and could find no way out of the early deficit, falling 2-0 to Kansas City in the semifinals of the 2013 WAC Tournament ... the early tally put the Wolverines, the tournament’s third-seed, behind the eight-ball as the attack struggled to find space in the final third ... UVU failed to record a shot for the first 20 minutes of play, a drought that was broken on freshman Taylor Kirk’s attempt in the 21st minute ... that effort was turned aside by Kangaroo keeper Nina Tzianos as one of her four saves on the day ... for the match, the Wolverines and `Roos tied at 10 shot attempts each, with UMKC owning the advantage in shots on goal at 5-4 ... senior defender Lexi Dunn and junior midfielder Lexi Robison led UVU with three shots apiece ... with the loss, Utah Valley’s season winds to a close.