All eight conference teams will compete in the tournament at Bulldog Stadium in Fresno, Calif., with the conference champion being crowned on Sunday, Nov. 11 at 1 p.m. The MPSF champion will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, Nov. 25.

No. 1 Sacramento State will face No. 8 New Mexico in first-round action this Thursday, Nov. 8, at noon. The Hornets are 2-0 against the Lobos since joining the Div. I ranks in 1991. In the first meeting betwen the two teams, Sacramento State defeated New Mexico 1-0 while competing at the Air Force Invitational in Colorado on October 1, 1995.

This season, the Hornets defeated the Lobos 3-2 at Hornet Soccer Field on Oct. 26 to win their second-consecutive home conference match for the first time since 1999. Senior forward Sean Luigs, sophomore forward David Fraser and freshman forward Patrick Nelle each recorded a goal while midfielders Danny Gehm, Justin Ancheta and Joel Rodriguez were credited with assists. For Nelle, a native of Sacramento, it was his first collegiate goal.

With a win, the Hornets would face the winner of the No. 4 San Diego State/No. 5 UNLV contest on Friday, Nov. 9, at 5 p.m. in the semifinals.

Sacramento State defeated UNLV 4-1 on Oct. 28 at Peter Johann Memorial Field. Luigs recorded two goals while Fraser and Rodriguez each added a goal to give the Hornets their first conference road win of the season.

Head Coach Michael Linenberger

 Michael Linenberger is currently in his 13th season at the helm of the Sacramento State men’s soccer team. This season, Linenberger led the Hornets to their best finish in MPSF play with a 4-1-2 record and the No. 1 seed in the MPSF Tournament. Sacramento State’s four conference wins are also a new program record.

Linenberger began his coaching career with the Hornets as an assistant in 1988 and co-head coach from 1989 to 1991, before taking sole control of the coaching duties in 1992. He has led the team through each year as a member of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, beginning in 1992. In his career, Linenberger has compiled a 81-137-18 overall record.

The Conference Comfort Zone

Although the Hornets finished with a 5-8-4 overall record, Sacramento State only suffered one loss during conference play to earn its first regular-season conference championship in program history.

After suffering a 4-1 defeat to Air Force on Oct. 12, the Hornets finished the remainder of the conference schedule with a 4-0-2 record. In that span, Sacramento State allowed only six goals including shutouts at home versus Denver (1-0) and at San Jose State (0-0). Offensively, the Hornets recorded 12 goals including seven in their final two contests against UNLV (4-1) and San Diego State (3-1).

The team’s only non-conference win of the season came against Cal State Monterey Bay (5-0) on Sept. 2 at Hornet Soccer Field.

Not So Comfortable Territory

In regulation matches, Sacramento State finished at the .500 mark with a 5-5 record. When taken to extra-periods the Hornets are 0-3-4 on the year.

This season, Sacramento State set a new program record for overtime matches in a season with seven surpassing the previous mark of six set by the 1992 squad. The Hornets’ only winning record in overtime contests since making the move to Div. I in 1991 was during the 2000 season when the team finished 3-1-1.

Something To Look Forward To

When searching for Sacramento State’s offensive firepower look no further than senior Sean Luigs and sophomore David Fraser. The two forwards have combined for 14 of the Hornets’ 25 goals, six of the team’s 17 assists and 34 of the squad’s 67 points this season.

Luigs, a native of Stockton, Calif., finished the regular season with team highs in assists (four), points (18), game-winning goals (three) and penalty-kick goals (three). He also tied for the team lead with seven goals. He is currently third in the program record book for career goals with 16 and was named MPSF Brine Player of the Week on Oct. 29.

Fraser, a native of Danville, Calif., is second on the team with seven goals, two assists and two game-winning goals. His 10 career goals tie him for fifth in school history.

Another forward adding fuel to the fire is Patrick Nelle. The freshman has two goals and two assists in his first collegiate season.