After securing the fourth seed in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Tournament, the Sacramento State men’s soccer team will be in search of its first MPSF tournament championship and the program''s first NCAA Tournament bid. The Hornets will face No. 5 Denver on Thursday, Nov. 14, at 5:30 p.m. PST at the UNM Soccer Complex in Albuquerque, N.M. In the early match, No. 3 UNLV and No. 6 Air Force will face off at 3 p.m. PST. No. 1 New Mexico and No. 2 San Jose State receive a bye in the first round. San Jose State will face the winner of the UNLV/Air Force contest on Friday, Nov. 15, at 3 p.m. PST. New Mexico will face the Sacramento State/Denver winner in the night game at 5:30 p.m. PST. After a day off on Saturday, the MPSF Championship will be played on Sunday, Nov. 17, at noon PST. The MPSF champion will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, Nov. 25.
Last week, Denver defeated Air Force in overtime, 2-1, on Nov. 10 to claim the fifth seed in the tournament. Nic Hartman’s goal in the 102nd minute gave the Pioneers their second-consecutive victory to end the regular season.
On Oct. 20, Sacramento State defeated Denver in overtime, 2-1, at Denver Soccer Field. The Hornets are 2-3 against the Pioneers since joining the Div. I level in 1991.
HEAD COACH MICHAEL LINENBERGER
Michael Linenberger is currently in his 14th season at the helm of the Sacramento State men’s soccer team. Last season, Linenberger led the Hornets to their best finish in MPSF play with a 4-1-2 record and the regular season conference championship. Sacramento State’s four conference wins were also a new program record. For his efforts, Linenberger was selected 2001 MPSF Coach of the Year by the conference coaches.
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 86-147-22 overall record.
A LOOK AT LAST WEEK
On Nov. 1, Tony Chang''s goal in the 98th minute led San Jose State to a 2-1 sudden-death overtime victory over Sacramento State at a soggy Hornet Soccer Field. The match was the final game of the 2002 regular season for both schools.
After the Spartans took the early lead, Sacramento State evened the score in the 81st minute when junior forward David Fraser sent a shot over the reach of Spartan goalkeeper Mike Lawrence. For Fraser, it was his fifth goal of the season.
AGAINST ALL ODDS: THE MPSF TOURNAMENT
As the MPSF Tournament goes into full swing this weekend, there is one factor that history proves will be forgotten when the national anthem is finished playing and the first whistle blows: your tournament seed.
Last season in Fresno, Calif., No. 1 Sacramento State was defeated by No. 8 New Mexico in overtime, 3-2. To continue the trend, the lower seed won every contest in each round as the Lobos went on the NCAA Tournament as the conference’s lowest seed. New Mexico managed only a 0-6-1 conference record during the regular season but went 3-0 in the tournament. The Lobos also recorded a 1-0 win over Florida International in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
MCDOUGALL MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Freshman goalkeeper Matt McDougall has become a formidable presence in the net for Sacramento State since taking over the starting role on Oct. 6.
After only 12 starts, the Sacramento native is second in the MPSF with a .098 goals-against-average, tied for third with three shutouts and tied for fifth with 50 saves. Since taking over the starting spot (nine games ago), the Hornets have not allowed more than two goals in a contest and have held their opponents to less than two goals in six matches. Sacramento State’s goals-against-average has also dropped from 2.5 to 1.8 per game during that time.
OTHER NOTABLES
Senior defender Hjalti Kristjansson will return to action after missing the final two contests of the regular season due to personal matters in his native Iceland.
