WOMEN'S SOCCER SET FOR CONFERENCE OPENING HOMESTAND

10/9/2007

Game #12: Sacramento State Hornets at Weber State Wildcats
Friday, Oct. 12, Hornet Soccer Field, 1:30 p.m.

Game #13: Sacramento State Hornets vs. Idaho State Bengals
Sunday, Oct. 14, Hornet Soccer Field, 11 a.m.

AT A GLANCE
    The Big Sky Conference kicks off play this week, as the Hornets host the Weber State Wildcats and the Idaho State Bengals. After collecting a 1-0 victory over BYU-Hawai’i on Oct. 1, Weber State (4-5-1) will come to Sacramento on a full 10 days rest between games. The Wildcats, who were picked to finish fourth in the Big Sky Conference according to the preseason coaches poll, are led by Natalie Blaylock’s three goals, while Kelsie Ehlers has two goals and four assists. Last season, the Hornets were victorious in Ogden by a score of 1-0, as former Hornet Kelly Novak took a cross from fellow alum Maggie Murphy and one-timed it into the net in the 11th minute for the game-winner. On Sunday, the Hornets will look for revenge against Idaho State, who tied the Hornets in the Big Sky Conference Championship game, but took home the crown on penalty kicks. The Bengals (5-3-3), who were picked to finish fifth in the conference according to the preseason coaches poll, come into the week with a five-match unbeaten streak, which includes a 7-1 triumph over Southern Utah in their most recent contest on Oct. 6. Jana Boehler leads the way for Idaho State with five goals, good for second in the conference, while Chelsea Cox, Natalie Graham and Michelle Okumura have added three goals each. Idaho State, as a team, leads the Big Sky in assists, while individually Annamarie Hofstetter ranks second in the conference with five, trailing Hornet senior Katie McCoy. Weber State leads the all-time series with the Hornets 6-5-2, including a 2-1-1 mark in the teams last four meetings. Idaho State has a 6-2-2 all-time mark against the Hornets.

HORNETS IN CONFERENCE OPENERS
    Sacramento State is 4-4-3 in Big Sky Conference openers, although the Hornets are just 1-2-2 in home conference openers. The Hornets are 1-0-1 when facing Weber State to open the conference season, which includes a 1-0 win in Ogden last year, and a 6-6 tie in Sacramento in 1996.

HORNETS OFFENSE RANKED IN NCAA TOP 25
    Sacramento State’s scoring offense is currently ranked 24th in the nation in games played through Oct. 7. The Hornets are averaging 2.36 goals per game, trailing national leader Florida State, who is posting goals at a rate of 3.83 per game.
    Sacramento State also ranks in the top 100 nationally in shutout percentage (60th, 0.455) and win-loss-tie percentage (81st, 0.636).
    Individually, senior Katie McCoy ranks 17th in points per game (1.91), 15th in assists per game (0.64), and 42nd in goals per game (0.64). Sophomore Mandy Trojan ranks 83rd nationally in save percentage, stopping 81.8 percent of shots on goal.

McCOY CONTINUES CLIMB UP CAREER CHARTS
    Senior Katie McCoy now sits in a tie with Jessica Mackiewicz (1998-99) for third place on the all-time charts with 20 goals.
    McCoy is already the all-time leader in Sacramento State history with 22 assists, and sits alone in second place in school history with 62 points. Her seven assists in 2007 tie her own single-season program mark she set back in 2006.

FRIENDLY CONFINES OF HORNET SOCCER FIELD
    The Hornets are unbeaten and untied at 6-0-0 in matches contested at Hornet Soccer Field this season. Sacramento State has outscored its opponents 20-1 in its six home games in 2007, and has not trailed while defending its home pitch. Going back to last season, the Hornets are unbeaten in their last 10 matches at home, posting an impressive 9-0-1 mark that dates back to Oct. 13, 2006. In the last three seasons, the Hornets are 17-4-3 (.770) at Hornet Soccer Field.

HORNETS DROP 2-0 DECISION TO LOYOLA MARYMOUNT
    Sacramento State fell to the Loyola Marymount Lions by a score of 2-0, on Sunday, Oct. 7 at Sullivan Field on the campus of LMU.
    The game began as a defensive struggle, with neither team able to light up the scoreboard in the first half of play. The Lions posted three shots in the first half, all of which were on goal and saved by Hornet sophomore ‘keeper Mandy Trojan, while the Hornets had four shots with no attempts on goal.
    Coming out of intermission, the Lions applied constant pressure, outshooting the Hornets 7-2 through the first 35 minutes of the half, but could not break through for a score. That changed in the 81st minute as Gabrielle Parisella found the back of the net off of a cross from Katie Osborne to make the score 1-0. They added an insurance goal in the 89th minute as Michelle Kanama followed home a blocked shot by Jamie Bell past Trojan to account for the final margin of 2-0.
    Senior Katie McCoy led the Hornets with three shots, while junior Rebeccah Phillips tallied two shots. Of the Hornets seven shots, none of them were credited as being on goal. Trojan posted six saves for Sacramento State, who also had their first team save of the season in the contest.

HOWARD LEADS HORNETS TO 1-1 TIE AGAINST WAVES
    Behind a game-saving goal by junior Sarah Howard, the Hornets tied the Pepperdine Waves, 1-1, on Friday, Oct. 5 at Tari Frahm Rokus Field.
    Pepperdine dominated the first half of play, being credited with nine shots to the Hornets two in the half, but did not light up the scoreboard until the 42nd minute. Hornet sophomore goalkeeper Mandy Trojan made a diving save away from the goal on a shot by Sage Coralli, but the ball just slipped out of her grasp and onto the awaiting foot of Amanda Rupp, who found the back of the net to give the Waves a 1-0 advantage at the half.
    The second half proved much the same with Pepperdine controlling the ball on their half of the pitch, but the Hornets were able to make their one solid chance count. With just 1:45 remaining in regulation, the Hornets earned a free kick from near midfield following a Pepperdine foul. Senior Katie McCoy took the kick, and fellow senior Amanda Gray was able to flick a header forward near the goal that Howard was able to blast home for the goal to tie the score at 1-1.
    Both teams had near-misses in the overtime sessions, and Trojan was able to stop a one-on-one opportunity against Rupp in the 106th minute to preserve the tie.
    The goal for Howard was her first of the season and the seventh of her career in the Green and Gold. McCoy’s assist was her seventh of the season, giving her a career high 21 points on the season. Trojan stopped a season-high nine shots in goal, with the Hornet defense turning away all 11 corner kick chances from the Waves.
    For Pepperdine, Rupp’s goal was her third of the season, and the Waves outshot the Hornets 23-7.