WOMEN'S SOCCER HOSTS PORTLAND STATE WITH CONFERENCE TITLE ON THE LINE

11/1/2007

Game #18: Sacramento State Hornets vs. Portland State Vikings
Friday, Nov. 2, Hornet Soccer Field, 2:30 p.m.

AT A GLANCE
    Entering the final week of Big Sky Conference play, Portland State travels to Hornet Soccer Field for a battle between two teams that have clinched a berth into the Big Sky Women’s Soccer Championship. The Vikings are led by Tarah Authier, who ranks fourth in the Big Sky in goals with five. Juli Edwards has added three goals, while Dolly Enneking has posted two goals and a team-high five assists. In goal, Cris Lewis has posted a 5-7-2 mark, including four shutouts to pace Portland State. The Vikings are 1-2-0 in conference road games, and 2-7-1 away from PGE Park this season. The Hornets lead the all-time series 6-4-1, and have defeated the Vikings the last two seasons.

BIG SKY WOMEN'S SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP UPDATE
    Sacramento State has clinched a spot in the Big Sky Women’s Soccer Championship, and control their own destiny for both winning the regular season conference crown and hosting the tournament in Sacramento. The tournament scenarios are below:

•Sacramento State can win the conference title outright and host the championship with a win over Portland State, or if they tie Portland State and Weber State loses or ties against Idaho State.

•Weber State can win the conference title outright and host championship if they win versus Idaho State and Portland State defeats Sacramento State, or the game ends in a tie.

•Portland State can win the conference title outright and host championship with a win over Sacramento State, and a Weber State loss or tie against Idaho State.

•Northern Colorado can clinch a berth in the postseason with a win versus Northern Arizona.

•Northern Arizona can clinch a berth in the postseason with a win versus Northern Colorado.

•Idaho State can make the postseason with a win over Weber State, and the Northern Colorado/Northern Arizona game ending in a tie

HORNETS IN THE NCAA STATISTICAL RANKINGS
    Sacramento State’s scoring offense is currently ranked 34th in the nation as of Oct. 28, averaging 2.12 goals per game.
    Sacramento State also ranks in the top 100 nationally in shutout percentage (51st, 0.471), save percentage (42nd, 0.845), win-loss-tie percentage (57th, 0.676), goals against average (58th, 0.813).
    Individually, senior Katie McCoy ranks 24th in points per game (1.71), 63rd in assists per game (0.47), and 31s in goals per game (0.647). Sophomore Mandy Trojan ranks 37th nationally in save percentage (0.842) and 59th in goals against average (0.777), while fellow sophomore Kim Kemper ranks 63rd in assists per game (0.41).

McCOY AND TAYLOR EARN BIG SKY WEEKLY HONORS
    Sacramento State senior Katie McCoy was named Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week for the week of Oct. 22-28, while junior Kara Taylor was named co-Defensive Player of the Week by the conference.
    A native of La Mesa, Calif., McCoy collected goals in each of the Hornets’ games this past week, scoring in the 43rd minute of Sacramento State’s 1-1 tie against Northern Colorado, while posting the game-winner in the 10th minute of the Hornets 2-0 victory over Northern Arizona. McCoy’s 29 points are nearly double that of the two players tied in second place in the conference, Jana Boehler of Idaho State and fellow Hornet senior Amanda Gray, who have collected 15 points.
    Taylor, a native of Eugene, Ore., had a strong week anchoring the Hornet defense, which allowed just a penalty kick goal for the week. She also contributed offensively, as Taylor tallied an assist on McCoy’s game-winner against Northern Arizona. The assist marked the second assist in as many weeks for Taylor. The 2005 Big Sky Conference co-Defensive MVP, Taylor started the first 54 games of her career without a point.

McCOY CONTINUES CLIMB UP CAREER CHARTS
    Following her two-goal performance this past week, senior Katie McCoy sits in third place on the all-time charts with 22 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 70 points. Her seven assists in 2007 tie her own single-season program mark she set back in 2006. Her 11 goals on the season put her into a  tie for the fourth best single season output in program history with Paula Guarda (1996), and her 29 points on the season are one shy of the single-season program mark, currently held by Paula Guarda (1997) and Jessica Mackiewicz (1998).

FRIENDLY CONFINES OF HORNET SOCCER FIELD
    The Hornets are unbeaten at 8-0-1 in matches contested at Hornet Soccer Field this season. Sacramento State has outscored its opponents 25-3 in its nine 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 13 matches at home, posting an impressive 11-0-2 mark that dates back to Oct. 13, 2006. In the last three seasons, the Hornets are 19-4-4 (.777) at Hornet Soccer Field.

HORNET DEFENSE AND TROJAN TOUGH TO TOP
    So far this season, the Hornet defense and sophomore ‘keeper Mandy Trojan have held opponents to an average of 0.81 goals per game, while holding eight teams scoreless. Trojan has posted seven of those shutouts, and is the only ‘keeper in Sacramento State history to boast a goals against average of below a goal a game (0.86).

SACRAMENTO STATE REGAINS FIRST WITH 2-0 TRIUMPH
    Senior Katie McCoy connected on her fourth game-winning goal of the season in the 10th minute, leading Sacramento State to a 2-0 conference victory over Northern Arizona on Sunday, October 28 at Hornet Soccer Field.
    Coming back from Friday’s road tie against Northern Colorado, Sacramento State looked like a fresh team on the field, controlling play from wire-to-wire. The pressure was applied early by the Hornets, as in the 10th minute, junior Kara Taylor served a free kick off of the head of sophomore Kim Kemper, who found the right foot of McCoy, who rifled the ball into the back of the net for a 1-0 lead they would take into halftime.
    In the second half, the Hornets were again on the attack, as senior Amanda Gray had great chances at net in the 61st and 64th minutes, with both shots bounding just slightly over the crossbar. The insurance goal came in the 88th minute, as freshman Leah Larot took a long pass and dribbled into the corner, where she blew by two defenders and beat Lumberjack ‘keeper Elizabeth Winkelblech with a shot to the far post to account for the final margin of 2-0.
    For the match, the Hornets outshot the Lumberjacks 21-6, including a 7-2 advantage in shots on goal.
    In goal, sophomore Mandy Trojan posted her seventh clean sheet of the season, putting her in a tie with Stacy Hines (1996) for the most shutouts in a season in the school’s history. Her nine career shutouts, in just two collegiate seasons, rank as the third most in program history.
    McCoy’s goal was her 11th on the season, marking the third best single season in school history. She has four goals in the Hornets last three games after going goalless for a stretch of four games, and scoreless for three straight contests.
    On McCoy’s goal, Kim Kemper’s assist gives her seven on the season, which ties McCoy for not only the team lead, but for the best single season performance in Hornet history. McCoy has tallied seven assists each of the last two seasons, but has been held without an assist in the Hornets last seven contests.

HORNETS AND BEARS BATTLE TO 1-1 STALEMATE
    Reigning Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week Katie McCoy connected on her 10th goal of the season in the 43rd minute, but the Hornets were forced to settle for a 1-1 tie with Northern Colorado on Friday, Oct. 26 at Jackson Soccer Stadium.
    Sacramento State struck first near the end of the first half, as McCoy found herself with the ball near midfield. The senior out of La Mesa, Calif. then dribbled through the Bear defense before unleashing a strong boot into the top-left corner of the net, past Northern Colorado ‘keeper Heidi Owen for a 1-0 Hornet lead.
    The answer for the Bears came in half number two, as Northern Colorado was awarded a penalty kick for a foul in the box in the 60th minute, and Megan Miller connected to tie the game at 1-1.
    Despite the Hornets scoring in the first half and the Bears scoring in the second, the opposing teams controlled much of the play in the scoring halves. Northern Colorado outshot the Hornets 10-6 in the first half, while Sacramento State outshot the Bears 7-3 in the second half.
    In the overtime periods, the Bears outshot the Hornets 5-1, but sophomore ‘keeper Mandy Trojan came up big once again for Sacramento State, stopping four shots during the extra sessions.