WOMEN'S SOCCER WINS BIG SKY REGULAR SEASON TITLE WITH 1-0 VICTORY OVER PORTLAND STATE
11/2/2007
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Senior Katie McCoy connected on her 12th goal of the season in the 39th minute, propelling the Sacramento State women’s soccer team to a 1-0 triumph over Portland State, clinching the Big Sky regular season championship.
With the win, the Hornets improve to 10-3-5 on the season and 4-0-3 in Big Sky play, while the Vikings fall to 7-9-2, 3-3-1 in the Big Sky.
On a day where the Hornets honored their three seniors, McCoy, Katie Burton and Amanda Gray, it was appropriately a senior who connected on the goal that won Sacramento State their first Big Sky regular season crown. McCoy took the ball from the far-side box and dribbled through defenders onto the near-side of the box, firing a shot from 10 yards out into the back of the net with 38:57 elapsed in the first half for the game-winner.
Portland State had strong opportunity to tie the score up in the 45th minute, as Iman Bearde dribbled by the Sacramento State defense and uncorked a shot wide. Another chance came in the 88th minute, as Sarah Smart found herself unmarked at the top of the box, unleashing a left footed shot that bounded just over the crossbar.
The Vikings outshot the Hornets 14-10 in the match, including a 10-6 advantage in the second half, but Sacramento State was able to ride the flurry of shots to post the shutout.
McCoy’s goal marked her 30th and 31st points of the season, setting a new program record for points scored in a single-season. Her 12 goals on the season place her in a tie with Lisa Wrightsman (2000) for second place on the school’s single season charts, needING just one additional goal to tie Jessica Mackiewicz (1998) for first position.
Sophomore ‘keeper Mandy Trojan posted her eighth clean sheet of the season, setting a new program record for single-season shutouts. The shutout was the 10th of her career, placing her in a tie for second with Kristy Milanese (1998-99) for the most shutouts in Hornet history.
The victory moved the team to 10 wins on the season, tying the 2006 squad for the most wins in school history. In terms of team records, the Hornets have or are on pace to break, seven school marks this season. Sacramento State has already collected records for most team points, most goals scored, most shutouts, most ties and most wins, while on pace to set records for the fewest goals against and the lowest goals against average.
The Hornets will host the Big Sky Soccer Championships this coming weekend, Friday Nov. 9 and Sunday Nov. 11 at Hornet Soccer Field. The top-seed, Sacramento State, will play the fourth-seed in the Friday afternoon contest at 1:30 p.m., while the second and third seeds will do battle in the morning at 11a.m. The Championship game will take place on Sunday at 11 a.m., with the winners of each match on Friday fighting it out for an automatic berth into the NCAA Women’s Soccer Championships.
SACRAMENTO, Calif.
