WOMEN'S SOCCER SET FOR BIG SKY SEMIFINAL CLASH WITH PORTLAND STATE

11/7/2007

Game #19: Sacramento State Hornets vs. Portland State Vikings
Friday, Nov. 9, Hornet Soccer Field, 1:30 p.m.

AT A GLANCE
    For the second straight week, the Hornets find themselves playing Portland State at home, but this week’s match brings with it a different intensity to the matchup. The Hornets 1-0 victory over the Vikings last week clinched Sacramento State their first ever regular season title in soccer, and the right to host this week’s Big Sky Soccer Championships. Katie McCoy, who was named the Big Sky Offensive MVP this week, connected on the game-winning goal in the victory, for her 12th scoring strike of the season. Portland State, who boasts Big Sky Defensive MVP Juli Edwards, will look to take what they learned in last week’s loss and improve on their performance in a win or go home situation.

McCOY NAMED OFFENSIVE MVP: NINE HORNETS ALL-BIG SKY
    Sacramento State senior Katie McCoy was named Big Sky Offensive MVP, highlighting a school record nine Hornets to receive Big Sky All-Conference honors, as announced by the conference Nov. 6.
    McCoy, who led Sacramento State to the Big Sky regular season title, was a unanimous choice for the offensive MVP award, receiving seven votes from the coaches. Coaches are not allowed to vote for their own players.
    She ended the regular season ranked first in the Big Sky in points (31), points per game (1.72), goals (12), game-winning goals (5), and goals per game (.67). She was also tied for first this season in assists (7) and assists per game (.39), and was third in shots (56) and shots per game (3.11). McCoy was the first soccer player to be named Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week three times in a row, and set a new mark by earning the award four times this season and six times in her career. She became just the seventh player in conference history to earn first team all-conference honors for three straight seasons, after being named a second team selection during her freshman year in 2004.
    McCoy also received the 2007 Golden Boot Award, an award given to the player who led the Big Sky in total points in conference play. McCoy tallied five goals, earning 10 points and a 1.72 points per game average in conference matches.
    Including McCoy, the Hornets placed a school record five players on the first team. Seniors Katie Burton and Amanda Gray, junior Kara Taylor, and sophomore Kim Kemper were also honored as first team selections.
    Taylor earned first team honors for the second time in her career, while Burton, Gray and Kemper were first team honorees for the first time. Burton was honored for the third time overall, earning honorable mention honors in 2003 and second team honors in 2006. Gray posted a career year during her final year in the Green and Gold, finished tied for second in the conference in goals (6), and tied for third in points (15), points per game (0.83), and goals per game. Kemper tied with McCoy for the conference lead in assists (7) and assists per game (0.39), while ranking fifth in scoring (13).
    Sacramento State’s lone second team selection was junior Sarah Howard, who improves on honorable mention honors she has received the past two seasons.
    Three Hornets were named honorable mention, junior Missy Matzen, sophomore Mandy Trojan, and freshman Christina Trenton. Trojan finished second in the conference in goals against average (0.73), shutouts (8) and shutouts per game (0.47). Her eight clean sheets were the most in program history, and were in part to the play of honored defenders Burton, Taylor and Trenton as well as defensive midfielders Howard and Matzen.

HORNETS IN THE NCAA STATISTICAL RANKINGS
    Sacramento State’s scoring offense is currently ranked 38th in the nation as of Nov. 4, averaging 2.06 goals per game.
    Sacramento State also ranks in the top 100 nationally in shutout percentage (40th, 0.50), save percentage (33rd, 0.851), win-loss-tie percentage (47th, 0.694), goals against average (44th, 0.771).
    Individually, senior Katie McCoy ranks 25th in points per game (1.72), 27th in goals per game (0.667), and 78th in assists per game (0.39). Sophomore Mandy Trojan ranks 25th nationally in save percentage (0.859) and 46th in goals against average (0.733), while fellow sophomore Kim Kemper ranks 78th in assists per game (0.39).

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 0.77 goals per game, while holding nine teams scoreless. Trojan has posted eight of those shutouts, and is the only ‘keeper in Sacramento State history to boast a goals against average of below a goal a game (0.85).

FRIENDLY CONFINES OF HORNET SOCCER FIELD
    The Hornets are unbeaten at 9-0-1 in matches contested at Hornet Soccer Field this season. Sacramento State has outscored its opponents 26-3 in its 10 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 14 matches at home, posting an impressive 12-0-2 mark that dates back to Oct. 13, 2006. In the last three seasons, the Hornets are 20-4-4 (.785) at Hornet Soccer Field. In conference play, the Hornets have not been defeated at home since Oct. 31, 2004, a 4-0 loss to Eastern Washington. Since that game, Sacramento State boasts a conference mark of 7-0-3 in contests at Hornet Soccer Field.

HORNETS COLLECT FIRST BIG SKY REGULAR SEASON TITLE
    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.
    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.

BIG SKY SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIPS WEBSITE ONLINE
    Results, live stats, and more will be available at the official website of the Big Sky Soccer Championships, located at www.hornetsports.com. The page can be accessed by clicking on “tournament information” on the splash page found prior to entering the website, or by accessing the women’s soccer page and selecting “2007 Big Sky Soccer Championship” on the left navigation bar.