The 2009 Big West women's soccer season officially gets underway on Friday with four games on the slate and six more on Sunday. Long Beach State and UC Santa Barbara, 2008 NCAA Tournament participants, open play as the 49ers host Fresno State and the Gauchos travel to Santa Clara.
NOTEWORTHY
Keep An Eye On
Head Coach Paul Stumpf - UC Santa Barbara
UC Santa Barbara head coach Paul Stumpf is sitting one away from career win No. 100. In his 11th season at the helm of the Gauchos, Stumpf owns a record of 99-76-24 (.558). Stumpf would become only the third coach to reach 100 victories while coaching in the Big West. Cal Poly’s Alex Crozier leads all league coaches with 148 victories and Pacific’s Keith Coleman is second with 126.
COACHING VICTORY LEADERS
(as member of the Big West)
148 Alex Crozier, Cal Poly
126 Keith Coleman, Pacific
99 Paul Stumpf, UC Santa Barbara
92 Marine Cano, UC Irvine
76 Veronica O’Brien, UC Riverside
bold denotes active Big West head coach
Head Coach Mauricio Ingrassia - Long Beach State
Mauricio Ingrassia has steered the Long Beach State women’s program into one of the top sides on the west coast. The 49ers reached their first NCAA Tournament last year and finished 14-5-4 overall. Ingrassia has averaged nearly 12 wins in his five seasons at LBSU, carrying a career record of 59-31-11 entering the 2009 season. His .639 winning percentage ranks third all-time among Big West head coaches.
ALL-TIME COACHING WINNING PERCENTAGE
(during conference membership)
Name, School Yrs. W L T Pct.
John Hedlund, UNT 4 51 22 3 .691
Ali Khosroshahin, CSF 6 76 40 6 .648
Mauricio Ingrassia, LBSU 5 59 31 11 .639
*Terry Davila, CSUN 2 23 14 1 .618
Alex Crozier, CP 13 148 88 28 .614
bold denotes active Big West head coach
*Davila is the head men’s coach at Cal State Northridge
More Notables
Ives Poised To Join Top 10 In Career Assists
UC Santa Barbara senior forward Genelle Ives is the Big West active career goals (22), assists (17) and points (61) leader entering the 2009 season. The 2008 Big West Offensive Player of the Year scored nine goals and added seven assists for the Big West Tournament champion Gauchos, which went on to compete in the NCAA Tournament. Ives is one assist away from moving into the Big West top 10.
BIG WEST CAREER ASSIST LEADERS
29 Kim Silos - Long Beach State 2005-08
29 Wendy Woolgar - Pacific 1996-98
26 Jennifer Borcich - UC Santa Barbara 2001-04
25 Krista Davey - North Texas 1996-99
21 Natalie Dorr - Pacific 1996-98
20 Chandi Bickford - UC Santa Barbara 2003-06
19 Christy Johnson - North Texas 1997-99
19 Simone Ferrara - UC Irvine 1996-98
18 Hayley Bolt - Long Beach State 2005-08
18 Kellie Cox - Cal State Fullerton 2001-05
18 Shana Stickel - Cal Poly 1996-98
18 Allie Kueny - UC Santa Barbara 2003-06
17 Genelle Ives - UC Santa Barbara 2005-pres.
Andrews Anchors Cal Poly Backline
Cal Poly senior Carrie Andrews, the 2008 Big West Defensive Player of the Year, is a three-time All-Big West First Team defender leading the Mustang charge. She is also an offensive weapon, ranking fifth on the team in points with seven last season.
Fox Top Offensive Threat Back For Titans
Cal State Fullerton’s reign of three straight Big West Tournament titles ended in 2008 when the Titans finished 2-6-0 in conference play and did not make the tournament field. The Titans hope to rebound in 2009 with another solid performance from forward Stacey Fox. Fox led Fullerton with 13 points last year on five goals and three assists.
Elliott Returns In Goal For Cal State Northridge
In 2008, Cal State Northridge found itself in a quandary when the top two goalkeepers on the depth chart were sidelined with season-ending injuries. Leah Elliott, who went into the season as a midfielder, was converted into the full-time netminder and responded well. She started all 19 matches, posting a 1.31 goals against average with three shutouts. In addition, she made 113 saves and ranked No. 34 in the nation in saves per game (5.95 spg).
Top Three Aggie Scorers Return
UC Davis scored the second-fewest goals in the Big West last season with 17. The offensive shortage kept the Aggies from contending in the Big West, but the good news is that the top three scorers from a year ago are back. Marisa Boge, Rochelle VanBuskirk and Samantha Faber accounted for 10 of those goals.
DeSeriere Second In All-Time Goals Against Average
UC Irvine junior goalkeeper Danielle deSeriere enters the 2009 campaign ranked second on the all-time Big West chart in goals against average. Her 0.79 mark is second only to Long Beach State’s Liz Ramos, who concluded her career at 0.66.
Gassaway High Octane For UC Riverside Offense
UC Riverside junior forward Heidi Gassaway ranked among the Big West leaders with her nine goals and 21 points in 2008. The next highest returning Highlander scored two goals last year.
Freshman Leaders
Hopes are high at Pacific where freshmen led the way in 2008. The Tigers reached the Big West Tournament behind the play of Kristina Wavomba, Laura Hogan, Angelica Figueroa and Alex Topp. The foursome scored 18 of the team’s 24 goals, including a team-high eight by Wavomba, the 2008 Big West Freshman of the Year.
Follow Your Team On BigWest.TV
The Big West Conference and the CBS College Sports Network are partnering to bring you exclusive coverage of Big West sports, press conferences, interviews, and features to your home via the Internet! Now in its fifth year, BigWest.TV covers every home and conference contest in men’s basketball as well as women’s basketball and volleyball. Also covered are select contests in men’s and women’s soccer, baseball, softball, and Big West Conference Championships. A monthly subscription of $9.95 or an annual subscription of $79.95 delivers exclusive coverage to you. If you can’t make it to the gym or the field, you can still catch all the action on BigWest.TV!