UC Irvine is 3-1-0 heading into Labor Day weekend, while Long Beach State and UC Santa Barbara are busy facing ranked competition from the Big 10 and Big 12 Conferences.
NOTEWORTHY
Keep An Eye On
Head Coach Demian Brown - Cal State Fullerton
The third-year mentor of the Titan program faces off against his predecessor when Cal State Fullerton battles USC in the USD Tournament on Friday. USC is coached by Ali Khosroshahin, who served as the Titan head coach for six seasons (2001-06) and teamed with Brown to develop the CSF program into a Big West juggernaut. Brown, a CSF assistant coach for three seasons (2004-06), took over the reins in 2007 when Khosroshahin accepted the Women of Troy position. This is the first-ever meeting between the two coaches.
Brown is 19-21-3 in his two-plus seasons at Fullerton. He was named Big West Coach of the Year in his rookie campaign in 2007.
More Notables
Stumpf Collects Milestone Win No. 100
UC Santa Barbara head coach Paul Stumpf earned career win No. 100 when the Gauchos defeated Nevada 1-0 on the road Friday. The win also tied Stumpf for the all-time program win record with Tad Bobak. Stumpf can break the UCSB wins mark on Thursday at home against Michigan State. In his 11th season at the helm of the Gauchos, Stumpf owns a record of 100-78-24 (.555). The all-time top five win leaders in the Big West are listed below:
COACHING VICTORY LEADERS
(as member of the Big West)
148 Alex Crozier, Cal Poly
128 Keith Coleman, Pacific
100 Paul Stumpf, UC Santa Barbara
92 Marine Cano, UC Irvine
77 Veronica O’Brien, UC Riverside
bold denotes active Big West head coach
UC Riverside Fends Off Heat, Earns First Win
The temperature gauge reached as high as 107 degrees during UC Riverside’s home contest with Texas State on Sunday. Liberal substituting - the Highlanders used 20 players in the game - and a Sally Yunker goal not two minutes into overtime resulted in a 1-0 win for UCR. It was the third straight one-goal game for the Highlanders, who are now 1-2-0 on the season.
Spreading The Wealth Around
Balance is the key so far for the fortunes of Cal State Northridge, which stands at 2-2-0 on the young season. Five different players have scored all seven Matador goals. Newcomer Niki Connolly has two goals as does Sonia Espitia. Six different players are tied for the team lead in shots with four apiece.
Ranked Foes On Tap For Gauchos, 49ers
The top two teams in the 2009 Big West preseason coaches poll - UC Santa Barbara and Long Beach State - will face stiff tests this week. Playing seven of their first eight matches on the road, the Gauchos meet No. 15 Michigan State on Thursday in their lone home match during that stretch. UCSB then travels to No. 16 Illinois for a Sunday matchup. Meanwhile, Long Beach State begins a four-match roadtrip this weekend. The 49ers square off against Kansas and No. 21 Missouri. The following weekend gets no easier for the 49ers as they hop back on a plane to go further east, battling Harvard and No. 6 Boston College.
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 in 2009. 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. However, Ives has been held without a point in each of the first three contests.
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.
UC Irvine Off To Solid Start
UC Irvine has won three in a row and is off to a 3-1-0 start in 2009. The Anteaters started their winning streak with a triumph at Pac-10 foe Arizona and followed suit with victories against Texas State and Nevada last weekend. The ‘Eaters had a subpar offensive year in 2008, scoring only 16 goals. The 2009 version is rectifying that deficiency so far with seven goals in the three wins.
Pacific Pounces On Portland State
Miffed by a season-opening a 1-0 shutout at the hands of Saint Mary’s, the Pacific women’s soccer team went on the offense against an unsuspecting Portland State outfit on Friday. The final result was a 5-0 whipping in which the Tigers held a 14-2 shots on goal advantage. The Tigers returned to the field two days later for a 2-1 win over Albany (NY).
VanBuskirk Nets Multi-Goal Game
Senior Rochelle VanBuskirk scored a pair of goals, including a penalty kick in the 54th minute to lead UC Davis to a 3-2 victory over visiting Marist on Sunday. The two goals give her 11 for her career. She is tied for second in the Big West with four points on the season.
Big West Live Comes To Twitter
The Big West Conference is excited to bring Big West Live to Twitter, a Twitter feed designed to give fans an in-the-stands view of select Big West Events. Bringing near-instantaneous photos, commentary, and updates, Big West Live is the first feed of its kind. Moving beyond the scores and stats, Big West Live delivers the “color” of Big West events.
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!