Pacific is one of six Big West women's soccer teams with a .500 or better record entering the last week of non-conference play before Big West action begins. The Tigers take on USC in a schedule packed with competition against the Pac-10 this week.
NOTEWORTHY
Keep An Eye On
Maricela Padilla, Pacific
Padilla is one of the most lethal scorers in the Big West, and she’s only a freshman. The Tiger midfielder leads all Big West freshmen and is tied for second overall in the league with 14 points. Her six goals also rank second on the league leaderboard. Padilla has scored at least one goal in three straight and five of the last six games. She has started all nine games for the Tigers, helping them to a 5-2-2 start.
Angelica Figueroa, Pacific
One of the prime beneficiaries of Padilla’s arrival to the Pacific program is Figueroa - only a sophomore in her own right. The one-two punch of Figueroa and Padilla has presented challenges to opponents as the two have combined for 28 of the team’s 49 points on the year. Figueroa, who leads the Big West with six assists, has assisted on three of Padilla’s goals. In addition, Figueroa has proven to be a dangerous goal scorer with four to her credit so far.
More Notables
Four Of Top Five Wins Leaders Current Coaches
Longevity and success have permitted current Big West women’s soccer coaches to occupy four of the top five spots on the all-time victories list. Cal Poly head coach Alex Crozier leads the group with 152 victories. Pacific’s Keith Coleman is second overall with 131 wins and UC Santa Barbara’s Paul Stumpf is third on the list with 102. Veronica O’Brien, with 81 victories at UC Riverside, sits in fifth. The Big West began sponsoring women’s soccer in 1996. The four coaches have a combined 44 years of head coaching experience in the Big West.
COACHING VICTORY LEADERS
(as member of the Big West)
152 Alex Crozier, Cal Poly
131 Keith Coleman, Pacific
102 Paul Stumpf, UC Santa Barbara
92 Marine Cano, UC Irvine
81 Veronica O’Brien, UC Riverside
bold denotes active Big West head coach
UC Riverside Finishes Out Tournament Play
UC Riverside participates in the final non-conference tournament of the year when the Highlanders travel to Wyoming for the UniWyo Cowgirl Classic. The Highlanders are unbeaten in their last seven matches, the third-longest such streak in program history. UCR plays Boise State and the host Cowgirls, looking to improve on its 5-2-2 record.
Challenging Schedule Ahead For Big West This Week
The Big West and Pac-10 Conferences are tangling in eight of the 15 contests on the ledger this week. The Big West is the home team in seven of those eight encounters. The highest profile matches include those against ranked opponents, such as No. 5 UCLA at Cal State Northridge and UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly at No. 7 California. Throw in for good measure Cal State Fullerton’s trek to No. 10 Santa Clara, and the Big West’s mettle will certainly be tested. Other key matchups feature Washington visiting UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton, Arizona invading UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly, and USC traveling to Pacific.
Strong Overall Record
One week prior to the beginning of Big West play, and a glance at the Big West’s record in non-conference games reveals a solid 38-28-8 (.568) mark.
Ives Still Scoreless In 2009
No one would have predicted that 2008 Big West Offensive Player of the Year Genelle Ives would be scoreless through eight matches in 2009. But that is the case. The UC Santa Barbara senior forward is the Big West active career goals (22), assists (17) and points (61) leader, but has been held out of the scoring column thus far in 2009. Ives scored nine goals and added seven assists for last season’s 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 career 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.
Eaters Still Streaking
UC Irvine owns the longest unbeaten streak among Big West teams this year - currently at eight straight games. The Anteaters are 7-0-1 during that stretch, and have not dropped a contest since a 2-0 loss at Arizona State on Aug. 21. The streak is the third longest in Anteater annals. While the UCI offense has been solid, producing 19 goals (2.1 gpg), credit the defensive side of the ball for much of the success too. UCI has allowed but one goal in its last six games, and only five goals all season long.
Defense Still Does It
A hallmark of the Cal Poly program through the years has been solid defense. This year is no different. The Mustangs are 4-4-0 overall, and have allowed only two goals in their four wins. They have yielded two goals to the opponent in each of their four losses.
Drenner Makes Triumphant Return
After missing all of 2008 with an injury, Cal State Northridge goalkeeper Kellie Drenner is glad to be back. The junior came up with 12 saves to help the Matadors to a 1-0 shutout of Hawai’i last Friday. The total ranked second all-time in a single game at CSUN.
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!