Nov. 9, 2011
Women's Soccer Notes in PDF Format
ON THE PITCH: The University of San Diego women's soccer team (12-7-0) will hit the road for the first round of the NCAA Tournament, as they head to Irvine, Calif. to take on the Anteaters of UC Irvine this Friday at 7 p.m.
TOREROS CLAIM SHARE OF WCC CHAMPIONSHIP: In a wet, cold climate, and a soggy field, the University of San Diego women's soccer team was shining, as they upended No. 7 Santa Clara University, 3-0, Friday evening to claim a share of its first-ever West Coast Conference championship at Torero Stadium, live on ESPNU in front of 1,789 fans. With the win, the Toreros conclude the regular-season with a 12-7-0 overall record, run their winning streak to seven, and they claim a share of the WCC championship with a 7-1-0 WCC record. Stephanie Ochs recorded three assists, as she set up Mariah Butera, Meghan O'Rourke, and Dani Russell to give USD the victory on national television.
NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY: This marks the fifth season in a row the Toreros have made an NCAA tournament appearance and 12th time overall. USD has advanced to the second round three times, which remains the highest finish in program history. In 2010, the Toreros fell to Wake Forest, 1-0, in the opening round of the tournament. Their match-up with UC Irvine will be USD's second of the season, with the Anteaters winning a wild 3-2 decision in San Diego earlier this season.
SCOUTING THE ANTEATERS: UC Irvine enters the tournament with an overall record of 14-4-2 after dropping 1-0 decision to Long Beach State in the championship match of the Big West Championships this past weekend. San Diego is 10-6-0 all-time against the Anteaters, but UCI did win this season's match-up 3-2 in San Diego. Natalia Ledezma, who has scored a team-best 12 goals to go along with eight assists for 32 points, paces the Irvine offense. Jennifer Randazzo, who has recorded six shutouts and is bolstering a 0.89 GAA, anchors down the Irvine defense.
LAST TIME VS THE ANTEATERS: Both Sierra Ferreira and Mariah Hobbs tallied one goal each, but it wasn't enough, as the University of San Diego women's soccer team dropped a wild 3-2 decision to No. 23 UC Irvine on Sept. 25 in a non-conference match at Torero Stadium.
270 MINUTES AND COUNTING: Senior goalkeeper Courtney Parsons has now posted three consecutive shutouts to close out the regular-sason. She has not allowed a shot to get past her for the last 270 plus minutes. The last team to score on Parsons was Loyola Marymount, an that came in the 19th minute of action. Parsons, a second-team All-WCC honoree, has posted six shutouts on the season and is bolstering a goals-against-average of 0.81.
OCHS NAMED WCC PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Senior striker Stephanie Ochs has been tabbed the WCC Player of the Year. Ochs becomes the first San Diego player to be recognized as the WCC Player of the Year award. The Toreros reeled off seven straight conference wins to earn a share of the 2011 WCC championship for the first time in school history. Ochs tied for the conference lead with 13 points during WCC play, while leading the West Coast Conference with nine assists in eight conference matches. For the season, Ochs scored eight goals and registered 11 assists.
GARCIA NAMED WCC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Senior defender Natalie Garcia has been named the WCC Defensive Player of the Year. The Valley Center native becomes the third San Diego player to win the award, joining Brittany Cameron (2008) and Dawn Birdsall (1995) as Defensive Player of the Year honorees. Garcia and the Toreros defense allowed just four goals during conference play, while posting four WCC shutouts - including three straight to end the season. Overall, Garcia recorded five goals and had one assist for 11 points.
EIGHT TOREROS EARN ALL-WCC ACCOLADES: After sharing the 2011 West Coast Conference title, the University of San Diego claims two WCC individual accolades. Senior striker Stephanie Ochs is the West Coast Conference Player of the Year, and teammate Natalie Garcia is the Defensive Player of the Year. In addition these two players, senior midfielder Elissa Magracia earned first-team All-WCC accolades. Taking home second-team honors was senior goalkeeper Courtney Parsons, while Erika Wesley, Dani Russell and Meghan O'Rourke were named All-WCC honorable mention. Freshman forward Mariah Butera was named to the All-Freshman team, along with O'Rourke.
STAY ON TARGET: The Toreros continue to apply pressure on opposing defenses this season, having put nearly half of their shots on frame in 2011, 217 total shots taken and 210 on those on goal.
CORNERING THE MARKET: San Diego continues to put the pressure on opposing defenses this season, currently leading the West Coast Conference with 120 corner kicks. The Toreros have out-cornered opponents by a margin of 120-62 including a season-high 13 against Kansas in San Diego on Aug. 28.
I`M HERE TO HELP: Senior striker Stephanie Ochs leads the Toreros in goals scored with eight, but did you also know she is not just a scoring machine, but she knows how to spread the ball around, as she has recorded 11 assists on the year including three in Friday's win over Santa Clara.
SAN DIEGO AWARDED 2012 COLLEGE CUP: The University of San Diego is excited to announce that they will serve as host of the 2012 Women's College Cup, which will be held at Walter J. Zable Field at Torero Stadium. The national showcase will be held Nov. 30 and Dec. 2, and will be the first NCAA Division I national championship to be held on the USD campus. The event, which is made up of the two semifinals matches and finals of the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship, has been hosted exclusively by Texas A&M and North Carolina State over eight of the last nine years, with Kennesaw State University breaking up that trend in 2011. Women's soccer juggernaut North Carolina has also hosted seven times since the championship's inception in 1982. San Diego will become the third West Coast Conference school to play host to the final rounds of an NCAA championship in women's soccer, with Portland hosting the national showcase in 1994 and Santa Clara hosting it in 1996.
