TUCSON, Ariz. – The University of Arizona women's soccer team (3-2-2) will host Oregon (6-2-0) this Saturday, Sept. 23 at 7 p.m. in Tucson, Ariz. at Mulcahy Stadium. Arizona has played Oregon 20 times in the past and has lost twelve of those matches, winning six and tying two. The last time was on October 20th, 2016 when the Wildcats fell 1-0.
The Oregon squad is coming off a two-win weekend against Montana (1-0) and Idaho State (4-0). Expect momentum from the Ducks when they come to town this weekend.
Arizona Soccer will look to break it's attendance record with the first match of Pac-12 Conference play this season. The first 200 fans to come to the match will receive an Arizona Soccer flag.
Additionally, Saturday night is Youth League Soccer night. It is encouraged that any Youth Soccer Coaches interested in attending the match contact Steve Polheber (520-626-3111) for more details prior to 5 p.m. on Thursday, Sep. 21.
No Stoian, No Problem
The BYU Cougars came to Tucson, Ariz. last week for a match against the Arizona Wildcats. The team had received five votes in the last United Soccer Coaches poll, but still fell to the Wildcats in a 2-1 OT victory as senior Charlotte Brascia found a goal and an assist while true freshman Amanda Porter scored her first collegiate goal in the 92nd minute to give Arizona the win. The Wildcats played without star forward Gabi Stoian and although they were outshot by a margin of three goals (Stoian averages 4.67) the team still walked away from the pitch with a good win under their belt.
Corners, Corners, Corners
Arizona has earned more corners than their opponent in every match this season. They had a season-high 11 corner kicks against Texas Tech on Sep. 10 in their 1-0 victory over the Red Raiders.
Troubles Up Top
The Wildcats have had no issues generating chances this season, having taken 102 shots on frame already over the course of six games (avg. 14.57 per game). However, the team has only seven goals (avg. 1 per game). These metrics are a product of the team's offensive trouble in-and-around the box as they have been unable to consistently find the net. Once this breaks, expect a flood of goals to be coming for Arizona. Stoian has led this charge, having taken 28 shots (almost a third of the team's overall). Expect to see her start to beat more goalkeepers as the Wildcats approach Pac-12 Conference play.
Falasco's Force and Crisler's Cross
Samantha Falasco has been a huge part of the Wildcat's defensive effort this season as discussed in "A New Line of Defense." However, she also put away the Wildcat's lone goal in their match against Texas Tech last Sunday with her nose off a corner from Cali Crisler. This goal matched her tally from the final match of the 2016 season where Falasco scored again off a Crisler cross to beat rival Pac-12 school ASU 1-0 in the final minutes of the match.
New Line of Defense
Arizona's back line for the last seven matches has been Samantha Falasco, Brandi Park, Sabrina Enciso, and Morgan McGarry. Falasco and Park saw over 2,500 combined minutes on defense last season, while McGarry and Enciso are new to the starting lineup. Together, the four defenders have been a major part in Arizona's three shutout matches this season, limiting their six opponents to only 20 shots-on-frame in seven games (avg. 2.85). Those metrics come against formerly-ranked No.16 Oklahoma and currently-ranked No. 14 UCF.
One More Go Around for Gabi
Senior Gabi Stoian is poised to finish her career as the most decorated player in Arizona history. The Scottsdale native started every game last season and earned 1,503 minutes of time over the course of the season. She scored six goals and tallied five assists for a total of 17 points. These stats pushed her career numbers to 25 goals, 20 assists and 70 points. Stoian is second all-time in each of those categories and is in striking distance of breaking all three of those records in 2017. Her two goals at the Sun Devil Desert Classic have moved her one step closer to building that legacy.
In the Burdett Cage
Junior Lainey Burdett has played all seven matches for the Wildcats this season. Her goals-against average through those matches is only 0.67 as she has allowed only five goals. Although Burdett has a strong defensive line in front of her that have prevented most shots from finding the frame, Burdett has made some really huge saves this season. The match against Texas Tech saw her make a point-blank, fingertip save inside the 6-yd. box against a top attacker. Burdett has three shutouts on the season, pushing her career count to 13. She has 126 career saves which is ninth all-time.
The Fab Five
The Wildcats roster features five seniors this season (Gabi Stoian, Charlotte Brascia, Cali Crisler, Brandi Park and Jackie Bollinger). Stoian, Brascia, Crisler and Bollinger are looking to be the first class in Arizona history to qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the third time (Park transferred from Pima Community College in 2016). From 2014-16, the team posted a record of 34-22-5 (tied for the most wins in a three-year period in Arizona history).
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