TUCSON, Ariz. – The University of Arizona women's soccer team travels to the Bay Area this weekend to take on No. 2 Stanford on Thursday, Sept. 28 at 7 p.m. and No. 11 California on Sunday, Oct. 1 at 1 p.m.
The Wildcats have a 2-20-0 record against the Cardinal, falling 4-0 in their last meeting on October 27, 2016. Against the Golden Bears, Arizona is 4-15-3 but won their last meeting 2-1 in double overtime on October 31, 2016.
Thursday's match against Stanford will be aired on Pac-12 Arizona. Sunday's match against California will not be available for viewing.
Winner, Winner, Ducks for Dinner
Last weekend the Oregon Ducks visited Tucson, Ariz. for their regular season match against the Wildcats. Arizona soundly defeated Oregon 3-1 and became the first team in the Pac-12 to score more than two goals against a conference opponent this season. Cali Crisler earned two assists in the win, while Kennedy Kieneker got the other. Goals came from Samantha Falasco, Kelcey Cavarra, and Maddie Bennett.
Crisler's Crosses and Corners
Arizona has earned more corners than their opponent in every match this season. They had a season-high 15 corner kicks against Oregon on Sep. 23 in their 3-1 victory over the Ducks. The Wildcats have taken 61 corner kicks this season versus their opponents 21. Most have come from Crisler and have generated countless opportunities for the team.
Breaking the Dam
The Wildcats had some trouble getting their offensive river flowing this season, taking 94 shots before their match against BYU on Sept. 15, but only scoring four goals (4.26%). There were no shortage of chances but the team couldn't find the back of the net. Since then, the Wildcats have broken the dam with their offensive prowess, finding five goals on only 28 shots (17.86%) in the last two matches against a BYU team that was receiving votes and an Oregon team that was 6-2.
Defensive Points
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 on Sept. 10 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. She scored again last weekend against the Ducks, battling in the box to get off two shots and finding the back of the net after a flick from Kennedy Kieneker put the ball at her feet.
New Line of Defense
Arizona's back line for every match this season 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 27 shots-on-frame in seven games (avg. 3.4 per game). Most of those came in the Wildcats 3-1 victory over Oregon.
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 0.75 as she has allowed only six 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 132 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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