Let The Games Begin
The 2004 Mountain West Conference women's soccer season opens Friday, Aug. 27, with six of seven member institutions in action. Four of the six matches slated for Friday will be on the road for MWC institutions, headlined by No. 24 Utah taking on Stanford. The other matches feature Air Force hosting Northern Colorado, BYU at Idaho State, New Mexico vs. Cincinnati in West Lafayette, Ind., San Diego State at Oregon State and Wyoming hosting Gonzaga. UNLV will open its season at home on Saturday, Aug. 28, against No. 17 Kansas.
Starting Out Right
Since the inception of the Mountain West in 1999, conference institutions are a combined 18-11-5 (.603) in opening day matches, with its best record coming in 2000 (5-1-1). BYU (4-0-1) is unbeaten in opening day matches since joining the MWC.
Welcome Back
The Mountain West Conference returns a total of 15 all-conference players (seven first-team and eight second-team members) from the 2003 season. At the top of the list are 2002 MWC Freshman of the Year Amanda Feigt (So., F, Utah), Soccer Buzz Freshman All-Americans Ashley Mason (So. GK, Utah) and Nicole Jensen (Sr., M, BYU), and all-MWC first teamer Krissa Campbell (Sr., M, BYU). Other notable returnees include, New Mexico junior goalkeeper Kristen Winters, San Diego State junior defender Alexis Solovij, UNLV senior forward/midfielder Annii Magliulo, and Wyoming's Mercy Adetoye (junior, foward) and Kristin Stangl (sophomore, defender).
Coaching Changes
San Diego State had the only coaching change during the off-season as Michael Giuliano replaced Chuck Clegg, becoming the third head coach in San Diego State's women's soccer history. Giuliano previously spent 11 years (1993-2003) as head coach of Wesmont College in Santa Barbara, Calif. During his tenure at Westmont, the Warriors compiled a 194-42-15 record and won four of the last five NAIA Championship titles (1999, 2001-03). Giuliano, a San Jose, Calif., native, was a three-year letterwinner (1978-80) in men's soccer at Tennessee Temple University in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Utah Picked To Repeat in Coaches Poll
Utah was selected to repeat as Mountain West Conference women's soccer regular-season champion in a vote by the league's coaches. The Utes collected a total of 35 points (five first-place votes) to capture the top position in the poll. BYU, which collected two first-place votes (32 total points), was picked to finish second in the ballot, followed by San Diego State (25), UNLV (21) and Wyoming (14). New Mexico (11) and Air Force (9) rounded out the voting as they were picked to finish sixth and seventh, respectively.
Utah Ranked 24th in NSCAA Preseason Poll
Utah earned a No. 24 ranking in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/Adidas Preseason Top-25 Poll.
The Utes went 16-2-2 overall (6-0-0 MWC) last season, winning the MWC regular season and Mountain West Tournament titles in the process, and advanced to their second straight NCAA Tournament. Utah returns seven starters (12 letterwinners overall) and will be led by 2003 MWC Freshman of the Year Amanda Feigt and Soccer Buzz Freshman All-American goalkeeper Ashley Mason.
BYU To Host 2003 MWC Championship
The 2004 Mountain West Conference Women's Soccer Championship will be played at South Stadium on the campus of the Brigham Young University, Nov. 3-6. The championship will feature all seven institutions in a single-elimination tournament, with the No. 1 seed receiving a first round bye. Quarterfinal matches will be played on Wed., Nov. 3, with the semifinals being played Thurs., Nov. 4. The two finalists will take Friday off and play the championship match on Sat., Nov. 6.
MWC Recruiting Ninth in the Nation
The Mountain West Conference had the ninth best recruiting class (out of 31 conferences) in 2004, according to Soccer Buzz Magazine. The ACC topped the list, followed by the Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-10 and SEC. Utah had the top recruiting class in the MWC and was rated No. 17 out of 306 Division I soccer programs in the nation.
BYU and Utah in `03 NCAA Women's Cup
BYU and Utah both made appearances in the 2003 NCAA Women's Cup, marking the second straight season and third overall that two MWC institutions were selected since the inception of the league in 1999. The Cougars advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time in school history, while the Utes fell via shootout in opening round action.
BYU upset No. 11 Colorado, 2-0, in opening round action in Salt Lake City, and followed with a 2-0 victory over Idaho State in the second round. The Cougars battled 15th-ranked Villanova to a 0-0 tie after two overtimes before outscoring the Wildcats, 5-3, in the shootout. BYU's run was ended by Women's College Cup runner-up Connecticut in the quarterfinal round, 3-1.
MWC vs. Nonconference Opponents
The Mountain West Conference had a combined record of 43-35-11 (.545) against nonconference opponents in 2003. Heading into its sixth year of competiton, the Mountain West has an all-time non-conference record of 219-189-29 (.534).
National Statistics
Utah finished the 2003 season first nationally in goals against average. In 20 games, the Utes allowed nine goals for a 0.436 goals against average. Utah also finished fifth nationally in shutout percentage (0.65) and tied for fifth in won-lost-tied percentage (.850). UNLV finished the season tied for 46th in the nation in shutout percentage with a 0.43 average. The Rebels recorded nine shutouts in 20 games played.
Individually, the MWC had three players ranked in the final NCAA Statistics. Utah goalkeeper Ashley Mason finished 2003 ranked first in goals against average (0.301). In 16 games, she gave up only four goals. BYU midfielder/defender Aleisha Rose finished tied for 29th in assists per game (0.50), while Wyoming goalkeeper Lori Scheider was No. 14 in saves per game, with 7.39.
National Attendance
BYU, New Mexico and Utah finished the 2003 season ranked in the Top-30 nationally in average home attendance. The Cougars placed sixth on the list with an average of 1,469 fans per match (19,097). In six home matches, UNM welcomed a total of 7,206 fans into the UNM Sports Complex. The Lobos ranked 11th with an average of 1,201 fans per match. The Utes came in at No. 30 on the list with a total of 7,837 fans in 11 home matches for an average of 712 per match.
