Men's Soccer Tries To Snap Buck Shaw Jinx
10/15/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Oct. 15, 2003
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Sat., Oct. 18 - at Santa Clara, 7 p.m.
BULLDOGS RETURN TO WCC WARS: After a week off from West Coast Conference action, Gonzaga University's men's soccer team faces a big task Saturday when the Bulldogs travel to Santa Clara University. The Broncos are ranked 13th in this week's Soccer America and College Soccer News polls. The Broncos are 9-2-3 overall, 1-0-0 in the WCC.
BUCK SHAW CURSE: Buck Shaw Stadium on the Santa Clara University campus has been anything but kind to Gonzaga University since the Bulldogs joined the West Coast Conference men's soccer alignment in 1993. The closest thing the Bulldogs have to a victory in five previous trips is a 1-1 overtime tie in 1995. Gonzaga has dropped its last three visits - 3-1 in 2001 in a loss that ultimately cost Gonzaga a share of the WCC title and with it an automatic berth into the NCAA College Cup; 1-0 in 1999, and 2-1 in 1997 in a match that cost Gonzaga the WCC title outright. Gonzaga and SCU tied for the regular-season title in '97 but the Broncos received the automatic berth into the NCAA College Cup by virtue of the win over Gonzaga. The Bulldogs were over looked by the NCAA selection committee for an at-large berth in '97 despite a 14-4-0 record and co-championship.
CAL POLY TOPS BULLDOGS: Cal Poly scored on a penalty kick midway through the second half last Sunday and the visiting Mustangs made the goal stand up for a 1-0 non-conference victory over Gonzaga University. The Mustangs were awarded the PK when Gonzaga keeper Kris Wright took down a player in the box without touching the ball. The Bulldogs had an apparent goal by Kari Arnason just 50 seconds into the match disallowed on an offside. "It was close," Gonzaga head coach Einar Thorarinsson said of the offside call. "It could have gone either way." The match also saw eight yellow cards issued between the two teams. Cal Poly held a 13-4 shots advantage and Gonzaga was whistled for 18 fouls to nine for the Mustangs.
DAY CARE DEFENSE: Gonzaga University head coach Einar Thorarinsson doesn't have to get his defense out of day care for a match, it just appears that way. Freshmen Daniel Scott and Ben Sawyer started on defense last week against Cal Poly, joining freshmen midfielders John Palladino, Steve Owens and Scott Campbell in the starting lineup. Throw in freshman keeper Kris Wright - who got the starting nod in place of freshman Vito Higgins - and the Bulldogs had six freshmen in the starting lineup. Freshmen Grant Lundberg, Mitch White, Luke Miller, John Reha and Trevor Conrad came off the bench, meaning the Bulldogs had 11 freshmen among the 16 players who saw action in the match. Injuries to defensemen Robert Anderson, Grayson Tenney and Charles Wells, and midfielder Arni Ingi Pjetursson forced head coach Einar Thorarinsson to go with a younger lineup. All are true freshmen with the exception of redshirts Conrad and Owens.
COLLEGIATE DEBUTS: A pair of Gonzaga University players made their collegiate debuts last week when Ben Sawyer and Scott Campbell both got the starting nod against Cal Poly.
PLEASING THE COACH: The youth movement didn't faze Gonzaga University head coach Einar Thorarinsson last weekend. "I thought our young players did well," Thorarinsson said following the 1-0 loss to Cal Poly. "They played hard. This is going to be a good group of players by the time they are finished."
BROTHERLY TIES: Freshman Daniel Scott has big shoes to follow in the person of Zach Scott, his 2001 All-West Coast Conference brother. But according to Gonzaga University head coach Einar Thorarinsson, little brother is doing just fine, thank you. "He has the same desire and work ethic as his brother. He plays the game the same way," Thorarinsson noted. "I think he is going to have a very good career at Gonzaga."
RANKED FOES: Gonzaga University will be playing its first ranked foe of the season when the Bulldogs visit 13th-ranked Santa Clara University on Saturday. Gonzaga is 12-21-3 all-time against ranked teams. The Bulldogs faced five Top 25 teams in 2002 and went 1-4-0, the lone win over 15th-ranked and fellow West Coast Conference combatant University of San Diego.
BULLDOGS DOT SCORING RACE: Arni Ingi Pjetursson is fourth in the West Coast Conference with 13 points on 4 goals and 5 assists, one of four Bulldogs in the Top 10. Scott Yuska is tied for fifth with 12 points (5/2), Scott Bertram is seventh with 11 points (4/3) and Kari Arnason is tied for eighth with 10 points (4/2). Yuska's 5 goals are fourth in the WCC, while Arnason, Pjetursson and Bertram are in a five-way logjam for fifth with 4 goals. Pjetursson's 5 assists also rank fifth.
LIVE ON THE INTERNET: All Gonzaga University home matches as well as all West Coast Conference road matches will be available via Livestats on the Internet at http://www.gozags.com. Some non-conference matches may also be available. Check the Gonzaga web site for all Livestats links.
THE THORARINSSON TALE OF THE TAPE: Gonzaga University head coach Einar Thorarinsson is 78-58-10 in his ninth season with the Bulldogs. His overall record is 197-110-23 that includes nine seasons across town at Whitworth College. After going 3-10-2 in his first season of 1995, the Bulldogs have had winning seasons in six of the last season seasons under Thorarinsson. His teams led the West Coast Conference in wins with a 14-4-0 record in 1997 and 12-4-2 mark in 1998, capturing WCC co-championships in each of those seasons. The Bulldogs were 9-5-2 in 2001, making their inaugural College Cup appearance.
