Stanislaus State women's soccer will host its third annual Warrior Challenge this weekend with Fresno Pacific, Southern Oregon and Western Oregon visiting.
Team Records: 3-0-0. 0-0-0 CCAA (1st) [
CCAA Standings]
Friday
Warriors vs. Western Oregon (1-0-0), Warrior Stadium, Turlock, 7 p.m.
| [
Live Stats] [
Live Video]
Sunday
Warriors vs. Southern Oregon (3-0-0), Warrior Stadium, Turlock, 6 p.m.
| [
Live Stats] [
Live Video]
Other Warrior Challenge Matches
Friday: Fresno Pacific (0-1-0) vs. Southern Oregon, Ramirez Field, Fresno, 7:30 p.m. | [
Live Stats]
Sunday: Fresno Pacific vs. Western Oregon, Warrior Stadium, Turlock, 2 p.m.
| [
Live Stats] [
Live Video]
Series Notes: Stan State is undefeated against Western Oregon as the teams met three times before. The last meeting was in 2010 — a 4-0 Warriors win on Sept. 4 … The Warriors are hosting Southern Oregon for the second consecutive year. Last year, Stan State beat the Raiders, 4-0, on Sept. 7.
Within the Ranks: The Warriors debuted at No. 5 in the NSCAA West Region poll released on Tuesday (NR-Not Ranked). UC San Diego, Western Washington, Chico State and Central Washington are ahead of the Warriors.
| Week |
National
(NSCAA) |
Regional
(NSCAA) |
Regional
(NCAA) |
| Preseason |
NR |
— |
— |
| 1 (Sept. 6) |
NR |
5 |
— |
Valley Tough Warriors: Head Coach
Gabriel Bolton praised his team after Monday's win at Fresno Pacific: "Monday night
I saw a team 100 percent committed to playing fierce defense. I saw players tackling like beasts, sliding to break up passes, and giving every ounce of energy. We talk about being valley tough, about striving together, and those mentalities were on display tonight. We have always been as a program that can score goals and play attractive soccer. This team has the ability to take that to the next level by combining those qualities with a fierce mentality. That's an exciting prospect."
The Warrior Challenge: The four-team tournament started in 2014 with the Warriors shutting out both opponents 2-0 (Simon Fraser) and 4-0 (Academy of Art) to win the event … Last year, Azusa Pacific edged Stanislaus, 1-0, in the first match and blanked Cal State East Bay, 2-0, for the win.
Poon Starts on Fire: Jade Poon is already off to a quick start, similar to her freshman season. In the first three matches, the junior forward has already scored three goals with two assists. She netted the team's first score in Thursday's opener, then scored twice in Saturday's win over Colorado Mesa. Poon converted on a PK chance against Mesa for the game-winner. Monday night in Fresno, she assisted on
Mikayla Clifford's goal … In 2014, Poon scored five goals in her first three matches (seven in the first four contests).
Who is In Goal: Now we know for sure who will be the starting goalkeeper for the Warriors as
Haley Crook played every minute of the first three matches this past week. In 270 minutes, Crook gave up two goals for a 0.67 GAA with 10 saves. Six of those saves came on Monday night against Fresno Pacific.
Home Dominance: Since the opening of Warrior Stadium in 2009, the Stan State women have dominated here on home turf. The Warriors have won 72 percent of home games in the last seven years and are 53-15-6. Last year, they were 6-2-2 here in Turlock.
About Western Oregon: Selected to finish seventh in the GNAC, the Wolves opened the year with a 1-0 win over George Fox University last Thursday. Taylor Higa scored the goal for WOU. Caitlyn Kastelic had seven saves in that contest … WOU, located in Monmouth, Ore., finished 8-8-1 in 2015.
About Southern Oregon: The Raiders are 3-0 so far and have scored 11 goals in those contests. They blanked their previous two opponents, 5-0 (UC Merced) and 3-0 (William Jessup). Megan McArthur has three goals and two assists to lead the team … SOU played in the semifinal round of the Cascade Collegiate Conference tournament after going 8-9-3 overall … Southern Oregon is coached by former Warriors Jenni Rosenberg (head coach) and Lauren Thornton (assistant coach).
