Oct. 31, 2006

LOGAN, Utah -

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ON TAP
WAC Soccer Tournament
Thursday, Nov. 2 - First-Round Bye
Friday, Nov. 3 - Semifinals - winner of Nevada/Hawai'i - 6:30 p.m. (Mountain Time)
Sunday, Nov. 5 - Championship, 2 p.m. (Mountain Time)
Univ. of Nevada - Mackay Stadium - Reno, Nev.

WAC TOURNAMENT - Utah State's soccer team enters the Western Athletic Conference Soccer Tournament as the No. 2 seed and earned a first-round bye when the postseason tournament kicks off on Thursday, Nov. 2 at Reno, Nev., hosted by Nevada. The Aggies advance to Friday's semifinals, where they'll face the winner between host and third-seed Nevada and sixth-seed Hawai'i. Utah State's semifinal match will kick off at 6:30 p.m. (Mountain Time).

The tournament opens with the No. 4 seed San Jose State facing fifth-seeded Boise State at 4 p.m. (Mountain Time). The winner of that match will take-on regular-season champion and top-seed Fresno State in Friday's first semifinal at 4 p.m. (Mountain Time).

Friday's winners advance to Sunday's championship match at 2 p.m. (Mountain Time).

FOLLOW ALONG LIVE - Fans can follow the WAC Tournament live online through live stats available through Nevada's website: www.nevadawolfpack.com, or watch online through wac.tv for a small registration fee.

Click HERE for LIVE STATS

UTAH STATE TOURNAMENT HISTORY - This is the second year in a row that Utah State has played in the postseason, falling 2-1 to Fresno State in the first round of last year's WAC Tournament, as Fresno State went on to win the WAC Championship, earning the conference's autom atic berth in the NCAA Tournament.

PROGRAM HISTORY WITH CONFERENCE AND OVERALL RECORD - Utah State established a new program-best conference record and has tied its best-over overall record. The 5-0-2 conference record tops the previous marks of four conference wins, done four times, most recently last season, and the .750 conference winning percentage is a new school record, topping last season's .643 (4-2-1). Utah State's 10 wins matches the 2003 squad for most-ever wins in a season, while the .579 winning percentage (10-7-2) ties the program record mark of .579 in 2003 (10-7-2).

USU CAREER MATCHES STARTED AND PLAYED RECORDS FALLING - Senior forward Sierra Smith has currently played in 75 matches in her career and has started 72, becoming the USU career record holder for matches played in the match against Fresno State on Oct. 22 and topped the matches started record on Friday at Boise State... Smith topped the previous mark of 72 matches played mark co-held by Tiffany (Jones) McQueen (2002-05) and Brigid Turner (1999-2002) and the matches started record of 70 shared by Melissa Baggaley (2001-04) and current Aggie assistant coach Megan (Edge) Tanner (1999-2002).

Senior forwards Charlsie Harris and Charity Weston have also surpassed the matches played mark this season, as Harris has played in 74 matches and Weston has appeared in 72... Weston has 64 career starts and will finish her career in the top five on the matches started list.

COACH CAIRNS' COMMENTS -
On the WAC Tournament - "This is what we have played all year for. It does not get any bigger than this. It's that time of year where you win and keep playing, or you lose and go home. We have been saying all year that we want to peak at the right time, going into the WAC Tournament, and we feel like we are doing that by playing some of the best soccer we have played all year. The nice thing is that we feel that we can still push a little further and play a little better. We are excited and ready to go."

On being the No. 2 seed this year, improving on being the No. 4 seed last year - "The nice thing about being the second seed is that we do not have to play back-to-back games, which you never know how it will affect you playing on consecutive days. At this point of the season a lot of teams are fit, but you still want that extra day to get your legs back. It is also nice to have an extra day of recovery before we play our next game. Getting the second seed is a wonderful reward for going undefeated in conference play, it gives us confidence going into the tournament. We know what we are up against, and we know that everyone will be playing their best soccer and we will have to as well."

On playing Hawai'i or Nevada - "Hawai'i and Nevada are both really good teams. They both have very capable attacks and they are both very competitive. With either team it will be a very competitive match. We're taking this one match at a time, just like we have done all season long and it will not change at this juncture of the season."

On development and progression of team throughout the season - "I think this team has come a long way throughout the year. We went through that rough stretch at the beginning of the season playing some ranked competition and tough teams. What I told the team throughout that stretch was that we are going to learn from this and get better from this and it will help us at the end of the year, which I think it has. We kept plugging away and kept having faith that this was going to pay off for us and we were going to develop and it has."

On contributions of bench and reserve players - "We cannot win a WAC Tournament championship playing only 11 players. We need the players that come off the bench for us to be productive, to add a spark and really help lift our play. That has been happening the last few matches, and I have been very pleased with that. Lacey Christenson worked her way into the starting lineup, and Erin Salmon, Charlsie Harris, Candice Clark, Andra Hansen, Ashley Shurtleff, those five in particular, have really made a big impact coming off the bench for us and have immensely contributed to our success."

On momentum going into postseason - "Knowing that we have had success against all of our possible opponents gives us some confidence, but at the same time we cannot be satisfied with just our regular-season results. We want to push it. We want to be one of the 64 teams still training on Monday."

ABOUT UTAH STATE - USU has tied its best-ever program record and winning percentage with a 10-7-2 (.579) overall mark, going unbeaten in 10 of the last 12 matches.

The Aggies posted a 5-0-2 ledger in WAC action, for the most conference wins in school history. Utah State beat Idaho State, 1-0 in OT on Friday, marking the Aggies' third straight shutout and eighth of the season. That streak ended Sunday with a 3-1 win over Idaho, as the Aggies netted a season-high in goals and tallying a season-high seven points.

The win over Boise State gives Utah State a 6-1 mark vs. Boise State, as the Aggies have now won the last two meetings, after losing in 2004. It was also Utah State's fifth-straight win over Idaho, as the Aggies are now 7-1 all-time against the Vandals and improve to 17-5 against teams from the state of Idaho, going 3-0 this season, dropping Idaho State, 1-0, in the regular-season opener on Aug. 25 and beating Boise State, 1-0 in OT, on Friday.

Offensively, the Aggies rank seventh in the WAC statistics in goals (18, 0.95 per game), fifth in assists (14, 0.74 pg) and sixth in points (50, 2.63 pg). Defensively Utah State is third in both goals allowed (16, 0.84 pg) and goals against average (0.80), as well as tied for third in shutouts (8), and sixth in saves (89, 4.68 pg).

Senior forward Charity Weston leads Utah State and is tied for 12th in the WAC with four goals, as well as tied for the team-high and tied for 12th in the conference with three assists. With 11 points, Weston leads the Aggies and ranks tied for 11th in the league. Weston has a goal in four of the last nine matches.

Weston became the USU career assists record holder, tallying her 12th career assist in the win over Nevada on Oct. 20, surpassing Amber Tracy's 11 career assists from 2000-03. She also is fourth on the career points list with 40, as well as fourth on the career goals chart with 14.

Freshman forward Erin Salmon is one behind Weston on the team goals list with three. Salmon also has two assists to rank second on the team with eight points.

Fellow freshman, defender Lindsey Smart and senior forward Charlsie Harris netted their first goals of the season in Sunday's match, while sophomore midfielder Lacey Christenson scored not only her first goal, but her first points of the season with the game-winner in Friday's 1-0 OT win over Boise State.

This past weekend marks the third time in the last four matches and a streak of four goals in a row that a Utah State player had scored their first goal of the season, as sophomore forward Jessica Darrow netted her first career goal in the 2-0 win over Nevada on Oct. 20, Christenson scored her first goal of the season in Friday's 1-0 OT win over Boise State, and then Smart and Harris in Sunday's win over Idaho.

Junior midfielder Dana Peart netted a goal in consecutive matches the previous week, and both goals were game-winners, hitting the winner in Monday's 2-1 win over Hawai'i and the first goal of Friday's 2-0 win over Nevada. All three of Peart's goals this season have been game-winners, ranking tied for third in the league in game-winners, and she adds an assist for seven points.

Smart earned the assist on Darrow's goal in the Nevada match by taking the corner kick, Smart's third assist on the season which is tied with Weston for the team-high honors in assists and is tied for 12th in the conference. With the goal, Smart now has five points, ranking fourth on the team.

With the goal on Sunday, Harris recorded her 11th career goal and 26th career point, moving up to tie for fifth on the USU career goals list and tied for seventh on the Aggies' career goals' list.

Between the pipes for every minute this season for the Aggies, sophomore goalkeeper Ali Griffin has made 83 saves on the year, including a career-high nine in the win over Nevada on Oct. 20. Griffin has moved up to No. 2 on USU's single-season saves list. Griffin posted three-straight shutouts and eight on the season, as the goal yielded to Idaho snapped Griffin and the USU defense's streak of shutout minutes at 364 scoreless minutes. Griffin ranks third in the WAC in saves, as well as second in the league in shutouts, third in save percentage (.838) and fourth in goals against average (0.80).

CLOSE CONTESTS - Utah State has 10 one-goal matches in its last 12 matches and 13 total on the season.

GRIFFIN CAREER GAA RECORD HOLDER - Sophomore netminder Ali Griffin topped the 1,000 minutes mark for her career earlier this season, becoming eligible for USU's career lists and climbing to the top of the Aggies' career goals against average chart. Griffin presently has a 0.77 gaa for her career, taking over the previous high mark held by Megan Mills' 1.18 gaa from 2001-04.

GRIFFIN EARNS WEEKLY HONORS - Sophomore goalkeeper Ali Griffin was honored with three honors for her performance the week of Oct. 16-23 in leading Utah State to two wins and a tie as the Aggies clinched a berth in the WAC Tournament. Griffin was acknowledged with WAC Defensive Player of the Week honors as well as being named to Top Drawer Soccer's National Team of the Week and SoccerBuzz.com's Elite Team of the Week, after she posted two shutouts and allowed one goal for the week.

CAIRNS WINNINGEST USU SOCCER COACH - In her fourth season, Heather Cairns, already the winningest coach in USU soccer history by percentage, became the school record for total victories on Sept. 30, winning No. 27 and passing Stacy Enos who went 26-59 (.306) in five seasons (1996-2000) with the Aggies. Cairns has compiled a 33-34-9 (.493) record in 76 matches.

CAIRNS HIGHEST WINNING WAC PERCENTAGE IN CONFERENCE - Heather Cairns has a 9-2-3 (.750) record in WAC matches, giving her the highest winning percentage among the eight league coaches in conference matches.

HOME SWEET HOME - Counting the exhibition match on Aug. 19, Utah State had nine home matches this season. The Aggies finish the home portion of their schedule with a 4-2-2 mark at home this season, and are unbeaten in 14 of their last 17 home matches. Overall, Utah State is 20-14-9 at home since moving to the Chuck and Gloria Bell Soccer Field in 2002. In the two years prior to their move to Bell Field, the Aggies were just 6-12 at home. They have gone 9-2-3 against conference opponents since bedding down at Bell Field.

ROAD WARRIORS - So far this season, the Aggies haven't been very polite visitors, posting a WAC-best 6-1 record on the road... Utah State's 2-1 win over Hawai'i on Oct. 16 was just the third home loss in UH's last 22 home matches... USU's win over Southern Utah on Sept. 22 snapped SUU's 11-match home streak dating back to 2004.

OT SUCCESS - Utah State has played in six overtime matches this season, including three of its last six overall, tying 2003 and 2005 for the most extra time matches in school history... With a 3-1-2 record in OT matches this season, the Aggies have recorded the most extra time victories in the program's history... The OT wins over Southern Utah on Sept. 22 and Weber State on Aug. 29 broke a bit of bad luck for the Aggies, who notched their first extra time victory since 2004, after going 0-2-4 in overtime matches last season. The six overtime tilts were the most by an Aggie team since the 2003 team saw a similar six overtime matches, going 2-2-2. Utah State is now 3-1-2 in OT matches this season and 8-14-13 all-time in extra minutes after beating Boise State in extra time on Friday.

SEASON FIRSTS - Sunday was the first time Utah State has scored more than two goals this season and the first time since Oct. 28, 2005... After not winning by more than one goal in their previous 15 matches, the Aggies won by more than one goal twice in their last four matches... The three goals and seven points in the 3-1 win over Idaho Sunday were season-highs... In the Fresno State match on Oct. 22, Utah State was whistled for the most fouls in a match with 19... The win over Hawai'i on Oct. 16 was the Aggies' first victory in a match where Utah State made more saves than the opponent... After going 11 matches without a goal in the first half, USU scored three in a span of two matches, netting one against Utah Valley State and two in a win over La Tech... USU's win over La Tech on Oct. 8 was the Aggies' first win on a Sunday, after losing the previous three Sunday contests... The home loss to BYU on Sept. 16 snapped an eight-match unbeaten streak at home for the Aggies, as their last home loss was a 2-1 contest to UNLV on Sept. 2, 2005.... The win over Southern Utah on Sept. 22 was the first time Utah State had won after yielding the opponent to score first and being behind at halftime... Senior forward Charlsie Harris logged her first assist of the season and fourth of her career in the win over Hawai'i on Oct. 16... Sophomore forward Candice Clark tallied her first goal of the season and second of her career in the win over La Tech on Sept. 8... Junior midfielder Abby Hunt tallied her first career assist in the Southern Utah contest... Freshman defender Lindsey Smart tallied her first career point in a USU uniform with an assist in the 2-1 loss to Cal State Northridge on Sept. 10... Sophomore midfielder Shannon Ross and junior defender Jessie Malaska both logged their first career points as Aggies, both recording an assist in the win over Eastern Washington on Sept. 30... Sophomore defender Jessica Darrow netted her first career goal in the 2-0 win over Nevada on Oct. 20.

LAST MATCH - Utah State's soccer team dropped Idaho, 3-1, Sunday as the Aggies established a new program record with five conference victories, posting an unbeaten 5-0-2 Western Athletic Conference mark. USU also tied a program with 10 overall victories after the Aggies ended regular- season action with a 10-7-2 mark, going unbeaten in their last seven matches and in nine of the last 10 matches. {See Page 6 of notes for extended recap}

PEART POUNCES EARLY - Junior midfielder Dana Peart started off last season by netting the Aggies' lone goal in their 2-1 loss to Northern Colorado in an exhibition match and then went on to score the lone goal in each of Utah State's next three matches.

Peart has continued that hot start to a season with an assist in the Aggies' 1-0 win over Idaho State in the season-opener on Aug. 25 and scoring the game-winner in the second overtime of USU's 1-0 win over Weber State on Aug. 29. After a brief scoring lull, Peart picked up the frantic pace, netting a goal in consecutive matches, both game-winning goals. Peart tallied the winning goal in Monday's 2-1 win over Hawai'i and the first goal of Friday's 2-0 win over Nevada.

NOTE-ABLE - Defender Jessica Darrow was the only freshman to start all 20 matches for the Aggies in 2005, and one of six players on the roster to start all 20 matches, as well as one of seven to play in all 20 matches... So far this season, a total of nine players have seen action in all 19 matches with eight Aggies starting all 19 contests.

Six of the 16 goals that Utah State has allowed have come in the first 30 minutes of the opening half... USU has been outscored 8-4 and outshot 121-109 in the first half, but have outscored the opposition, 11-7, in the second half and have been outshot by a slight 127-118 difference... The Aggies have outshot opponents 17-12 in extra time, including 12-9 in the first overtime... Overall, USU has been outshot, 260-244... The Aggies have taken 59 corner kicks while the opponent has 86... USU has committed 239 fouls, while the opposition has been whistled for 270 fouls, with the Aggies being issued nine yellow cards, while the opposition has been shown 15 yellow cards and one red card.

WAC PRESEASON POLL - Utah State was tabbed fifth in the Preseason WAC Coaches' Poll, as the Aggies garnered 29 points. Defending conference tournament champion Fresno State was the preseason favorite, getting 46 votes including five of the eight first-place votes. Hawai'i, last year's regular season champion, had two first-place votes and 42 points. San Jose State was third with 34 points, while Nevada had 31 points, including a lone first-place vote. Utah State was followed by Boise State (20), Idaho (14) and Louisiana Tech (8).

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS - TOURNAMENT FIELD

No. 3 NEVADA - The Wolf Pack takes an 11-4-3 overall record into the WAC Tournament, after posting a 4-2-1 mark in WAC action.

Nevada won its last three matches of the season after falling to Utah State, 2-0, on Oct. 20. The Wolf Pack outscored its opposition, 15-1, in those three victories, including 7-0 over Louisiana Tech on Oct. 22 and 5-0 over their first-round opponent Hawai'i on Friday.

In the WAC statistics, Nevada leads the league in shots (311, 17.28 per game), goals (37, 2.06 pg), assists (34, 1.89 pg) and points (108, 6.0 pg). Defensively the Wolf Pack ranks second in goals allowed (12, 0.67), goals against average (0.64) and shutouts (9).

Karen Zmirak, a sophomore forward, leads Nevada with 26 points off 11 goals and four assists. She leads the conference in goals and points, and ranks tied for fourth in assists.

Freshman goalkeeper Caitlin Holmes has spent the majority of time in net for the Wolf Pack, allowing five goals in nine matches, making 36 saves and has posted a 0.56 gaa and .878 save percentage, while recorded four shutouts. Holmes is second in the WAC in both gaa and save percentage, as well as 10th in saves and tied for fourth in shutouts.

No. 6 HAWAI'I - The Rainbow Wahine enters the WAC Tournament with an 8-10-2 ledger, going 2-5 in WAC play, losing their last four matches and eight of their last 10 matches overall.

Hawai'i is fourth in the league in goals (25, 1.25 pg), and third in both assists (27, 1.35 apg) and points (77, 3.85 pg). Defensively, the Rainbow Wahine are fifth in goals allowed (27, 1.35 pg), fourth in goals against average (1.29) eighth in saves (59, 2.95 pg) and tied for third in shutouts (8). After allowing only four goals in the first 10 matches of the season, Hawai'i yielded 23 goals in its last 10 matches.

Sophomore forward Taryn Fukuroku is tied for the team-lead in goals with eight, and leads Hawai'i with six assists and 22 points. Fukuroku leads the WAC with 70 shots (3.50 pg), and ranks second in points, tied for second in goals and tied for first in assists.

In goal, sophomore goalkeeper Kori Lu has made 54 saves while allowing 25 goals, for a 1.26 gaa and a .684 save percentage, as well as notching five shutouts. Lu ranks sixth in the league in both gaa and saves, 10th in save percentage, and third in shutouts.

No. 1 FRESNO STATE - The regular-season champion Bulldogs posted an unbeaten record in WAC play, going 6-0-1 and not yielding a goal in conference action. Fresno State enters the postseason with a 12-5-2 overall record, going unbeaten in the last six matches.

The defending WAC Tournament champions, won their first regular-season conference crown since 1999.

Offensively, Fresno State is tied for fifth in the WAC in goals (21, 1.11 pg), fourth in assists (16, 0.84 pg) and fifth in points (58, 3.05 pg). The Bulldogs' defense leads the WAC in goals allowed (10, 0.53 pg overall / 0, 0.0 pg WAC), goals against average (0.51 overall/0.00 WAC) and shutouts (14 overall, 7 WAC), as well as fifth in saves (95, 5.00 pg overall/27, 3.86 pg WAC).

A pair of seniors, forward Cortney Sobrero and midfielder Antonea Lugo lead Fresno State in scoring with 12 points apiece, both scoring five goals and tallying two assists. They are tied for eighth in the WAC in points, tied of sixth in goals, and Sobrero is second in the league with 59 shots.

Senior goalkeeper Angie Larson has yielded just 10 goals on the season, none in WAC play, while making a total of 93 saves for a 0.52 gaa and a .903 save percentage, and posting 13 shutouts, leading the WAC in gaa, saves, save percentage and shutouts.

No. 4 SAN JOSE STATE - After entering the final weekend in contention for the conference title, the Spartans lost their final two matches, falling from a tie for first to finishing fourth after losing to Fresno State, 2-0, on Friday and falling at Nevada, 3-1, on Sunday, to end conference play with a 4-2-1 mark. San Jose State is 7-10-2 overall.

The Spartans are second in the league in goals (29, 1.53 pg), assists (32, 1.68 pg) and points (90, 4.74 pg). San Jose is seventh in goals allowed (36, 1.89 pg), sixth in goals against average (1.84), third in saves (105, 5.53 pg) and fifth in shutouts (4).

Junior midfielder Nicole Irwin leads SJSU with 20 points off eight goals and four assists. Irwin ranks third in the WAC in points, tied for second in goals and tied for fourth in assists.

Marissa Dayton, a freshman goalkeeper, has yielded 28 goals in 14 matches, making 77 saves, while posting a 1.93 gaa and a .733 save percentage, as well as notching four shutouts. Dayton is eighth in the league in both gaa and save percentage, fourth in saves and tied for fourth in shutouts.

No. 5 BOISE STATE - The Broncos are 7-7-3 overall after finishing WAC play with a 2-3-2 league record. Boise State lost to Utah State, 1-0, in 2OT on Friday before securing a berth in the WAC tourney with a 2-1 win over Louisiana Tech on Sunday.

In the WAC stats, Boise State ranks third in goals (26, 1.53 pg), sixth in assists (13, 0.76 pg) and fourth in points (65, 3.82 pg). Defensively the Broncos are fourth in goals allowed (26, 1.53 pg), fifth in gaa (1.44), fourth in saves (97, 5.71 pg) and seventh in shutouts (2).

Senior midfielder Brennan Lau leads Boise State with 10 points off three goals and four assists. Lau ranks tied for fourth in the league in assists.

Senior goalkeeper Kim Parker has spent the majority of time in net for the Broncos, posting 57 saves while yielding 13 goals, for a 1.10 gaa and an .814 save percentage, posting one shutout. Parker ranks fourth in the WAC in save percentage and fifth in both saves and gaa, and ninth in shutouts.

WAC BITS - Utah State holds the longest conference regular-season unbeaten streak in the league, as the Aggies have not lost in their last nine WAC games, winning the last two of last season and going 5-0-2 this season... Fresno State holds the next-longest conference unbeaten mark, with eight matches, as the Bulldogs were 6-0-1 in WAC play this year and won last year's regular-season finale... Idaho snapped its 17-match losing skid dating back to last season with a 1-1 (2OT) tie with Boise State on Oct. 22, and then tied La Tech on Friday, 1-1, joining Louisiana Tech as the two teams not to win a league match, and Idaho was the lone team to go winless overall... Utah State is the league-leader in OT matches with six after Friday's extra-time match... The Aggies have a 3-1-2 record in OT matches... There have been a total of 28 matches that have gone to extra time, including six in league action... The WAC posted a 6-7-9 mark in non-conference OT matches... Behind Utah State, Hawai'i and Fresno State have both played in five extra time contests, including the clash with each other on Sunday... Idaho is now the only two team not to have a Player of the Week remaining after Utah State nabbed its first one of the season this week with sophomore goalkeeper Ali Griffin earning Defensive Player of the Week... Utah State's win over La Tech was the first time that La Tech had lost at home in five contests, but then the Lady Techsters lost their next two and were 2-3-2 at home... Utah State own's the league's best road record (6-1-0 overall, 3-0-0 in WAC) while Fresno State had the best home ledger (8-2 overall, 4-0 in WAC)... Nevada, the tournament host, is 5-2-1 at home overall and 3-0-1 in WAC matches.