Big Sky Soccer Preview - Sept. 2
T. William Gooch
Big Sky Soccer Notes
NSCAA Regional Rankings
The 2010 season remains very young and many teams are looking to make statements, be that in tough road matches or taking on top tier opponents at home.
Northern Arizona
Reigning Big Sky Champion Northern Arizona will be back on the pitch after a weekend off. The Lumberjacks start the weekend in Tucson, Ariz. with a match against Arizona. Last season, NAU played Arizona to a 2-2 draw in Flagstaff. The Lumberjacks have not played in Tucson since 2004, when the Wildcats claimed a 4-0 victory. Northern Arizona is 0-5-1 all-time against Arizona.
Sunday’s match for Northern Arizona will be against New Mexico State. The Lumberjacks claimed a 3-1 victory over New Mexico State last season in Flagstaff. It was the first all-time meeting between the schools in the inaugural year of competition for the Aggies women's soccer program.
Weber State
Weber State will be hosting two very tough teams this weekend with St. Mary’s and Washington State coming to Ogden, Utah. The match on Friday will be the first ever meeting between Weber State and St. Mary’s. The Wildcats are coming off a tough match with BYU losing 5-1, while St. Mary’s grabbed a 4-1 win over North Florida. The Gaels enter the match ranked No. 8 in the western region by NSCAA.
On Sunday the Wildcats will host Washington State for the first match between the two in Ogden, Utah. In 2009 the Wildcats traveled to Pullman, Wash. and ended up losing 4-0 to the Cougars. Washington State began the season as the No. 21 team in the nation, but after loses to Florida State, Long Beach State, and Texas A&M the Cougars have fallen out of the top 25..
Eastern Washington
Eastern Washington will play its first home matches of the season this weekend. The Eagles will host Seattle University and UC Irvine. Friday’s match against Seattle will be the third meeting in as many years for the Eagles and Redhawks, but the first to take place on Eastern’s home field. The Redhawks have won both matches against Eastern Washington by the score of 1-0.
UC Irvine leads the all-time series 2-0 against Eastern Washington, though teams have not met on the pitch since 2002. The Anteaters defeated Eastern 2-0 in the last meeting and in 1999 the Eagles fell 1-2. UC Irvine enters the match ranked No. 10 by the NSCAA.
Idaho State
Idaho State will host the Idaho Governor’s Cup over the weekend. The Bengals will play Idaho in the first match on Friday. The Bengals have won three of the last four meeting, but they did lose 0-2 last year in Moscow, Idaho.
Saturday’s opponent will be Boise State. The Bengals currently have the upper hand in the all-time series with a record of 6-5-1, but they have not beaten the Broncos since 2007.
Sacramento State
Sacramento State will play just one match this weekend but it will be against a very tough opponent in Long Beach State. The 49ers have beaten some highly ranked teams, including Washington State and Virginia Tech.
Sacramento State is 1-1 all-time versus Long Beach State. The Hornets took the first match, 2-1, in 1998, before losing in 2004 by the score of 2-1. Long Beach State enters as the No. 4 team in the western region according to the NSCAA.
Montana
Montana will travel to Reno, Nev. for the match against Nevada-Reno on Friday and then will play South Dakota State on a neutral pitch Sunday. The match on Friday will be the first between the Grizzly and Wolfpack programs.
Montana and South Dakota State have never played each other on a neutral pitch, and in the previous two matches the home team has won. The Grizzlies won the last meeting 1-0 in 2006, while the Jacks won 2-1in 2005.
Northern Colorado
Northern Colorado will travel down to Colorado Springs, Colo. to participate in the Air Force Fall Classic. On the docket for the Bears will be Fairlaigh Dickinson on Friday and the Citadel on Sunday. UNC will look to get back to winning after dropping two close matches last weekend.