After starting off the 2012 season in the Bay Area for two matchups, Fresno State returns to the Valley today for its home opener against pac-12 powerhouse UCLA at 7 p.m.
The Bulldogs (0-1-1) are searching for their first win of the season against a Bruins team (1-0-0) that was the runners-up for last year’s inaugural pac-12 Championship.
The Bruins, ranked No. 5 nationally in a poll of the National Soccer Coaches’ Association of America, are coming off a 2-1 win against Massachusetts that showcased a stout defense. UCLA held the opposing offense to eight shot attempts.
Their first game of the season, against Connecticut, was stopped midway due to weather conditions.
“I think we play a more aggressive style than Massachusetts, so it’ll be a different thing for UCLA to deal with as well,” coach Brian Zwaschka said.
“We’re doing the right things to create chances,” Zwaschka said. “The most important thing is that we stick to the philosophy of ‘let’s attack the goal’ and to try to win games and not just stay in them.”
The Bulldogs defense, anchored by sophomore goalkeeper Katie DeVault, is coming off a 2011 campaign in which they shut out eight opponents and allowed only 23 goals. DeVault, who led the Western Athletic Conference last year with 106 saves, is atop the Mountain West this year with 11 saves in two games.
Today’s challenge for DeVault and the Bulldogs defense, however, will be finding a way to subdue a Bruins offense that took 29 shot attempts last Sunday against Massachusetts.
Zwaschka said the key lies in creating opportunities for the offense to attack.
“If we play the way we know we can play, keep the ball, and work hard for each other with a commitment to get to the goal, there’s no doubt in my mind that we can create scoring chances,” he said.
“We just need to turn those into goals.”
Junior forward Callie Hancock said for the offense to be successful this season, finishing and executing in the closing minutes needs to be a higher priority. She is one of the program’s two returning seniors.
“We’ve had a lot of opportunities finishing on goals, but we need to focus on that last bit, and just getting the ball in the back of the net,” she said.
Fresno State enters today’s home opener still searching for a win.
The Bulldogs, who opened the season Aug. 17 at UC Davis, found themselves in a 2-0 deficit an hour into regulation and were unable to catch up to the Aggies in an eventual 2-1 loss.
And last Sunday against University of San Francisco, the Bulldogs, who started an early offensive attack with a Hancock goal 17 minutes into the game, were 13 minutes away from escaping with a win before the Dons managed to get score. After two scoreless periods of overtime, the game ended in a 1-1 tie.
“I think we’re doing all the right things,” Hancock said.
“We’ve had a lot of great combinations with the players up top as well as involving the players on the outsides.”
Fresno State, picked in preseason polls to finish third in the Mountain West, behind San Diego State and 2011 champion New Mexico, returns 13 players from a roster that finished 11-5-5 overall last year.
The Bulldogs begin conference play in the Mountain West on Sept. 30 at home against Air Force that leaves them 10 non-league games to prepare for their inaugural season in the Mountain West.
Zwaschka has high expectations for the team’s first year in the new conference.
“We want to come in and make a statement right away and compete for a championship,” he said.
Admission to today’s game is free.