In her final game at Bulldog Stadium, Fresno State senior midfielder Morgan Castain scored two goals to lead the Bulldogs to a 3-0 victory over the Colorado State Rams last Friday.
Before the game, the Bulldogs honored their seven seniors: forwards Shonice Myers and Tara Boyton, defenders Megan Mossman, Lauren Lindstrom and Kayla Kret, goalkeeper Riley Fielder and Castain.
“It was an emotional day with the seniors and this group has been awesome,” said Fresno State coach Brian Zwaschka. “The fact that the fans and their families were here to support them and be vocal made for a good final home match.”
Castain scored the first goal of the game at the 41st minute when she knocked in a penalty kick to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead.
Just before halftime, freshman Alyssa Holsworth came off the bench and scored her first career goal to give the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead.
“We’ve felt great about our bench this whole year,” Zwaschka said. “We know that, especially over the course of the whole season, the depth is super important. The fact that we’re getting that productivity and positive minutes out of our bench is reassuring.”
In the second half, Castain placed a Myers assist into the net for her second goal of the night and Mountain West Conference (MWC)-leading 12th of the season.
“[Castain’s] play has been smart,” Zwaschka said. “And that goes for the players around her. She’s bringing other players into the play and luckily she’s been very fortuitous in goal-scoring.”
The Bulldogs have not lost a game in almost a month, since a 1-0 defeat at New Mexico on Sept. 29. At that point, Fresno State was 3-7-1 overall and still searching for its first MWC win. Since then, they have outscored their opponents 12-3, with four shutouts in seven games.
“We always say that it’s a marathon and you have to take it one game at a time,” Zwaschka said. “Unfortunately there were a few hard lessons along the way, but there were also some great moments.
“We just kept trying to learn and build and we feel pretty good about where we’re at toward the end of the season.”
Fresno State has one game remaining in the regular season — an intraconference matchup at San Jose State on Friday. Afterward, it’s the Mountain West Tournament, from Nov. 15-10, in Albuquerque, N.M.