Women's soccer to play UC-Riverside

By Kim Anderson

The Fresno State women’s soccer team takes on UC Riverside in its second home match of the season tonight at 7 at Bulldog Stadium.

The Bulldogs have never played UC Riverside, and coach Stacy Welp said it will be a very interesting game.

“ It will be a good challenge for us,” Welp said.

Welp said the main goals for the team are to limit opponents’ corner kicks.

Even though UC Riverside is a young team, with seven freshman and 10 sophomores, the Huskies have done well, beginning their season 3-1-1 with wins over Central Michigan, Gonzaga, and Long Island.

Last week on the road, the Bulldogs played three teams and earned a win, a loss and a tie. Welp said, “This prepares us for when we play other challenging teams.”

The first game on the road, at Pacific, ended in a 2-2 tie. After allowing two goals, the Bulldogs came back to tie it up but were unable to penetrate the net after two overtime periods and allowed their first tie since the 1999 season.

The Bulldogs then traveled to Saint Mary’s and earned a 3-1 victory over the Gaels. All the goals were scored within the first 50 minutes, but only eight total shots were taken by the Bulldogs.

“ The Saint Mary’s game was a big win,” said senior forward Kristyn Kellogg.

The last match of the three game trip was against No. 13 California. The Golden Bears scored two unanswered goals and outshot the Bulldogs 15-5.

Welp said a tough road schedule helps her team stay focused and organized, but there is also a possibility the players might get fatigued.

“ Being on the road will probably catch up with us after our next road trip,” senior midfielder Erin Sayegusa said.

After tonight’s home game, the Bulldogs will go on the road again for the Husky/Nike Invitational. They will battle host Washington (3-1-2) and defending NCAA champion No. 10 Portland (4-2-0).