'Dogs look to get back on
track
Springthorpe
hopes to get on pace to .500 record with Long Beach State up next
Ryan Tubongbanua
/ The Collegian
The team has been voluntarily
practicing shooting for an extra 30 minutes the past two weeks.
The practice for junior Antonea Luga and the team paid off with
a school record 34 attempts against Sam Houston State this weekend. |
By Maggie Thach
The Collegian
The confidence from playing
in the UNLV Adidas Classic couldn’t have come at a more opportune
time for the Fresno State women’s soccer team, who came into the
tournament with a 1-5 record.
The Bulldogs posted wins over UNLV, a team that made the NCAA tournament
last year, and Sam Houston State, and were the only team in the Classic
to leave the Nevada tournament undefeated.
“We lost four in a row going into Vegas,” head coach Steve
Springthorpe said. “We beat a good UNLV team and that gave us a
confidence boost. Our plan is to get back to .500.”
The Bulldogs (3-5) have a good chance of being one game closer to breaking
even when they face the Long Beach State 49ers tonight at Bulldog Stadium,
thanks to some extra scouting the team did in Las Vegas.
“We were in the same tournament,” Springthorpe said. “We
were able to watch each other. They’re similar to us. It’s
going to be a hard-fought battle.”
The 49ers come into the match with a 5-1-1 record and came out of the
UNLV Adidas Classic with a win over Sam Houston State and a tie with UNLV.
Long Beach State has already posted four shutouts this season and outshot
its opponents 116-52 through seven games.
Fresno State has had some trouble offensively, going scoreless in games
against Cal Poly and Pacific but found an offensive groove in last week’s
tournament, matching a school record with 34 shot attempts in a 3-2 overtime
win over Sam Houston State. Now, all the Bulldogs need to do is capitalize
on their opportunities.
“We need to finish,” Springthorpe said. “We took 34
shot attempts, 18 or 19 were on goal and we only scored three goals. We’re
looking to get back on track at home.”
So far, winning at Bulldog Stadium has been a struggle.
“We haven’t had much luck at home,” said senior midfielder
Koleen Anderson.
All three victories for the Bulldogs have come on the road and they have
yet to post a win at home, unfamiliar territory for a team that won only
one road game all season last year.
“I’m happy we’re figuring things out now and not the
end of the season,” said forward Cortney Soberero. “Injuries
happen, people quit but we’re sorting everything out. We work with
what we’ve got.”
Knowing they have to improve on their shooting, the team has been coming
out 30 minutes before practice and getting repetition for the last couple
of weeks. Sobebro thinks with the extra preparation and newly-gained confidence,
her team is ready for Long Beach State.
“They’re a young team,” Sobrero said. “We need
to capitalize in the first five minutes and get an early lead. We can’t
give them a chance.”
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