Bulldogs soccer has right appeal
Goalie gloves are big
Darrell Copeland III |
It’s nice to have a top 25 team back in Bulldog Stadium.
Sometimes, all it takes is a little defense to boost your reputation, and the No. 23 Fresno State Bulldogs definitely have that — the soccer team that is.
The defensive-minded women of the Bulldogs soccer team have achieved great success so far this season, and so far, it seems as though nobody has noticed to this point.
Andrew Riggs / The Collegian
Fresno State forward Nicole Gutierrez attempts to get by a Sacramento State defender in the Bulldogs’ 2-0 victory over the Hornets, Sunday.
|
Fresno State’s goalie, Angie Larsen, has just already received her second Western Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week Award, and we have yet to hit conference play.
Entering Tuesday, the Bulldogs had allowed only two goals this season, a 2-0 loss to then No. 14 Utah. In other words, Larsen and her Bulldogs teammates have posted shutouts in seven of their eight games this season.
We all know soccer is a low scoring sport, but good grief, seven shutouts in eight games is a lot.
Maybe you soccer fiends out there can find a way to support the Bulldogs a tad more — it is another chance to sit in Bulldog Stadium after all.
It might be cool if the RedZone and some of its members went out there and chanted “olé” for a while. Then they could get some of those blow up sticks and slap them together for a while. Never mind, those are just plain annoying, just stick to the olés.
Before you start to get your creative excuses not to go juices flowing, let’s steer you the other way.
You’ve probably already thought about the fact that a shutout means boredom, and it usually does.
But for Fresno State, that really hasn’t been the case this season, at least so far.
There are guaranteed to be your fair share of yellow cards from slide tackles, some pushing and shoving amidst fighting for the ball and if Sunday’s game is any measuring stick, maybe a bloodied opponent’s nose.
There’s bound to be some goals as well, and the good thing about it is that most likely, most, if not all of the goals are bound to be on behalf of the Bulldogs.
Hey, you’re in college now, it’s time to experiment a little. I promise you won’t even get in trouble.
(Actually, I have no control over that, so maybe you will, maybe you won’t. Good luck with that).
Anyway, this soccer team, the Fresno State soccer team, is definitely worth watching.
All of this and I’m not even a soccer fan.
Comment on this story in the Sports forum >>
|
