OT win gives 'Dogs No. 1 seed

By Darrell Copeland III
The Collegian

Just kidding.

Just as Fresno State soccer fans had buckled themselves in for a 10-minute overtime period against Hawaii, the Bulldogs put the game away. A mere 27 seconds into the Bulldogs’ golden goal overtime period with the Rainbow Wahine, Fresno State scored the game’s lone goal, winning on an Antonea Lugo deflection from an Aubrey Tennant pass, 1-0.

“If you’re gonna win in overtime, why not do it in the first 30 seconds,” Fresno State coach Steve Springthorpe said.

The victory for the Bulldogs gives them the outright Western Athletic Conference title after they went undefeated with one tie in conference play.

“It feels good man, I mean, senior year, no goals against in conference, undefeated in conference, I mean you can’t ask for a better season. I’m thrilled,” Fresno State senior goalie Angie Larsen said.

For Lugo, the goal was a bit of redemption for what was previously an inconsistent performance, as she sporadically gave away possession of the ball to the Rainbow Wahine.

“Slightly OK,” Lugo said in regards to her play prior to the goal. “I was giving things away and I could’ve been playing better but I think I stepped up at the right moment.”

The blame for the lack of goals prior to Lugo’s game-winning goal could hardly be placed on her. Fresno State — behind 16 shots, eight of which were on goal — failed to capitalize on multiple gift-wrapped opportunities from the Rainbow Wahine, and missed point blank attempts for a goal at least twice.

That part of the game was surprising, but the biggest surprise was the record set by the Bulldogs as a result of the win over the Rainbow Wahine. The end of the WAC regular season marked the first time in Fresno State and WAC history a team did not allow a goal from an opponent during conference play. In seven conference matches, no Fresno State opponent has been able to score a goal on the Bulldogs’ defense. A large part of the credit, if not the majority, can be directed towards Bulldogs goalie Larsen, who came up big once again in the win.

Larsen made three saves, all in the second half, but her leadership on the field may have made the biggest difference.

“She’s a great motivator on the field,” Springthorpe said.

“Certainly she’s a great goalkeeper. She gets fired up back there and she keeps everybody going, and it’s all about positive stuff, she’s been yelling encouragement.”

The Bulldogs’ (12-5-2, 6-0-1 WAC) defeat of Hawaii (8-10-2, 2-5-0 WAC) gives them the top seed for the upcoming WAC Tournament, which will determine the participant for the NCAA Tournament.

“For us, I think we’re gonna have to win it,” Springthorpe said. “We’ve had a great season, we’ve gotten some national recognition but you don’t want to leave it up to a committee to make those decisions for you. You win the conference tournament and you get the automatic bid.”

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