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Women's Soccer

Women's Soccer: 2008 NCAA Far West Regional Notes


Tournament Bound:  Below is information on the five other teams that qualified for the West Region tournament in 12th-ranked Western Washington, 4th-ranked Seattle Pacific, 19th-ranked UC San Diego, San Francisco State and BYU-Hawai'i, their overall records, CSUDH's record against them, and a series capsule (if applicable).

No. 1 Seed WWU (16-2-2, 0-1)      
No. 2 Seed SPU (17-1-2, 0-1)           
No. 3 Seed UCSD (14-3-4, 0-3)         
No. 4 Seed SFSU (12-6-3, 0-1)
No. 5 Seed CSUDH (13-9)
No. 6 Seed BYU-H (8-4, N/A)

Against #12 Western Washington:  The GNAC Champions took a 2-0 decision over the Toros on September 1, handing the Toros their first loss of the 2008 season.  In the contest, CSUDH managed just 8 shots and 2 on goal, with Danielle Shoemaker taking 4 of the attempts, while Toro keeper Alyssa Congdon made 5 saves as WWU notched both goals in the second period.
 
Against #4 SPU: Then ranked No. 8 in the nation, the Falcons took a 3-2 overtime win over the Toros on September 3 as freshman Jessica Murphy gave CSUDH an indication of things to come with a goal and an assist in the loss.  After SPU took a two-goal lead a few minutes into the second half, Murphy cut the lead in half and Yvonne Vasquez tied the contest, only to see Falcon Amanda Johnson end the contest with just 1:55 left in the second overtime.
 
Against #19 UC San Diego: The CCAA Champion Tritons took all three games against the Toros, including a 3-1 victory in the CCAA Title game.  Outscored 7-4 in the three games, MaKenzie Pedrotti, Yvonne Vasquez, Karina Jahn and Melissa Livergood each found the back of the net in losing by a combined 4 goals.
 
Against San Francisco State: The Toros' first round opponent blanked CSUDH 2-0 in San Francisco on September 14 despite being outshot 16-7 and out-cornered 9-2.  Senior forward Yvonne Vasquez tallied a team-best 4 shots in the loss as SFSU tallied a single goal in each half for the win.  A physical contest, CSUDH was whistled for 18 fouls, compared to 17 for the Gators.
 
About BYU-Hawai'i: Earning the Pac West's automatic bid into the regional, the Seasiders finished the 2008 campaign with an 8-4 record, including 4-3 in conference.  Emily Mearns and Natasha Aiono lead BYUH with 6 goals apiece, with Mearns also contributing a team-best 8 assists.  Amongst common opponents in 2008, the Seasiders lost to Sonoma State 4-1 and beat Grand Canyon 4-1.

Toros Fall in CCAA Conference Final:  UC San Diego raced out to a two-goal first half lead in front of an announced crowd of 1,234 in La Jolla, and withstood a late Toro charge to take a 3-1 win over CSUDH to claim the 2008 CCAA Championship.  After Melissa Livergood cut UCSD's lead in half at the 62 minute mark, CCAA Player of the Year Natasha Belak-Berger iced the game with a penalty kick conversion just five minutes later to account for the final scoring, which sealed the win.

Toros Place Two on Daktronics All-Region Teams: Junior midfielder Melanie DeSalvo was named a 1st-team Daktronics All-Region selection, and was joined by Jessica Murphy, who earned 2nd-team honors.  With the 1st-team selection, DeSalvo, who finished 3rd in the CCAA in game-winning goals and points, and tied for sixth in goals in her first season as a Toro, now is eligible for All-America consideration.

CSUDH Against the Nation's Best: The Toros were an unimpressive 1-4 against ranked teams during the regular season, including two of those to UC San Diego.  After allowing 3 goals in losses to No. 8 Seattle Pacific (3-2), No. 2 NAIA Azusa Pacific (3-0) and No. 25 UC San Diego (3-2), the Toros came back with a vengeance against No. 12 Sonoma State in a decisive 6-2 victory.  That momentum was short-lived, however, as CSUDH fell in its next game against a ranked team, falling again to UCSD 3-1 in the CCAA Championship game.

Toros Against the West's Best: The Toros went winless in six tries against the 2008 NCAA Far West Region qualifiers, and were outscored 15-6 in the process.  CSUDH fell to the Far West's top four seeds, including three times to UC San Diego and to both Western Washington and Seattle Pacific, which handed CSUDH its first two losses of the year.  In those six games, Yvonne Vasquez led the way with 2 scores with Jessica Murphy tallying 2 assists while the opposition earned 15 assists to match their 15 goals.

Toros Place Four on All-CCAA Teams: Junior midfielder Melanie DeSalvo earned CCAA Newcomer of the Year honors, and joined freshman Jessica Murphy as 1st-team selections to highlight a total of four Toros named to All-CCAA teams as voted on by the CCAA women's soccer head coaches.  Senior Yvonne Vasquez earned a 2nd-team All-CCAA honor while sophomore keeper Alyssa Congdon garnered her second-consecutive 3rd-team All-CCAA accolade to round out the decorated quartet.

CCAA Players of the Week: Sophomore Alyssa Congdon and freshman Jessica Murphy both garnered Brine CCAA Player of the Week honors during the 2008 season, adding to their list of accolades. Congdon led the Toros to a pair of 1-0 wins the week of September 22-29, while Murphy notched 3 goals and an assist during the week of October 6-12, including a game-winner and an equalizer, spurring a scoring outburst that saw the Torrance native connect for 6 goals total.

The Last Hurrah: This marks the final postseason for four Toro seniors in Monique Castro, Yvonne Vasquez, Kelly Matosian and Cassie McKay, who between them have three years of NCAA playoff experience under their collective belts.  In fact, Castro is in her fifth year in Carson after using a medical redshirt in 2005.

Toros Among the CCAA's Statistical Best: Here's how CSUDH fared with the rest of the CCAA entering the Far West Regional.  Goals - Jessica Murphy (T1st, 12), Melanie DeSalvo (T6th, 8); Game Winning Goals - Melanie DeSalvo (3rd, 4); Points - Jessica Murphy (1st, 31), Melanie DeSalvo (T3rd, 20), Yvonne Vasquez (T6th, 19); Assists - Yvonne Vasquez (T1st 9), Jessica Murphy (T3rd, 7).   Here's a look at the defensive leaders:  Save Percentage - Alyssa Congdon (8th, .746); Shutouts - Alyssa Congdon (T5th, 5.0); Saves - Alyssa Congdon (2nd, 97).

There's No “I” in Team: Here's a look at how the Toros fare as a team on the offensive end in the CCAA:  Points - 2nd; Goals - 2nd;  Assists - 3rd.  And on defense:  Shutouts - 9th; Goals Allowed - 10th; GAA - 10th;  Saves - 4th.

Home Sweet Home: The Toros won 67% o their games in Carson, winning 6 of 9 matches played at Toro Stadium.  In those wins, CSUDH outscored its opponents 18-4, including 3 of the victories by shutout.
    Additionally, the Toros boasted a 4-game win streak at home from September 26 through October 5, which included a 6-2 drubbing of then No. 12 ranked Sonoma State.  In the 6 wins, Melanie DeSalvo led the way with 4 goals, while Yvonne Vasquez tallied 5 assists and 2 goals.  Keeper Alyssa Congdon (pictured) was at her most consistent during that stretch, boasting a GAA of 0.67.

The Road Less Traveled:  CSUDH was an even 6-6 away from the friendly confines of Toro Stadium, outscoring their opponents by a 25-24 count.  In those games, Jessica Murphy supplied the majority of the offense with 8 goals and 5 assists, both good for tops on the team.  But it was Melanie DeSalvo who connected for two game-winners in that stretch to help keep CSUDH's head afloat away from Toro Stadium.

Murphy's Law:  Freshman sensation Jessica Murphy has enjoyed a stellar campaign in her first year in Carson.  Not only does she boast a 2nd-team All-Region honor and 1st-team All-CCAA accolade, she was neck-and-neck with UCSD's Natasha Belak-Berger, who claimed CCAA Offensive MVP honors.  In fact, Murphy surpassed the Triton senior in all three major categories (goals, assists, points) to end the regular season. A scoring machine, Murphy has three games with two goals, including 6 in a span of 4 games from October 3-12, in which the Toros won all 4 games.

Home Grown:  Three Toros from the immediate area making significant contributions to this year's squad are freshman forward Jessica Murphy, sophomore midfielder Melissa Livergood, sophomore keeper Alyssa Congdon, who are all from Torrance.
    Additionally, junior keeper Emily Rodin (San Pedro), Kristan Boyle (Long Beach), Natalie Moreno (Lakewood), Karina Jahn (Redondo Beach), Cassie McKay (Bellflower), Danielle Shoemaker (Cypress), Kelly Matosian (Lakewood) and Yvonne Vasquez (Norwalk) are eight others who are within 15 minutes from Carson.

Lucky No. 7:  Junior Natalie Moreno has started just 2 of her 22 games this year, but her contributions have been much more meaningful.  The Wilson High product has notched 4 goals on the year, and the Toros are a perfect 4-0 in those games, three of which have been on the road.

Streaks: After sputtering out of the gate with a 3-5 record to kick off the year, the Toros ran off seven-consecutive wins to make a charge at both the CCAA and NCAA postseason, successfully reaching both tournaments.  In that seven-game stretch during which CSUDH outscored its opponents 20-7, including three-consecutive shutouts, Jessica Murphy led the offense with 6 goals and 2 assists, while Melanie DeSalvo (4 goals, 1 assist), Natalie Moreno (3 goals, 1 assist) and Yvonne Vasquez (1 goal, 4 assists) all did their part in the run.

Matosian Matters: At times a seemingly forgotten piece of the Toro puzzle this year with the addition of freshman striker Jessica Murphy and attacking center midfielder Melanie DeSalvo to complement returning 2nd-team All-Region selection Yvonne Vasquez, senior forward Kelly Matosian has chipped in 3 goals and 4 assists this season, none bigger than the game-winner against Sonoma State in the CCAA semifinal on November 7.  The Toros are 3-0 when the Lakewood native scores, and are 2-1 when she garners an assist.

The Future's So Bright...: Although the Toros eventually will bid a fond farewell to their four seniors once the 2008 season concludes, CSUDH's cupboard will be far from bare in 2009.  Of their eight scorers with at least 2 goals, two are freshmen, one is a sophomore and three are juniors, giving head coach Joe Flanagan ample weapons to make another run at the conference and national titles.
     Add to the picture redshirt senior Jackie Chavez, who was injured in preseaon, and the Toros will again be strong in 2009.

The Flanagan File:  As CSUDH women's head coach, Joe Flanagan has one CCAA Championship under his belt, as well as three NCAA postseason appearances.
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