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2009 Womens Soccer Final Four

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Women's Soccer: 2009 NCAA Final Four Notes

Tampa & the Final Four? Due East...

TAMPA, Fla. -- The Cal State Dominguez Hills women's soccer team makes its fourth-ever appearance in the NCAA Final Four and first since 1997 when it fell in triple-overtime to Franklin Pierce.  Along with links to both live stats and live video, here's a preview of the 2009 NCAA Final Four, with images below from Monday's pep rally to wish the team well.

Leaving No Doubt:  The 2009 NCAA Final Four bound and 15th-ranked Toros punched their ticket to Tampa with a convincing 5-2 win over No. 13 West Texas A&M University last Sunday, led by scoring machine Jessica Murphy, who tallied two goals in the win.  After taking a 2-1 lead into the half, CSUDH tacked on three more scores, the game-winner coming on a Brooke Thompson corner kick that scooted into the low right corner of the goal untouched.
    Now at 16-8-2, the Toros pack their bags for Tampa, Florida, where they will meet undefeated and top-ranked  West Florida in a semifinal game on December 3.

The Final Four:  None of the other three Final Four teams has a loss on its 2009 ledger, with two teams boasting no draws as well.  In fact, the combined record for the three schools the Toros may face this weekend is 66-0-4, good for a .971 winning percentage.

About No. 1 West Florida (22-0): Riding a program-record 22 game winning streak as the top-ranked team in the nation, the Argos have streamrolled over their opponents this season, out-scoring their competition 115-9.  In fact, 14 of their 22 wins have come via shutout, including three games in which they have scored 10 goals, one game with 9, and six games with 6 or more scores.
    Junior midfielder Shakira Duncan paces UWF with 32 goals and 13 assists, with Shaneka Gordon's 25 goals and 20 assists right behind her high-powered teammate.  Dernelle Mascall (14g, 11a) and Marcela Franco (10g, 5a) also have tallied double-figure scores as the Argos have averaged 5.23 goals per game, compared to 0.41 for their opponents.  In goal, Courtney Jones leads a trio of keepers with all 22 starts this season, allowing just 7 goals for a 0.39 GAA.
    Last season, West Florida made it to the title game before falling 1-0 to Seattle Pacific University.
   
About No. 2 St. Rose (24-0):  The Golden Knights make their second-consecutive trip to the Final Four after taking out California (PA) by a 1-0 count.  A balanced squad, Amanda Deck's 9 goals and 7 assists pace SRU, with four players contributing 5 goals as St. Rose has out-scored its opponents 50-6 on the year.
    In net, a trio of keepers has kept the Golden Knights perfect on the year, with Susan Cowan's 6 shutouts and 0.15 GAA leading the defensive charge.

About No. 3 Grand Valley State (20-0-4): The Lakers enter the Final Four with a quartet of scorers leading their offense, paced by Ashley Botts' 14 goals and 5 assists, while keeper Chelsea Parise has logged over 2,100 minutes in goal, boasting 12 shutouts and a 0.43 GAA.
     In out-scoring their opponents 84-10, GVS opened the season with a 0-0 tie vs. Columbus State before running off 10-straight wins.  In the NCAA postseason, GVS opened with a 1-0 win over Bellarmine, a 0-0 tie vs. Northern Kentucky and a 3-0 win over the Colorado School of Mines before Thursday's clash with St. Rose.

Murphy & Peel Lead Three Toros Named Daktronics All-Region:  Sophomore striker Jessica Murphy and sophomore defender Paige Peel were voted as 1st-team Daktronics All-Region selections, while junior midfielder Makenzie Pedrotti was chosen to the 2nd-team, making both Murphy and Peel eligible for All-America honors, which will be announced later this month.
    In all, 14 CCAA players of 26 total were chosen to All-Region squads, as voted upon by the West Region Sports Information Directors.

CSUDH Against the Nation's Best: The Toros went 5-4 in their nine contests against ranked teams heading into the NCAA Final Four, winning four of the last five matches they have played in out-scoring their opponents 11-4.
    In the nine games, Jessica Murphy paced the offense with 6 goals and 2 assists, while Makenzie Pedrotti and Britney Vance each tallied 3 goals.  In two of the wins, keeper Alyssa Congdon posted 2 shutouts with the Toros winning two contests in overtime, and dropping one in double OT.

Toros Against the West's Best: The Toros went 5-4-2 in their 11 contests against teams that qualified for the West Regional, defeating No. 3 seed Seattle Pacific and No. 5 seed Dixie State, forging a 1-1-2 record against No. 2 seed UCSD, going 2-2 against top-seeded CSULA., and falling in their only meeting against No. 6 seed Chico State.
        In the 11 games, Jessica Murphy tallied 5 goals and 3 assists, with Britney Vance and Makenzie Pedrotti chipping in a pair of goals apiece, and 3 assists each by Murphy, Brooke Thompson and Lexi Ford.  After entering the regional with a 3-4-1 mark, CSUDH topped Dixie State and CSULA, and tied UCSD to for the right to face West Texas A&M in the quarters, advancing in PKs.

Toros Place Five on All-CCAA Teams: Sophomore striker Jessica Murphy earned her second-straight 1st-team All-CCAA selection to highlight 5 Toros to earn league honors.
    Junior Makenzie Pedrotti and sophomore Paige Peel earned 2nd-team All-CCAA awards, while junior Melissa Livergood was voted Honorable mention.  Redshirt freshman Britney Vance picked up the CCAA Newcomer of the Year award, giving the Toros three-straight after Melanie De Salvo (2008) and Yvonne Vasquez (2007) picked up the awards in their first seasons in Carson.

CCAA Player of the Week: Junior Alyssa Congdon picked up the lone Wilson/CCAA Player of the Week honor for the Toros during the 2009 season, adding to her list of accolades.
    Congdon led the Toros to a huge 2-0 win over #4 Seattle Pacific in CSUDH's regular season home finale, the first non-conference team to blank the defending national champions since the 2007 NCAA semifinals.  Congdon totaled 8 saves in helping the Toros become the first team in 33 matches to post a shutout against SPU.

And the Next Honor Is ... :  Sophomore Jessica Murphyand junior Makenzie Pedrotti continued to take in postseason honors as the duo was honored with NSCAA 2nd-team All-Region honors with Paige Peel earning a 3rd-team nod to give CSUDH, the lone West Region team left standing, its only three representatives on the NSCAA All-Region squad.  Additionally, head coach Joe Flanagan was voted the West Region Coach of the Year.

Toros Among the CCAA's Statistical Best:  Here's how CSUDH fared with the rest of the CCAA after the regular season.  Goals - Jessica Murphy (T2nd, 10); Game Winning Goals - Britney Vance (T3rd, 4), Jessica Murphy (T6th, 3); Points - Jessica Murphy (T4th, 25); Assists -  Jessica Murphy (T10th, 5).   Here's a look at the defensive leaders: Save Percentage - Alyssa Congdon (8th, .782); Shutouts - Alyssa Congdon (1st, 10); Saves - Alyssa Congdon (6th, 68); GAA - Alyssa Congdon (6th, 0.92).

There's No “I” in Team: Here's a look at how the Toros fared as a team on the offensive end in the CCAA after the regular season:  Points - 5th; Goals - 4th;  Assists - 7th.  And on defense:  Shutouts - T1st; Goals Allowed - T4th; GAA - 6th;  Saves - 11th.

Home (Not So) Sweet Home: The Toros won just half their games in Carson, winning 5 games and just 3 of 7 in the CCAA.  Shutouts recurred as CSUDH picked up all 5 wins via shutout, while being blanked twice in the 5 losses.
    Britney Vance paced the Toros with 4 goals, an assist and 2 game-winners, while Makenzie Pedrotti tallied 3 goals and 2 game-winners, followed by 2 goals and 2 assists by Jessica Murphy.  Lexi Ford and Brooke Thompson also tallied 2 assists each, while Yadira Gomez tallied her lone game winner in the 1-0 win over CSUS on September 25.

Road Warriors:  CSUDH was an impressive 9-2-1 away from the friendly confines of Toro Stadium, outscoring opponents 19-8 during the regular and postseason.  Jessica Murphy felt right at home with 9 goals, 3 assists and 4 game-winners, while Makenzie Pedrotti chipped in 3 scores and an assist.
    Keeper Alyssa Congdon was stingy away from Carson, boasting a 0.71 GAA and 5 shutouts, as well as four other contests allowing just 1 score.

On Neutral Ground:  The Toros have only had four games on neutral ground, going 2-1-1 in those contests.  Paige Peel notched the lone goal in the 1-1 2OT tie against UC San Diego, before CSUDH was blanked by CSULA in the CCAA title game in Turlock (CSUS), while the Toros bested Dixie State in the first round of NCAA play in Los Angeles (CSULA), before taking down West Texas A&M in the NCAA Quarterfinal match-up in La Jolla (UCSD).

What Sophomore Slump?:  Scoring sensation Jessica Murphy has continued her stellar play following 2008's breakthrough season.  After 14 goals, 7 assists and 3 game-winners that saw her claim 1st-team All-CCAA accolades, Murphy has tallied 15 goals, 6 assists and 4 more GWGs this season, as well as 1st-team Daktronics All-Region, 2nd-team NSCAA All-Region and 1st-team All-CCAA honors.
    A scoring machine, Murphy has 5 multi-goal contests, including back-to-back games to start CSUDH's 4-game win streak in mid-September, and one in the NCAA Quarterfinal win over No. 13 West Texas A&M after sitting out the West Region Final.
    In fact, Murphy has scored 5 goals and tallied one assist in her past three games, with multi-score efforts in two contests.

Home Grown:  Three Toros from the immediate area making significant contributions to this year's squad are sophomore forward Jessica Murphy, junior midfielder Melissa Livergood, and junior keeper Alyssa Congdon, who are all from Torrance.
    Additionally, Britney Vance (Downey), Kristan Boyle (Long Beach), Natalie Moreno (Lakewood), Karina Jahn (Redondo Beach), Danielle Shoemaker (Cypress) are five others who are within 15 minutes from Carson.

Vance the Vanquisher:  Redshirt freshman Britney Vance's timing has been impeccable this year, accounting for 4 game-winners in her 6 total goals on the year. 
    The Downey native scored her first two GWGs in her third and fifth games, both 1-0 nail-biting wins over CS San Marcos and CS San Bernardino.
    She then connected for No. 3 in another 1-0 win, this time on the road at Sonoma State, and followed that with No. 4 in the 2-1 OT road win at No. 18 UC San Diego to close the regular season, a win that catapulted the Toros to the No. 2 seed in the CCAA Championship Tournament.

The Future's So Bright...: Although the Toros eventually will bid a fond farewell to their three seniors once the 2009 season concludes, CSUDH's cupboard will be far from bare in 2010.  Of their five scorers with at least 2 goals, three are freshman (Britney Vance, Lexi Ford, Yadira Gomez), two are sophomores (Jessica Murphy, Paige Peel), and one is a junior (Makenzie Pedrotti), giving head coach Joe Flanagan ample weapons to make another run at the conference and national titles.

In the NCAA Postseason: CSUDH has made 11 trips to the NCAA postseason before this season, posting an 8-7-3 mark.  The Toros have made three trips to the Final Four, falling 1-0 to Keene St. in 1989, defeating Barry 3-0 and Sonoma State 2-1 en route to their lone NCAA Title in 1991, and falling 4-3 to Franklin Pierce during 1997's triple overtime thriller.

The Flanagan File:  As CSUDH women's head coach, Joe Flanagan has one CCAA Championship under his belt, as well as six NCAA postseason appearances, including 2009.  In the NCAA postseason, Flanagan's teams have gone 6-4-2, including a first round win in the past two seasons and three wins and a tie this year.




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