The Fresno State women's soccer team will be looking to stretch their undefeated streak out a little further this week. The Bulldogs travel to Cal Poly on Friday, Sept. 23 before finally returning home to host No. 8 Pepperdine on Sunday, Sept. 25 inside Bulldog Stadium at 1 p.m.

About the Mustangs (6-3-1)
Head Coach Alex Crozier is in his 19th year with Cal Poly and has amassed over 200 wins during his tenure. His Big West team narrowly missed upsetting then No. 9 Pepperdine on Sept. 18. The Mustangs held onto a 1-0 lead until Pepperdine scored on a free kick with 1:40 to play in the match. The teams ended in a 1-1 tie after two overtimes. Cal Poly is ranked No. 9 in the west region by the Nationa Soccer Coaches Association of America. A key player to watch is freshman Sara Lancaster. She has five goals.

About the Waves (7-0-2)
Head Coach Tim Ward is in his 14th season with Pepperdine. He took over the program in its fourth year and boasts a 144-81-35 record heading into 2011. Key players to watch are Lynn Williams and Anisa Guajardo. The pair have combined for nine goals and seven assists to lead the team with 14 and 11 points respectively. It was Guajardo's goal that helped lead to the Waves' 1-1 tie against Cal Poly on Sept. 18.

Wrangling the Mustangs
The Bulldogs trail in the series (3-8) against Cal Poly. The last time the two teams met in San Luis Obispo, the match was tied at the end of regulation. The Mustangs found the back of the net in the extra minutes to take the win 1-0 on Sept. 24, 2006. Head Coach Brian Zwaschka has yet to face Cal Poly since taking over at the helm of the Bulldogs.

Riding the Wave
The Bulldogs are 1-2 all-time against Pepperdine. The last time the Waves came to Fresno, the 'Dogs pulled out a 2-0 shutout, earning their first win in the series on Aug. 25, 2000. Zwaschka is 0-1 against the Waves. The last time Zwaschka met the West Coast Conference team, Pepperdine took the match 2-0 on Aug. 20, 2010.

Bulldogs vs. Opposing Conferences
Fresno State is 19-43-4 all-time against Big West opponents and Zwaschka is 1-8-1. The Bulldogs are 12-16-2 all-time against WCC opponents, Zwaschka 1-2-1.

De Vault is on Lockdown
Freshman Katie De Vault earned her second Western Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week honor for her role in the Bulldogs going undefeated Sept. 12-18. She finished with 19 saves in two matches. The goalkeeper picked up her third shutout against Air Force (Sept. 18) after having held Colorado College scoreless for 97 minutes to grab the 1-1 tie on Sept. 16. She was named WAC Defensive Player of the Week (Aug. 29) and Fresno State Sysco Student-Athlete of the Week (Aug. 29) after helping the Bulldogs to two straight shutouts, USF (Aug. 26) and No. 21 LMU (Aug. 28). She currently leads the WAC in saves (53) and is second in saves per game (5.89).

More Than A Number, A National Name
Fresno State sits in the top 25-percentile in the country for scoring offense. The Bulldogs are ranked No. 32 in shutout percentage and three student-athletes ranked individually. Freshman Katie DeVault is No. 16 in total saves and top 90 in save percentage. Other Bulldogs in the national rankings are senior Molly Nizzoli (No. 100 in assists) and sophomore Morgan Castain who is ranked No. 113 in goals/gm and No. 146 in points/gm.

Leaders of the Pack
At the end of week one, the Fresno State women's soccer team led the Western Athletic Conference in five categories: points (10.5), goals (6), goals per game (3.00), assists (9) and assists per game (4.50). The Bulldogs currently lead the WAC in points (52), goals (17), goals per game (1.89), assists (18) and assists per game (2.00). The Bulldogs are second in saves (54), shutouts (5) and corners (42), while committing the lowest number of fouls (47). Fresno State holds the game-high in team assists record for 2011 with six (Aug. 21 vs UTSA).

Facing the Crème de la Crop
The Bulldogs have already faced off against three nationally ranked teams this year with at least one more remaining. Against top teams in the country, the 'Dogs have a 0-2-1 record. They will face No. 8 Pepperdine next at home on Sept. 25 at 1 p.m.

Now That's Using Your Head
The Bulldogs have scored a header goal in each of their last three matches. Senior Molly Nizzoli has assisted two of the goals off corner kicks. The noggin nudgers include sophomores Kayla Kret (at UCLA Sept. 11) and Lauren Lindstrom (at Air Force Sept. 18) and freshman Jaycee Bingham (at Colorado College Sept. 16). Lindstrom assisted Bingham's goal by serving it from the right side.

High Endurance Not A Challenge
Several Bulldogs have put in serious minutes on the pitch. Out of 850 mins of gametime, senior Kendall VanDine and sophomore Kayla Kret have played the full 850 for the 'Dogs this year. Senior Molly Nizzoli, sophomore Lauren Lindstrom and freshman Katie DeVault have also each put in 90 minutes or more in seven of the nine matches.

Bulldogs in Extra Minutes
Fresno State has seen two overtime matches this season. The Sept. 16 match against Colorado College that ended in a 1-1 tie was sent into overtime by header goal with under three minutes to play in regulation. The Bulldogs also took No. 21 Loyola Marymount through two overtimes before the match was decided a 0-0 tie. In 2010, the Bulldogs took eight games into extra minutes, including a streak of three consecutive overtime matches. This year the Bulldogs are 0-0-2 in overtime matches compared to 2-2-4 a year ago.

"We Are Your Team!" Look out for the Bulldogs big promotion during their next home match against No. 8 Pepperdine on Sept. 25 at 1 p.m. Every fan in attendance will receive a prize. You can always stay connected with Fresno State Athletics on Facebook (fresnostateathletics) and Twitter (@FSAthletics).

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