Two Top-Ten Matchups at Home for Wildcats
10/03/2017 | Soccer
TUCSON, Ariz. – The University of Arizona women's soccer team (5-3-2, 2-1 Pac-12) will host No. 6 USC (8-1-1) this Thursday, Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. and No. 1 UCLA (10-0-1) this Sunday, Oct. 8 at 12 p.m. in Tucson, Ariz. at Mulcahy Stadium. The Wildcats are 5-16-2 against the Trojans all-time and 1-22 against the Bruins all-time.
Both teams are coming off of two-win weekends in the Pac-12. UCLA topped Oregon and Oregon state, while USC followed suit with the same wins. USC's only loss this season came as a 2-1 loss against the Kansas Jayhawks. UCLA's has won all games but one when they tied Pepperdine 1-1.
Bears Down
The Wildcats traveled to the Bay Area last weekend to take on No. 2 Stanford and No. 11 California. The team battled against a talented Stanford squad that fired 32 shots but scored only once on a rebound that was not marked of Stanford's usual attack. Credit Lainey Burdett with 11 saves (career high, previous 6) in that match against the No. 1 ranked offense. However, the Cats split the weekend when they toppled the Golden Bears off true freshman Jada Talley's first goal.
In the Burdett Cage
Junior Burdett has played all ten matches for the Wildcats this season. Her goals-against average in those matches is only 0.67 as she has allowed only seven goals. Although Burdett has a strong defensive line in front of her that has prevented most shots from finding the frame, Burdett has made some really huge saves this season. The match against Stanford saw 11 saves for Burdett, each one trumping the last as she used fingertips, kick saves, and fully-extended dives to hold back the Cardinal's swell of shots. Burdett has four shutouts on the season (including against No.11 California), pushing her career count to 14. She has 147 career saves which is eighth all-time.
Stuck in the Middle with Two
Sophomore Kelcey Cavarra and Junior Kennedy Kieneker have not made an enormous impact on the goal column this season, but these two veteran midfielders have been a pivotal point of the Wildcats success so far this season. Kieneker has 19 shots on the season, none of which have found the net but she plays almost every minute and blocks countless shots. Kelcey Cavarra scored a gritty goal on a corner kick against Oregon and has 14 shots on the season, but also rarely leaves the pitch and controls the middle.
Crisler's Crosses and Corners
Arizona has earned more corners than their opponent in every match save one (Stanford) this season. They had a season-high 15 corner kicks against Oregon on Sep. 23 in their 3-1 victory over the Ducks. The Wildcats have taken 70 corner kicks this season versus their opponents 35. Most have come from Crisler and have generated countless opportunities for the team.
Breaking the Dam
The Wildcats had some trouble getting their offensive river flowing this season, taking 94 shots before their match against BYU on Sept. 15, but only scoring four goals (4.26%). There were no shortage of chances but the team couldn't find the back of the net. Since then, the Wildcats have broken the dam with their offensive prowess, finding six goals on only 48 shots (12.5%) in the last four matches against a BYU team that was receiving votes, No. 2 Stanford, and No. 11 California.
New Line of Defense
Arizona's back line for every match this season has been Samantha Falasco, Brandi Park, Sabrina Enciso, and Morgan McGarry. Falasco and Park saw over 2,500 combined minutes on defense last season, while McGarry and Enciso are new to the starting lineup. Together, the four defenders have been a major part in Arizona's four shutout matches this season, limiting their six opponents to only 43 shots-on-frame in 10 games (avg. 4.3 per game).
Defensive Points
Samantha Falasco has been a huge part of the Wildcat's defensive effort this season as discussed in "A New Line of Defense." However, she also put away the Wildcat's lone goal in their match against Texas Tech on Sept. 10 with her nose off a corner from Cali Crisler. This goal matched her tally from the final match of the 2016 season where Falasco scored again off a Crisler cross to beat rival Pac-12 school ASU 1-0 in the final minutes of the match. She scored again last weekend against the Ducks, battling in the box to get off two shots and finding the back of the net after a flick from Kennedy Kieneker put the ball at her feet.
One More Go Around for Gabi
Senior Gabi Stoian is poised to finish her career as the most decorated player in Arizona history. The Scottsdale native started every game last season and earned 1,503 minutes of time over the course of the season. She scored six goals and tallied five assists for a total of 17 points. These stats pushed her career numbers to 25 goals, 20 assists and 70 points. Stoian is second all-time in each of those categories and is in striking distance of breaking all three of those records in 2017. Her two goals at the Sun Devil Desert Classic have moved her one step closer to building that legacy.
FOLLOW SOCCER ON SOCIAL MEDIA!
Fans can keep up with the latest in Arizona women's soccer by following us on Facebook (Facebook.com/ArizonaWSocccer), Twitter (@ArizonaWSoccer), Instagram (arizonasoccer), Youtube (Youtube.com/arizonawildcatsoccer) and Vine (Arizona Soccer).
