UA Soccer Takes On Huskies In Washington
Seattle, Wash. - The University of Arizona Wildcat soccer team will look to earn a sweep for the second-straight weekend in Pac-12 play. The Wildcats will take on the Washington Huskies at 1 p.m. MST on Oct. 12. The match will be broadcast live on the Pac-12 Networks.
Friday’s match versus Washington State ended with Arizona winning by a score of 4-1. The Wildcats trailed 1-0 and then rattled up four unanswered goals thanks to senior Alexandra Doller (two), freshman Charlotte Brascia and Mykaylin Rosenquist. It was the first time the Wildcats have beat the Cougars since 2004.
Sunday’s match against Washington will also be the 20th matchup in UA history. The Wildcats have drawn in the last two matches against the Huskies. They are 8-4 (1-2 Pac-12) on the season, scoring 20 goals and allowing 17 this year. Their 17 goals allowed is tied for the worst mark in the conference this year. Kimberly Keever leads the team in goals with five on the season, a total that is tied for No. 9 in the conference this year. Jaclyn Softli has scored three game-winning goals for the Huskies on the season.
The National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) week seven poll was released on October 7. The Pac-12 has four teams ranked in the top-25 poll. UCLA is first, Stanford is third, Arizona State is 19th and California is 22nd. The Wildcats sit at the No. 36 spot in the NCAA RPI rankings.
For the Wildcats, nine student-athletes have scored 22 goals on the year. Those 22 goals are the sixth-best total among Pac-12 schools thus far. Doller has scored four goals for the Wildcats and she leads the team in shot attempts as well (43). That is the third-best total in the conference this season and she averages 3.91 shots per game, the No. 1 mark in the Pac-12. Paige Crouch has pumped in two goals this year. Crouch is a sophomore that has returned to action after missing nearly all of 2013 with a knee injury. Doller assisted on Crouch’s first goal and also assisted on junior Kaitlyn Lopez’s first goal of the season, coming against Idaho. Brascia, junior Hayley Estopare, junior Lexe Selman, have each contributed goals to the Wildcats. Senior LeeAndra Smith has taken one shot on the season and it was the game-winning goal against NAU in the home-opening match. Freshman Gabi Stoian has scored eight goals for the Wildcats, tied for the fourth-best total in the Pac-12. Stoian has also tallied five assists this year, which is tied for the No. 2 mark in the conference. Stoian has racked up 21 points for Arizona (goals are worth two, assists worth one) for an average of 1.91 points per game, which is the16th-best mark in the NCAA and is the second-best mark in the Pac-12.
On the defensive side, the Wildcats’ experienced group of defenders in front of senior goalkeeper Gabby Kaufman has been very effective thus far. The Wildcats have a goal differential of +13, surrendering nine goals. Junior Sheaffer Skadsen, Rosenquist, junior Alexa Montgomery and sophomore Laura Pimienta combine to make-up the back four for the Wildcats. The team effort defensively has led to six shutouts in those 11 matches for Kaufman. Kaufman’s six shutouts are tied for the fourth-best total in the conference. The quartet of defenders, Skadsen, Rosenquist, Montgomery and Pimienta, all played the full 90 minutes against Oregon. Skadsen has scored two goals on the season, converting both attempts she has had at the penalty spot.
The depth of Arizona has been on display throughout each match of the season. No less than 19 student-athletes have seen the field in each match, with 22 student-athletes overall getting time on the pitch for the Wildcats.
On Sept. 8, Gabi Stoian was named Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week for her work in the matches against No. 6 Texas A&M and Oklahoma State. She tallied two assists and three goals, contributing to all five goals the Wildcats scored over the weekend. Stoian was also named College Sports 360 National Primetime Player of the Week on Sept. 8 for her accomplishments.
Goalkeeper Gabby Kaufman began the season tied for fourth place in school history with nine shutouts for her career. She has recorded six this season in the first 11 matches bringing her total to 15, the second-highest tally in UA history. Kaufman’s six shutouts on the season are tied for the No. 3 mark in program history as well. Gabi Stoian is one of only six athletes in school history to record a hat trick in a match, the last coming in 2005, courtesy of Mallory Miller. Her eight goals on the year are already tied for the sixth-best mark in program history for goals in a season. She has tallied 21 points on the season, the No. 6 total in UA history. Stoian’s five assists this season are tied for the fifth-best total in school history.
Arizona bounced back from their loss to USC with a 2-0 victory over the Beavers of Oregon State on Oct. 3. Sheaffer Skadsen buried her second penalty kick of the season in what proved to be the game-winning goal at the 19:53 mark. In the second half, Gabi Stoian’s corner kick found the head of Kaitlyn Lopez, her second goal of the season and Stoian’s fifth assist. Gabby Kaufman posted her fifth shutout of the season. The Arizona defense did not allow a shot on target all game and only two shots in total.
The Wildcats swept the Oregon schools after Sunday’s 1-0 victory over the Ducks of Oregon. It is the first Pac-12 weekend sweep Arizona has completed since 2005 and that was also against the Oregon schools in Tucson. Arizona had a dream start as Gabi Stoian scored just 39 seconds into the match. Jaden DeGracie had a long flip throw-in that deflected off an Oregon defender. Stoian recovered the ball, took one touch and fired the shot from the top of the 18-yard box into the bottom right corner of the net. Kaufman and the Arizona defense posted their sixth shutout of the season, the fourth-best total in the Pac-12 this year.
A complete recap and box score will be available at ArizonaWildcats.com after the match. Also follow @ArizonaWSoccer on Twitter for live updates. The Pace-12 Networks will broadcast both games live.