Senior Weekend For UA, Facing No. 4 Stanford and California

Tucson, Ariz. - The University of Arizona Wildcat soccer team (9-4-1, 3-3) will host their pair of matches at Mulcahy Stadium on Friday and Sunday. The first matchup will be against No. 4 Stanford at 7 p.m. MST. Sunday, senior day for six Wildcats, will be against California with a start time set for 1 p.m. MST. The match versus California will be broadcast on the Pac-12 networks.

Friday’s match versus Stanford will be the 20th matchup between the two programs. In 2013, Arizona lost in double overtime to the Cardinal, 2-1. Stanford has scored 31 goals on the year and allowed four. Stanford has recorded 12 shutouts on the year, the best total in the Pac-12. Their No. 1 goalkeeper Jane Campbell has recorded 10 of those 12 shutouts, the No. 2 total in the conference. Chioma Ubogagu leads the conference in shots with 63, for an average of 4.20 a game, also the top mark in the Pac-12.

Sunday will be the 20th matchup between California and Arizona. The Golden Bears have poured in 32 goals and allowed 15. Taylor Comeau leads the team with 19 points, tallying seven goals and five assists. Samantha Witteman has also dished out five assists on the season.

The National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) week nine poll was released on October 21. The Pac-12 has five teams ranked in the top-25 poll. UCLA is first, Stanford is fourth, Washington is 18th, Washington State sits at 24th and Arizona State is 25th. The Wildcats moved up three places and now sit at the No. 27 spot in the NCAA RPI rankings that were released on Oct. 20.

For the Wildcats, ten student-athletes have scored 26 goals on the year. Those 26 goals are the sixth-best total among Pac-12 schools thus far. Senior forward Alexandra Doller has scored six goals for the Wildcats and she leads the team in shot attempts as well (55). That is the second-best total in the conference this season and she averages 3.93 shots per game, also the No. 2 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. Freshman Charlotte 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 six assists this year, which is tied for the No. 3 mark in the conference. Stoian has racked up 22 points for Arizona (goals are worth two, assists worth one) for an average of 1.57 points per game, which is the 16th-best mark in the NCAA and is the third-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 +8, surrendering 18 goals. Junior Sheaffer Skadsen, senior Mykaylin Rosenquist, junior Alexa Montgomery and sophomore Laura Pimienta combine to make-up the starting back four for the Wildcats. The team effort defensively has led to six shutouts in those 14 matches for Kaufman. Kaufman’s six shutouts are tied for the sixth-best total in the conference. Skadsen has scored two goals on the season, converting both attempts she has had at the penalty spot. Rosenquist pumped in her first goal of the season in the match against Washington State, Arizona’s fourth and final goal of the match.

The depth of Arizona has been on display throughout each match of the season, no less than 17 student-athletes have played in each match. In total, 22 student-athletes overall have gotten 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.

A complete recap and box score will be available at ArizonaWildcats.com after the match. Also follow @ArizonaWSoccer on Twitter for live updates. A free live stream will be available for the match against Stanford and the California match will be show on the Pac-12 Networks.