Air Force Hosts San Jose State
9/23/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Sept. 23, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Air Force Falcons (3-6) vs. San Jose State Spartans (1-4-3)
Friday, Sept. 26 - Cadet Soccer Stadium - USAFA - 6 p.m. MST
Air Force Hosts San Jose State
The Air Force women's soccer plays host to San Jose State this Friday, Sept. 26, in its final non-conference game. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. at the Cadet Soccer Stadium.
Last Week
Air Force split a pair of matches at the Border Shootout in El Paso, Texas. The Falcons lost to tourney host UTEP, 3-1, on Friday. Bridgett Murphy scored the lone goal for the Falcons. On Sunday, Air Force dominated Grambling State and won 3-0. Murphy scored the first and third goals of the match and Roni Yadlin scored the second goal off a penalty kick.
Falcon Scoring Leaders
Freshman Bridgett Murphy leads Air Force with five goals scored. Senior Roni is second on the team with three goals and seven points.
Murphy Named MWC Women's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week
Air Force freshman forward Bridgett Murphy was named Mountain West Conference Women's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week, on Sept. 22.
Murphy scored three of Air Force's four goals at the Border Shootout in El Paso, Texas. Murphy scored the lone goal in a 3-1 loss to tournament host, UTEP. Against Grambling State, the forward scored the game-winning goal and added another in a 3-0 victory. The game-winner against GSU gave Murphy three on the season, tying the Air Force freshman record. Her five goals scored on the season are the most by a Falcon freshman since Jennifer Rowland scored seven in 2001.
Murphy is Air Force's first MWC Player of the Week honoree since Alison Wood earned MWC Defensive Player of the Week honors in 2005. Murphy is Air Force's first Offensive Player of the Week honoree.
Curtis & Wallace Split Goal keeping Duties
With a goalkeeper-by-committee approach, junior Ashlee Curtis and senior Erin Wallace have split time in front of the Falcon net. Curtis has made seven starts and logged 522 minutes in front of the net and has a 1.38 goals-against average. Wallace has made four starts and logged 248 minutes and has a 1.09 GAA. Freshman Ariana Green also saw her first action Sunday against Grambling recording two saves in 45 shutout minutes of action. The three have combined to record 32 saves and post a solid 1.21 GAA.
One of Nation's Youngest Teams
Air Force has 16 freshmen on its roster. That total makes up 64 percent of the roster. The Falcons have started six freshmen four times this year and at least five freshmen in eight of nine games.
Scouting San Jose State
San Jose State is 1-4-3 entering the week after dropping matches to San Francisco and Miami (Ohio). Junior forward Emmy Belding leads the Spartans with two goals scored. Freshman Jordan Santos leads SJSU with 612 minutes logged in front of the net to go with a 1.62 GAA. Sophomore Nina Butera started the last game for the Spartans, however, and has a 0.53 GAA in 170 minutes.
The Coaches
Marty Buckley is in his 17th year as the head coach at Air Force. The 1978 Chico State (CA) grad. has a 113-187-19 record at the Academy.
Jeff Leightman is in his first as head coach at San Jose State. The 1995 Binghamton grad. has a 103-70-4 record in 11 years as a head coach.
Opponent Connections
- Air Force has three players on its roster from California
Sr. M Roni Yadlin - Irvine (Woodbridge HS)
So. D Shannon Nail - Visalia (Golden West HS)
Fr. D Krystin Shanklin - Thousand Oaks (Westlake HS)
Series History vs. Opponents
Air Force takes on San Jose State for the second time ever. The two teams first played each other on Sept. 20, 1996, a 2-1 Air Force win in San Jose.
Season Honors
Bridgett Murphy
- Mountain West Conference Offensive POW (Sept. 22)
- AirForceFalcons.com Athlete of the Week (Sept. 8)
- Falcon Invitational All-Tournament Team
Krystin Shanklin
- Falcon Invitational All-Tournament Team
Up Next
Air Force opens Mountain West Conference play next week, at Wyoming Oct. 3.
