Friday, September 21
USAFA
6:05 p.m.
Air Force Academy
vs
Fresno State
Photo by: Dave Speer
Women's Soccer Begins Conference Play with Pair of Matches
9/19/2018 4:11:00 PM | Women's Soccer
The Falcons host Fresno State Friday before heading west to take on San Jose State Sunday
Fresno State Bulldogs (1-6-1) at Air Force Falcons (1-2-3)
Friday, Sept. 21, 6 p.m.
Cadet Soccer Stadium - USAFA
Air Force Falcons (1-2-3) at San Jose State Spartans (1-4-2)
Sunday, Sept. 23, 12:00 p.m. PT
Spartan Soccer Field - San Jose, Calif.
Broadcast Information
- Video Stream: Mountain West Network
- Live Statistics: StatBroadcast
- Twitter updates at @AF_wsoccer
Series History vs. Fresno State/SJSU (Full Series Info on Page 9 of Release):
- Friday will mark the ninth all-time meeting between Fresno and Air Force
- The Bulldogs own a 7-1 advantage in the series, with AF's last win coming in 2014
- Sunday will be the eighth time the Falcons have battled the Spartans
- San Jose leads the tally, 5-1-1, with AF's only win coming in the first meeting in 1996
Air Force Begins Mountain West Play With Home And Away Matches
The Air Force Academy women's soccer team begins its 20th season in the Mountain West with a pair of matches against California schools, starting by hosting Fresno State, Friday, Sept. 21, at Cadet Soccer Stadium, followed by a trip to the west coast to take on San Jose State, Sunday, Sept. 23. Sunday's match will be a milestone for the Falcon program, as it will mark the 500th match played since the program was started back in 1992.
Last Time Out
The Falcons played to a pair of draws this past week, a 2-2 tie vs. Houston, Sept. 13, and a 0-0 tie vs. Gonzaga, Sept. 16. A pair of seniors led the scoring vs. Houston, as forwards Taylor Cobb and Kaitlyn Cook each scored the first goals of their respective seasons. Freshman defender Keelyn Osoba assisted on the Cobb tally, while Cook's came on a penalty kick. Cobb's goal was the fifth of her Falcon career, while Cook's was her sixth. Senior goalie Jennifer Hiddink recorded her second shutout of the season, while making 18 total saves.
20th Season in the Mountain West
Friday will mark Air Force's 20th season as a member of the Mountain West Conference after being one of its charter members back in 1999. In 19 seasons, Air Force holds a 57-130-16 mark in conference matches. In MW conference openers, the Falcons are 4-13-2.
Raking in the Accolades
Senior goalie Jennifer Hiddink raked in a pair of accolades this past week, starting with being named the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week, Sept. 17. It was the first weekly award for Hiddink and the Falcons this season, and the second in her career. She followed that up by being named one of 30 candidates for the Senior CLASS Award, Sept. 19. Given annually to the student-athlete who excels in the four major categories of community, classroom, character and competition, Hiddink is the only representative from the Mountain West.
Among The Nation's Best
For the 2018 season, Hiddink has been one of the top keepers in both the conference and country. She is currently leading the Mountain West in both saves (48) and saves per game (8.00), while ranking second in save percentage (.857) and third in shutouts (2). Her saves per game are eighth in the NCAA, while her total saves are 26th and save percentage is 42nd. Over her last four matches, totaling 405 minutes, Hiddink has allowed just one true goal.
At Least It's Not A Loss...
With Air Force tying each of its last three matches, they have already matched the amount of draws they had all of last season. It was also the first time in program history the Falcons have tied three consecutive games. The program record for draws in a season is four, set back in 2006.
Hiddink The Brick Wall
Senior Jennifer Hiddink has had an outstanding Air Force career, and because of that she finds herself near the top of the Falcon record book in numerous categories. The veteran netminder is third in Air Force history in career saves with 293. She is 17 saves behind Kelly Stambaugh for second place all-time, and 72 away from breaking the program record of 364 set by Steph Jardine. In addition, the Wylie, Texas native is second in goals against average (1.32), tied for third in shutouts (11), while also ranking fourth in wins (16), and GK minutes (4375).
Rookies Racking Up The Minutes
With nine freshmen joining the roster entering the season, rookies have seen plenty of action over the first six matches. Six freshmen have combined to make 18 starts so far, while freshmen have accounted for 1,627 of the teams 6,567 combined minutes (24.7 percent).
Scouting Fresno State
The Bulldogs enter conference play with a 1-6-1 non-conference record, with their lone win coming in the season opener against Montana. They have lost their last five contests, and are 1-3 in true road matches. Fresno currently ranks in the bottom half in the conference in every major offensive category, as they have six total goals on the season, led by junior midfielder Tori Nicolo who has three of them. In net, two goalies have split time almost identically in seniors Marie Berwinkel-Kottman and Nicole Theroux. Both have allowed seven goals, while Berwinkel-Kottman has the slight edge with 20 saves and a 1.66 GAA.
Scouting San Jose State
The Spartans, like the Falcons and Bulldogs, enter conference play with just one win, as they are sporting a 1-4-2 ledger. They picked up their first win on Sept. 9 with a double overtime triumph over UC Davis. They are also near the bottom on offense, including scoring the fewest goals with just three so far in their seven matches. Junior forward Jamilecxth Becerra leads SJSU with two goals. At goalie, senior Paige Simoneau has played the majority of minutes, and has allowed six goals while recording 22 saves for a GAA of 0.93. She has also recorded two shutouts.
Opponent Connections
The Falcons have seven players from the Golden State, tied for the most from any state on the squad. The closest any of them come to either opponent are sophomores Jessica Groen and Jillian Jamero, who are from Ripon which is about 80 miles east of the SJSU.
Up Next
Air Force continues conference play by hosting two more matches at Cadet Soccer Stadium, beginning with the University of Nevada, Friday, Sept. 28, followed by UNLV, Sunday, Sept. 30. Kickoff against the Wolfpack is set for 6 p.m., while the match against the Rebels kicks off at noon.
Friday, Sept. 21, 6 p.m.
Cadet Soccer Stadium - USAFA
Air Force Falcons (1-2-3) at San Jose State Spartans (1-4-2)
Sunday, Sept. 23, 12:00 p.m. PT
Spartan Soccer Field - San Jose, Calif.
Broadcast Information
- Video Stream: Mountain West Network
- Live Statistics: StatBroadcast
- Twitter updates at @AF_wsoccer
Series History vs. Fresno State/SJSU (Full Series Info on Page 9 of Release):
- Friday will mark the ninth all-time meeting between Fresno and Air Force
- The Bulldogs own a 7-1 advantage in the series, with AF's last win coming in 2014
- Sunday will be the eighth time the Falcons have battled the Spartans
- San Jose leads the tally, 5-1-1, with AF's only win coming in the first meeting in 1996
Air Force Begins Mountain West Play With Home And Away Matches
The Air Force Academy women's soccer team begins its 20th season in the Mountain West with a pair of matches against California schools, starting by hosting Fresno State, Friday, Sept. 21, at Cadet Soccer Stadium, followed by a trip to the west coast to take on San Jose State, Sunday, Sept. 23. Sunday's match will be a milestone for the Falcon program, as it will mark the 500th match played since the program was started back in 1992.
Last Time Out
The Falcons played to a pair of draws this past week, a 2-2 tie vs. Houston, Sept. 13, and a 0-0 tie vs. Gonzaga, Sept. 16. A pair of seniors led the scoring vs. Houston, as forwards Taylor Cobb and Kaitlyn Cook each scored the first goals of their respective seasons. Freshman defender Keelyn Osoba assisted on the Cobb tally, while Cook's came on a penalty kick. Cobb's goal was the fifth of her Falcon career, while Cook's was her sixth. Senior goalie Jennifer Hiddink recorded her second shutout of the season, while making 18 total saves.
20th Season in the Mountain West
Friday will mark Air Force's 20th season as a member of the Mountain West Conference after being one of its charter members back in 1999. In 19 seasons, Air Force holds a 57-130-16 mark in conference matches. In MW conference openers, the Falcons are 4-13-2.
Raking in the Accolades
Senior goalie Jennifer Hiddink raked in a pair of accolades this past week, starting with being named the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week, Sept. 17. It was the first weekly award for Hiddink and the Falcons this season, and the second in her career. She followed that up by being named one of 30 candidates for the Senior CLASS Award, Sept. 19. Given annually to the student-athlete who excels in the four major categories of community, classroom, character and competition, Hiddink is the only representative from the Mountain West.
Among The Nation's Best
For the 2018 season, Hiddink has been one of the top keepers in both the conference and country. She is currently leading the Mountain West in both saves (48) and saves per game (8.00), while ranking second in save percentage (.857) and third in shutouts (2). Her saves per game are eighth in the NCAA, while her total saves are 26th and save percentage is 42nd. Over her last four matches, totaling 405 minutes, Hiddink has allowed just one true goal.
At Least It's Not A Loss...
With Air Force tying each of its last three matches, they have already matched the amount of draws they had all of last season. It was also the first time in program history the Falcons have tied three consecutive games. The program record for draws in a season is four, set back in 2006.
Hiddink The Brick Wall
Senior Jennifer Hiddink has had an outstanding Air Force career, and because of that she finds herself near the top of the Falcon record book in numerous categories. The veteran netminder is third in Air Force history in career saves with 293. She is 17 saves behind Kelly Stambaugh for second place all-time, and 72 away from breaking the program record of 364 set by Steph Jardine. In addition, the Wylie, Texas native is second in goals against average (1.32), tied for third in shutouts (11), while also ranking fourth in wins (16), and GK minutes (4375).
Rookies Racking Up The Minutes
With nine freshmen joining the roster entering the season, rookies have seen plenty of action over the first six matches. Six freshmen have combined to make 18 starts so far, while freshmen have accounted for 1,627 of the teams 6,567 combined minutes (24.7 percent).
Scouting Fresno State
The Bulldogs enter conference play with a 1-6-1 non-conference record, with their lone win coming in the season opener against Montana. They have lost their last five contests, and are 1-3 in true road matches. Fresno currently ranks in the bottom half in the conference in every major offensive category, as they have six total goals on the season, led by junior midfielder Tori Nicolo who has three of them. In net, two goalies have split time almost identically in seniors Marie Berwinkel-Kottman and Nicole Theroux. Both have allowed seven goals, while Berwinkel-Kottman has the slight edge with 20 saves and a 1.66 GAA.
Scouting San Jose State
The Spartans, like the Falcons and Bulldogs, enter conference play with just one win, as they are sporting a 1-4-2 ledger. They picked up their first win on Sept. 9 with a double overtime triumph over UC Davis. They are also near the bottom on offense, including scoring the fewest goals with just three so far in their seven matches. Junior forward Jamilecxth Becerra leads SJSU with two goals. At goalie, senior Paige Simoneau has played the majority of minutes, and has allowed six goals while recording 22 saves for a GAA of 0.93. She has also recorded two shutouts.
Opponent Connections
The Falcons have seven players from the Golden State, tied for the most from any state on the squad. The closest any of them come to either opponent are sophomores Jessica Groen and Jillian Jamero, who are from Ripon which is about 80 miles east of the SJSU.
Up Next
Air Force continues conference play by hosting two more matches at Cadet Soccer Stadium, beginning with the University of Nevada, Friday, Sept. 28, followed by UNLV, Sunday, Sept. 30. Kickoff against the Wolfpack is set for 6 p.m., while the match against the Rebels kicks off at noon.
Players Mentioned
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