Aug. 29, 2000
THIS WEEK
LOOKING AHEAD
IN THE POLLS THE REAL THING: Washington officially opens its 2000 season on the road with a pair of games at the Diadora Challenge in Omaha, Neb. The Huskies meet No. 21 Creighton in the opener Sat., Sept. 2, followed by a game against No. 13 SW Missouri State Sunday. It marks the first of four straight road games for the Huskies. This will be Washington's first-ever meeting with both Creighton and SW Missouri. THE HOME SLATE: UW's home schedule begins with the NIKE Northwest Soccer Challenge. The Huskies meet UC-Irvine in their first game Sept. 14, followed by a match against second-ranked Santa Clara Sept. 16 at Husky Soccer Stadium. IT'S A WHOLE NEW BALLGAME: Washington, coming off back-to-back Mountain Pacific Sports Federation championships, enters new territory this season. The Huskies have broken away from the MPSF and will compete in the Pacific-10 Conference in a home-and-away series this year against California, Oregon State, Stanford and UCLA. UNDER THE LIGHTS: Phase Two of Husky Soccer Field is now complete with the addition of lights, bringing nighttime soccer on grass to Washington for the first time ever. TV SCHEDULE: Washington's schedule features two televised games on Fox Sports Net Northwest. The Huskies' games against Gonzaga (Oct. 27) and at Oregon State (Nov. 5) will be carried on a delayed basis by the regional network.
Pac-10 Men's Soccer Coaches' Poll
1. UCLA (4) 24
2T. Stanford 18
2T. WASHINGTON (1) 18
4. California 9
5. Oregon State 6 DEAN WURZBERGER: Head coach Dean Wurzberger enters his ninth year at UW and 10th season as a head coach. He has directed the Huskies to five straight NCAA Tournament appearances in his tenure while leading his team to back-to-back MPSF Championships ('98, '99). TEAM CAPTAINS: Leading the team this year will be senior captain Mike Casale (Redmond, Wash.) and junior co-captains Bryn Ritchie (Medford, Ore.) and Ben Somoza (Edmonds, Wash.). A GLANCE at the HUSKIES: An experienced defense, aggressive midfield and explosive front line define the 2000 Huskies, who will be shooting for a goal only nine other programs in the nation can match - a sixth straight berth in the NCAA Tournament. Despite the loss of three full-time starters- all-American Wes Hart, Rees Bettinger, eighth all-time in UW goals, and first-team all-MPSF defender Morgan McCoy-18 players return from a 1999 season in which Washington won 10 of its final 11 games and bowed out of the NCAA Tournament in the second round to eventual champion Indiana. Four seniors and six juniors, seven of whom started at least half of last year's games, provide ample experience and leadership for the 16 underclassmen. UW in SEASON OPENERS: Washington owns a record of 24-10-3 in season opening games. The Huskies are 6-4-2 when playing season openers on the road. RECAPPING 1999: The Huskies are coming off an outstanding season in which they defended their second Mountain Pacific Sports Federation title, winning 10 of their final 11 games and earning a fifth straight NCAA Tournament bid. They advanced to the second round before falling to eventual champion Indiana, at Indiana.
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