Sept. 5, 2000
THIS WEEK
LOOKING AHEAD
IN THE POLLS
HUSKY QUICK FACTS
2000 RESULTS THIS WEEK: The Washington men's soccer team (0-2-0) seeks its first victory of the young season as it continues its opening road swing with a pair of games at the adidas/Portland Invitational. The Huskies meet San Diego State (1-0-0) at noon Saturday and Akron (1-0-1) at 11 a.m. Sunday. Games will be played at Merlo Field in Portland. This year marks the 10th appearance by Washington in the adidas/Portland Invitational. The Huskies have won the tournament on four occasions: in 1990, '92, '96 and '98. They went 2-0 in their appearance last season but host Portland claimed the tournament title on goal differential. 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. LAST WEEK: Despite outshooting opponents 36-18, the 12th-ranked Huskies suffered a pair of upset losses in their opening weekend, to No. 21 Creighton, 2-0, and No. 13 SW Missouri State, 3-0, at the Diadora Challenge in Omaha, Neb. 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). DAWG BITES: UW and SDSU have met four times and the series record is an even 2-2-0 ... the Aztecs won the last meeting, 2-1, on a neutral field in 1995 ... Husky coach Dean Wurzberger played four years of college soccer at SDSU, from 1971-74 ... he was team captain and MVP in '74 ... Akron and UW have never met ... Husky senior Kai Carroll (Eugene) and junior Bryn Ritchie (Medford) return to their home state of Oregon this weekend. IT'S EARLY, BUT: UW enters the 2000 season with a string of five consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. The Huskies seek to make it six straight, a goal only nine other programs in the country can match. 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. THE HOME SLATE: UW's home schedule begins when it hosts 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. 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. 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. 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.
LOCALLY BORN AND BRED: The state of Washington is turning out stellar soccer players, and UW coach Dean Wurzberger is doing his part to keep them at home. No less than 20 players, two more than last season, on this year's 26-player roster are from the Evergreen State, the highest total in Wurzberger's history with the Dawgs.
Des Moines Jimmy Stark, F
Soccer America Top 20 (Sept. 5, 2000) 1. Virginia 2-0-0 3 |
