Sept. 19, 2000
Friday, Sept. 22
Sunday, Sept 24 THIS WEEK: The Washington men's soccer team (3-3-0) remains at home for its second straight tournament, this time hosting the 12th annual Nike Husky Classic, Sept. 22 and 24. The Huskies host Fullerton (6-0-0), Rhode Island (4-2-0) and Portland (4-0-1) at Husky Soccer Field. Action begins with Fullerton and Portland in the first round, at 5 p.m. Friday, followed by UW and Rhode Island at 7:30 p.m. Second round action features Rhode Island and Portland at 11 a.m. Sunday, followed by the Huskies and Fullerton at 1:15 p.m. The tournament team champion will be determined by win-loss record, followed by head-to-head competition and goal differential. Looking at the Field: It's a quality field on hand for the 2000 Husky Classic. Fullerton enters the weekend undefeated and ranked No. 5 in the latest Soccer Times poll ... the Titans are coming off a pair of road victories, over Gonzaga (4-3) and Loyola Marymount (3-1) ... Portland, at 4-0-1, is right alongside CSF, in a tie for No. 5 in the poll ... Rhode is 4-2-0 and ranked fifth in its region. Series History: This will be the first meeting for Washington and Rhode Island ... The Huskies own a 7-3-0 record versus Fullerton ... the last meeting was in 1998 in Seattle and UW won, 2-1. Husky Classic History: Washington has won six of 11 Husky Classic tournament titles ... northwest neighbor Portland is next with four team championships, while Marquette claimed the other, in 1997 ... Portland enters as the defending champion, after going 2-0 last season, with victories over San Jose State and Fresno State ... UW was 1-0-1 last year, playing to a tie with SJSU in the first round and downing FSU, 2-1, in overtime in the second round ... 2000 marks the fourth year Nike has sponsored the Husky Classic. A Quick Look at the Huskies: The Huskies are coming off a split after their first home weekend, win their first night game at home, 2-1, over UC-Irvine before falling, 2-0, to Santa Clara. The loss snapped a three-game win streak for the Huskies, who had rattled off the consecutive victories after opening the season with two road losses. Ben Somoza, Bryn Ritchie and Trevor Frobose are at the top of the scoring column for the Huskies, as have each scored a pair of goals this season. Against Ranked Opponents: Washington's game against Fullerton will be its first against a Top 10 ranked opponent this season ... the Huskies opened the 2000 season on the road and suffered losses to No. 13 Creighton (2-0) and No. 21 SW Missouri State (3-0) ... although they weren't in the top 10 at the time, Creighton now stands at No. 4 while SW Missouri is 10th. Familiar Faces: Husky junior defender/midfielder Adam Reeves (Camarillo, Calif.) should recognize a few faces across the field Sunday afternoon when UW plays Fullerton. Reeves transferred to Washington this season, from Fullerton. He started 18 of 19 matches and helped the Titans to a 14-5 record in 1999. He has seen action in two games for the Huskies so far. Wander the Web: Senior captain Mike Casale (Redmond, Wash./Eastlake) will be featured in a weekly diary on www.gohuskies.com. The diary also runs on http://espn.go.com/ncaa/diary/index.html and features Husky women's goalkeeper Hope Solo as well. Check www.gohuskies.com for information on all 23 sports at Washington. Leading the Dawgs: Husky head coach Dean Wurzberger (Sacramento St. '82) is in his ninth year at UW and 10th overall 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 (1998, '99). Wurzberger says: (on the upcoming weekend) "This is a big weekend for us. We face two teams that are playing well and ranked above us. It's a great chance for us to prove we belong in that company. We have our work cut out for us. A fundamental aspect with which we've built our program is to play well at home. We've got to get back to playing well at home and coming away with positive results. The challenge is there for us to be successful twice and we'll have our work cut out for us. "Rhode Island is an exciting, attacking team and Fullerton has the whole package, with tough defense, a good skilled attack and an undefeated record." 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. 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. 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
Husky Quick Facts 1999 Record 15-5-2 2000 Pac-10 Standings (thru 9/17) Overall Conf.
This Weekend in the Pac-10
Saturday, Sept. 23
Sunday, Sept. 24
NSCAA Coaches Poll, Sept. 18 1. UCLA 4-0-0 1 |
