CALIFORNIA STATE POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY, POMONA

Bronco Sports News

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2004

Contact: Paul Helms

(909) 869-2812

 

 

WOMEN’S SOCCER

MEDIA NOTES

 

2004 CPP Record: 3-5-1. CCAA Record: 2-1-1

 

Broncos Continue Conference Play With Two Key Contests: Cal Poly Pomona’s women’s soccer team will conclude its four-match homestand with a contest Wednesday evening against Cal State Bakersfield at 7 p.m. The Broncos will then travel to Los Angeles for an afternoon game against Cal State L.A. on Sunday at 3 p.m. The Broncos are currently in a tie for second place with Cal State San Bernardino in the California Collegiate Athletic Association South Division, two points behind division-leading UC San Diego. Cal State L.A. is just one point behind the Broncos, while Cal State Bakersfield trails by six points. The Broncos are coming off another successful season. Cal Poly Pomona finished the 2003 regular season with a flourish and qualified for the California Collegiate Athletic Association championship tournament for a sixth straight year. The Broncos are the only women’s team to qualify for the conference postseason tournament in each of the sixth years of its existence.

 

Last Week: The Broncos played two of the better teams in the California Collegiate Athletic Association last week and suffered their first conference loss. The Broncos rallied to tie Cal State San Bernardino, 1-1, to start the week last Tuesday. Lisa Araujo (Sr., Rialto, Eisenhower HS) came up big again with her fifth goal in four games via a rebound from her penalty kick. The Coyotes’ lone goal also came via penalty kick courtesy of a controversial yellow card against Bronco goalkeeper Vanessa Richardson (Jr., Upland, Upland HS). Richardson had six saves for Cal Poly Pomona. The Broncos had an 11-10 edge in shots in the game and had one goal waved off because of an offsides call. On Saturday, the Broncos fell to UC San Diego, 3-1. Jacqueline Ragudos (Fr., San Diego, U. of San Diego HS) scored the lone goal for Cal Poly Pomona, which tied the game early in the second half. Ragudos dribbled through traffic in the box and rifled a shot just inside the left post for her second goal of the season. The Tritons, however, scored two unanswered goals later in the half to win the game. The Broncos and the Tritons were tied in shots 8-8. Richardson had three saves for Cal Poly Pomona, including a penalty kick by UC San Diego’s Ali Lai and a quick rebound attempt.

 

Scouting the Opposition: Cal Poly Pomona holds a 6-5-1 advantage all-time against Cal State Bakersfield. The Broncos lost to the Roadrunners, 4-1, at Kellogg Field last season. Prior to that loss, the Broncos hadn’t lost to Cal State Bakersfield since 1998. Cal Poly Pomona is 12-2-0 all-time against Cal State Los Angeles. Last season, the Broncos defeated the Golden Eagles 3-1 at Los Angeles. Cal Poly Pomona has not lost to the Golden Eagles since 1998.

 

Rankings: Cal Poly Pomona does not appear in the NSCAA national rankings. Among California Collegiate Athletic Association programs, Sonoma State is ranked 20th in the country, while Cal State Stanislaus is 23rd.

 

About The Coach: One of the most recognizable names in United States soccer history, Paul Caligiuri is in his third year as Cal Poly Pomona’s head coach. He guided the Broncos to a 10-8-1 record last season and their sixth straight appearance in the California Collegiate Athletic Association championship tournament. Caligiuri was elected to the United States Soccer Hall of Fame earlier this year and will be formally inducted into the Hall of Fame in early October. In his first season as the Broncos’ head coach, Caligiuri guided the Broncos to an 11-6-2 record and into the CCAA Championship Tournament. He has a 24-19-4 overall record with the Broncos. Caligiuri is a former member of the Los Angeles Galaxy and United States National Team member. One of the most memorable moments of his playing career came in 1990 when he scored the game-winning goal – known as the “Goal Heard Round The World” – against Trinidad & Tobago that qualified the U.S. for its first World Cup appearance in 40 years. Caligiuri made 110 game appearances for the United States National Team.

 

Look Who’s Back: Cal Poly Pomona has some talented players returning from its 2003 squad that finished with a 10-8-1 overall record. Leading the list of returners is Lisa Araujo (Sr., Rialto, Eisenhower HS), who was the CCAA Freshman of the Year in 2001 and earned first-team All-CCAA honors the past two seasons. Araujo was second on the team last year in scoring with six goals and 12 points. Also returning is the team’s third-leading scorer from last season, Erica Rodriguez (Jr., San Diego, Bonita Vista HS), who had three goals, four assists and 10 points. Vanessa Richardson (Jr., Upland, Upland HS) returns in goal for the Broncos. She has recorded seven shutouts in her Cal Poly Pomona career, including five last season. Chelsea Hipley (Jr., Sacramento, Woodcreek HS), who earned second-team All-CCAA honors as a freshman, is another top returner. She had eight assists as a freshman and has a total of 11 in her Cal Poly Pomona career. The Broncos also welcome back Tia Rudolph (Sr., Rancho Cucamonga, Alta Loma HS), who earned second-team All-CCAA honors in 2002 and sat out last season.

 

Look Who’s New: The Broncos are very excited about what they consider to be an outstanding recruiting class. Kimberly Stillman (Fr., Arcadia, Arcadia HS) and Jacqueline Ragudos (Fr., San Diego, University HS) are expected to contribute as forwards, while midfielders Sara Flowers (Fr., Santee, Santana HS) and Stephanie Mrazik (Fr., Brea, Brea-Olinda HS) are also top recruits. A fifth freshman, Lindsey Latham (Fr., San Diego, Our Lady of Peace HS), is expected to be a major contributor on defense.

 

A Look Ahead: After the matches this week, Cal Poly Pomona will hit the road to face Cal State Stanislaus on Friday, Oct. 8 and Chico State on Sunday, Oct. 10. Also that weekend, Cal Poly Pomona head coach Paul Caligiuri will be inducted into the U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame.

 

CAL POLY POMONA

Women’s Soccer

 

CPP Schedule & Results

 

8/26     vs. Bryant University                             L 2-3 (OT)

8/28     at Western Washington                         L 0-1

8/30     at Seattle Pacific                                   L 0-4

9/7       at Azusa Pacific                                    L 0-1 (OT)

9/10     vs. Concordia                                       W 2-1

9/14     at CS Dominguez Hills*                        W 2-1

9/17     vs. Cal State Monterey Bay*                W 6-0

9/21     vs. CS San Bernardino*                       T 1-1

9/25     vs. UC San Diego*                               L 1-3

9/29     vs. Cal State Bakersfield*                     7 p.m.

10/3     at Cal State L.A.*                                3 p.m.

10/8     at Cal State Stanislaus*                         3 p.m.

10/10   at Chico State*                                     12:30 p.m.

10/15   vs. Sonoma State*                                4:30 p.m.

10/17   vs. San Francisco State*                       3 p.m.

10/20   at UC San Diego*                                7 p.m.

10/23   vs. Cal State L.A.*                               4:30 p.m.

10/27   at Cal State Bakersfield*                      7 p.m.

10/30   vs. CS Dominguez Hills*                       4:30 p.m.

11/5-7  CCAA Championships                         TBA

 

*Denotes CCAA Game