CALIFORNIA STATE POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY, POMONA

Bronco Sports News

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2004

Contact: Paul Helms

(909) 869-2812

 

 

WOMEN’S SOCCER

MEDIA NOTES

 

2004 CPP Record: 1-4. CCAA Record: 0-0-0

 

Broncos Ready To Start CCAA Play: Cal Poly Pomona’s women’s soccer team, fresh off its first win of 2004, will open California Collegiate Athletic Association against one of its strongest rivals, Cal State Dominguez Hills, Tuesday afternoon in Carson. The Broncos and Toros have had some classic postseason meetings, including a 2-1 Cal State Dominguez Hills victory in the CCAA Championship Tournament last season in Carson. After the match with Cal State Dominguez Hills, the Broncos will play four straight CCAA matches at Kellogg Field, beginning with a contest Friday night against CCAA newcomer Cal State Monterey Bay. 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 tourney in each of the sixth years of its existence.

 

Last Match: The Broncos finally snapped out of a lengthy scoreless funk and rallied for a 2-1 victory over Concordia-Irvine. It was the Broncos’ first win of the season after an 0-4 start. Cal Poly Pomona entered the game with three shutout losses in a row and were down, 1-0, at halftime. The Broncos, though, showed some spark in the second half and peppered the Concordia goal with 11 shots. Tia Rudolph (Sr., Rancho Cucamonga, Alta Loma HS) tied the game at 1-1 with a goal in the 57th minute. Rudolph took a perfect cross from Sara Flowers (Fr., Santee, Santana HS) and knocked in a shot from point-blank range. The Broncos then got the game-winning goal from Lisa Araujo (Sr., Rialto, Eisenhower HS) in the 81st minute. Rudolph passed to a breaking Araujo, who faked out an onrushing goalie and kicked the ball into an empty net. Vanessa Richardson (Jr., Upland, Upland HS) recorded six saves for the Broncos, four of them in the first half while keeping the Broncos in the game. Cal Poly Pomona owned a 12-11 edge in shots, with 11 of them coming in the second half.

 

Scouting the Opposition: Cal Poly Pomona is 13-24-5 all-time against Cal State Dominguez Hills and dropped a pair of one-goal decisions last season. The Toros won, 1-0, in a regular-season matchup in Carson in September and then rallied to down the Broncos, 2-1, in a first-round CCAA Championship Tournament match, also in Carson. The teams have had some classic battles in the postseason. Cal Poly Pomona edged Cal State Dominguez Hills, 2-1, in an NCAA Division II playoff game in 2001, less than a week after blanking the Toros, 2-0, in a CCAA Championship Tournament game. In 1999, the Broncos advanced on penalty kicks in an NCAA playoff game after the teams finished in a 0-0 tie. The Broncos went on to reach the NCAA Division II championship game that season, where they lost to Franklin Pierce, 3-1.

 

Rankings: Cal Poly Pomona does not appear in the NSCAA national rankings. UC San Diego is ranked 14th in the country, while Sonoma State and Cal State Stanislaus received votes, but were not ranked in the Top 25.

 

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 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 22-18-3 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 an 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 stay at home and host South Division rivals Cal State San Bernardino and UC San Diego. The Broncos and Coyotes will meet on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m., while the Broncos and Tritons will tangle on Saturday at 7 p.m.

 

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*                        4 p.m.

9/17     vs. Cal State Monterey Bay*                4:30 p.m.

9/21     vs. CS San Bernardino*                       4:30 p.m.

9/25     vs. UC San Diego*                               7 p.m.

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