Postseason Notes

SAN MARCOS, Calif. – The No. 21 Cal State San Marcos women's soccer team heads to Alabama this week to take on No. 2 Northwood (Fla.) in the NAIA National Championship Second Round.

The Schedule
Match 19 – NAIA National Championship Second Round
Monday, Dec. 2 – 9:00 a.m. PST
No. 21 CSUSM (12-5-1) vs. No. 2 Northwood (15-1-1)
Orange Beach, Ala. – Orange Beach Sports Complex
Live Video
Live Stats

CSUSM to Take on Northwood in NAIA "Sweet 16"
The unseeded Cougars will face third-seeded Northwood in the first game of the Second Round on Monday, Dec. 2 at 11:00 a.m. CST (9:00 a.m. PST). The match will take place at the Orange Beach Sports Complex. The CSUSM-Northwood winner will face the victor of Robert Morris (Ill.) and No. 6-seed Vanguard in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, Dec. 4 at 11:00 a.m. CST (9:00 a.m. PST).

CSUSM in NAIA Tournament Play
CSUSM is making its third consecutive and fifth overall appearance in the NAIA National Championship. The Cougars have a 2-4 all-time NAIA tournament record. Last season, CSUSM received the last at-large berth into the tournament and fell to No. 8-seed Concordia (Ore.) in overtime, 1-0, in the Opening Round.

Sweet 16 History
The Cougars are 0-1 all-time in the NAIA Second Round. CSUSM advanced to the Second Round in the program's first NAIA tournament appearance in 2008, falling to Azusa Pacific 3-0 in Daytona Beach, Fla. The Cougars took down Benedictine 2-0 in the Opening Round, their first-ever NAIA tournament game.

Opening Round – Cougars Take Revenge on Mustangs
CSUSM qualified for its second trip to the NAIA final site by way of a 1-0 upset over No. 14-seed The Master's College. Senior defender Jennifer Hager scored the game's only goal in the 40^th minute, heading home her first career goal off Brianne Searl's corner kick to the back post. Amanda Sears made a season-high six saves in goal, including a diving stop that kept TMC off the board just minutes from full time. The victory avenged CSUSM's previous 2-0 loss to the Mustangs on Sept. 21.

Scouting Northwood
Northwood is making its eighth appearance in the NAIA National Championship, where it holds a 6-7 overall record. The Seahawks enter Monday's contest on a 12-match winning streak in which they've outscored opponents 63 to 10. They took down Bellevue (Neb.) in the Opening Round, 7-0, behind Helen Lynskey's hat trick and two goals from Johanna Engberg. Northwood claimed its eighth consecutive outright, or share, of The Sun Conference regular season championship. Northwood ranks in the NAIA top 10 in shots on goal per game (2^nd, 12.71), goals per game (4^th, 4.24), assists per game (6^th, 3.18), shots per game (8^th, 21.35) and total goals (8^th, 72).

The Field
The Cougars are one of three unseeded teams left in the tournament. Robert Morris (Ill.) was the only other unseeded team to upset its first round opponent (No. 11 Spring Harbor, 3-1), while Mobile (Ala.) received an automatic berth thanks to being the final site host. The Cougars went 0-1 against teams still in the tournament, falling 1-0 in double overtime to Concordia (Calif.) on Sept. 24.

Hot to Cold and Back
It has been a tale of three seasons within one for CSUSM this year. The Cougars started the campaign 4-0-1, reaching as high as No. 15 in the national rankings. However, CSUSM fell victim to the injury bug and suffered three consecutive defeats that saw its record move to a pedestrian 4-3-1. But, the Cougars bounced back, winning five of their last seven matches to end the regular season. Since Sept. 27, CSUSM has won eight of its last 10.

Cougars Win 4^th A.I.I. Championship          
Cal State San Marcos won its fourth A.I.I. Championship in the last six seasons with a 3-1 win over No. 15 Ashford in the title match. The Cougars also downed host Georgia Gwinnett, 3-1, in the semifinals. Sophomore center midfielder Paulina Good was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player after scoring a goal in each of the Cougars' two games. Senior forward Dani Porter scored twice in the semifinal. Porter, Good, Nicole Luna and Kaleigh Dodson were named to the all-tournament team and head coach Ron Pulvers took home Coach of the Year honors for the fourth time.

Cougar Plan of Attack
CSUSM has used a recipe of timely scoring and staunch defense to get to this point in the season. Despite scoring the third-lowest amount of goals (26) in program single-season history, the Cougars have posted an impressive .53 goals against average. Moreover, CSUSM has surrendered more than a goal just once this season, on Sept. 21 at The Master's College (L, 0-2). The Cougars have been involved in 15 shutouts this season, putting together a 9-5-1 record in those matches.

Back in the Ranks
The Cougars are back in the NAIA Women's Soccer Coaches' Top 25 Poll at No. 21 after missing out on a Top-25 billing in the Nov. 5 and Nov. 12 polls. Prior to Nov. 5, the Cougars had been included in the Top 25 for 47 consecutive weeks. The last time they had not been included in the Top 25 was in 2009.

Sears Towering Between the Pipes
Sophomore goalkeeper Amanda Sears has been huge for the Cougars this season. Her 0.49 goals against average is second best in the NAIA and she's played a part of nine shutouts this year. Despite just being on campus for less than two years, Sears ranks second on CSUSM's career list in wins (21), saves (96), shutouts (14.3) and games started as a goalie (34). She ranks behind four-time NAIA All-American Kaycee Gunion in each of those categories. Since Sept. 27, she has given up just four goals.

On the Offensive End
A pair of sophomores have provided the juice on the offensive end for CSUSM. Good leads the team in goals (5), assists (3) and points (13), and has registered two game-winners. She's also taken 16 more shots (37) than any other CSUSM player. Natalie Lara has contributed four goals and an assist for a total of nine points. In addition, she's scored three game-winners in victories over San Diego Christian, Fresno Pacific and Ashford. Her older sister, Jacqueline Lara, is tied for third on the team along with Dodson with three goals on the year.