SAN MARCOS, Calif. – Two weeks of double-days and another week of preseason workouts will pay off this weekend, as the Cal State San Marcos women's soccer team opens the 2013 regular season on Saturday at home against Whittier.
THE SCHEDULE
Match 1
Saturday, August 31 – 11:00 a.m.
Whittier College (0-0) vs. Cal State San Marcos (0-0)
San Marcos, Calif. – CSUSM Multipurpose Field
Live Stats
Poster Giveaway
The first 100 fans to Saturday's match will receive a men's and women's soccer schedule poster featuring defender Monica Aguilera and men's midfielder Scott Rice. Posters are courtesy of Jack in the Box, Tina's Deli, Courtyard by Marriott, Mr. Taco and Sport Chalet.
Women's Soccer on Facebook
Connect with the Cougars on Facebook today! Click here for behind-the-scenes photos, videos, commentary and updates from the team all season.
CSUSM Outlook
The Cougars return 20 letterwinners and four redshirts from the 2012 squad that went 11-6-3 and qualified for the NAIA tournament. Kaleigh Dodson, who led the team with five assists a season ago, returns for her senior campaign while Dani Porter, the top returning goal-scorer, is back for her junior year. Fellow junior Nicole Luna will captain a CSUSM backline consisting of returners Jessica Wilds, Monica Aguilera and Brianne Searl, a group that allowed just 0.87 goals per game last season. For a complete preview of this year's squad, click here.
A Look Back
The 2012 Cougars put together its third-straight season of 10 or wins, surviving a rash of season-ending injuries to qualify for its fourth NAIA tournament in its last five seasons. CSUSM spent all 13 weeks of the season in the NAIA Top 25, defeated its first NCAA Division II opponent since 2008, and had six players named All-Association of Independent Institutions (A.I.I.) Conference on their way to an 11-6-3 overall record. For a complete recap on the 2012 squad, click here.
Cougars in Top 25, Again
CSUSM came in at No. 17 in the NAIA Preseason Coaches' Poll released last week. The Cougars have been included in the NAIA Top 25 for the past 39 polls since Aug. 17, 2010.
Whittier Low-Down
The Poets are also opening their season on Saturday vs. CSUSM. Whittier, an NCAA DIII institution from the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC), went 5-13 overall in 2012. The Cougars are 2-0 all-time against the Poets, having beaten them 3-0 twice, on Sept. 10, 2011 and Oct. 25, 2006. Current redshirt senior Kelly Skvarna scored the team's third goal in the 2011 contest.
Alumni Spotlight
Two former Cougars have excelled in the professional ranks. Four-time All-American Kaycee Gunion recently won the Women's Professional Soccer League title with the San Diego SeaLions, and Michele Ramirez signed with Ostersunds Women's Football Club in Swedish Division 1 in May.
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