First Things First
October 31, 2011 | Women's Soccer
THIS WEEK'S ACTION
Big West Tournament Semifinal
(4) UC DAVIS AGGIES at
(1) UC IRVINE ANTEATERS
Thursday, Nov. 3 - 7:00 p.m.
Irvine, Calif. - Anteater Stadium
BIG WEST CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
(If necessary)
Sunday, Nov. 6 - 12:00 p.m.
Irvine, Calif. - Anteater Stadium
For ticket information, follow this link to the UCI Athletics Ticket Office
UCI claimed their second consecutive Big West regular season title making them the first Big West school to win back-to-back titles outright since 2002-03. Now it looks to win the elusive Big West tournament, solidify a berth in the NCAA Tournament and build on last season's run.
BIG WEST CHAMPS: It wasn't quite an 8-0-0 season, but 6-1-1 was good enough for the 13-3-2 UCI Anteaters to capture the Big West regular season title two years in a row.
Up next is the Big West Tournament where they will match up with the UC Davis Aggies. The pair tied back in late September to open Big West play.
UCI all-time in the Big West tourney is 4-5. It actually won the tournament in 1997 in which UCI hosted
TWO PAIR: The Anteaters doubled-down for a second three-of-a-kind in as many matches. Lexi Kopf (Sonora / Sonora HS) unleashed a hat trick on her senior day a week after sophomore Natalia Ledezma (La Mirada / UCLA) had one of her own. In the last 15 seasons, UCI had just one hat trick from Kate Berrini in 2008, and now, the 'Eaters have two in as many matches.
SMALL BUT MIGHTY: Quietly, 5'2" sophomore Natalia Ledezma has put together quite a run in the last few weeks. With the regular season completed, Ledezma has already passed the 2010 scoring leader, Tanya Taylor, with 12 goals. Taylor finished with 34 points in 2010, but Ledezma is right on her heels with 32.
Ledezma has compiled multiple points in each of the last four matches and at least one goal in each accounting for half of her goal and point totals with six and 16.
She is inching closer to the best offensive season in UCI history. Her 12 goals puts her five behind Nicole Bucciarelli's 17 goals in 1996. She is also five points behind Bucciarelli for the all-time single-season mark of with 32.
UC DAVIS AGGIES: The Aggies enter the tournament at 11-6-1 on the season, 4-3-1 in conference. UC Davis started out at home with a 2-2 tie against UCI and a loss against CSUN. They would go on a run for five straight wins over UCR, Pacific (OT), Cal Poly, CSU Bakersfield, and UCSB.
The Aggies are on a small slide entering the tournament with losses at Long Beach State and CSUF on the road.
Allison Kelly leads the Aggies with eight goals and 19 points. Lisa Kemp joins her atop the leaderboard with six goals and five assists, and, along with Kelly, they each have three game-winners.
Maria Magana has started every match for UCD and has allowed 23 goals in those 18 matches coupled with 68 saves.
All-time, UCI is 2-3-1 against UC Davis at home having won the last two matches.
THE OTHER SEMIFINAL: On the other side of the bracket, Long Beach State will host Cal State Northridge to determine the other half of the Big West Tournament Final.
UCI defeated both LBSU and CSUN in consecutive weeks during the season. UCI won, 2-0, at home against the 49ers, and 4-0 against CSUN at Northridge.
A win for UCI on Thursday night would put them in the conference final against the winner of the CSUN-LBSU match that would be played at Anteater Stadium, Sun. Nov. 6th at 12:00 p.m.
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