ROAD TRIP: After a week of training at home, the Seattle University men's soccer team left Tuesday morning for Sacramento, Calif., in preparation for its match Wednesday against former MPSF foe Sacramento State. The Redhawks will then spend some time in San Francisco (classes have not yet begun at Seattle U) before flying to Omaha, Neb., for a contest against the Nebraska Omaha Mavericks, a team currently going through the Division I reclassification process the Redhawks just concluded.
LIVE STATS/VIDEO: Live stats will be available for both matches this weekend. All links can be found on the men's soccer schedule page on GoSeattleU.com.
TICKETS: Season tickets for Seattle U men's soccer are on sale by visiting GoSeattleU.com. Single game tickets are available at the entrance (corner of 14th and Cherry) beginning 60 minutes before kickoff.
SMILE, YOU ARE ON CAMERA: The Seattle University men's soccer team will appear on the Pac-12 Network Sunday, September 23, when it heads across town to Montlake to face the Washington Huskies starting at 12 noon. For Comcast subscribers, the Pac-12 Network can be found on channels 430 (Washington) and 431 (National), while Wave Broadband subscribers can access the Pac-12 Network on channels 123 (Washington) and 124 (National).
BACK TO THE FUTURE: Peter Fewing is back for his second go-around as Seattle U head coach. His first tenure lasted from 1988 to 2005, when he posted an overall record of 223-127-26 (.628). He coached the 1997 squad to the NAIA National Championship, Seattle U's first-ever team national title. Seven years later, Fewing guided the 2004 squad to the NCAA Division II National Championship. A two-time national coach of the year, Fewing has also been named regional coach of the year five times and conference coach of the year on three occasions. Fewing was the head coach of the Kitsap Pumas of the Professional Development League (PDL) in 2010 and 2011, helping the Pumas win the 2011 PDL National Championship. He has been an analyst during the local television broadcasts of Seattle Sounders FC matches.
SCOUTING SACRAMENTO STATE: The Hornets come into Wednesday's match with a 1-1-1 record, defeating San Diego in overtime, 2-1, last Friday before playing to a scoreless tie against nationally-ranked Saint Mary's Sunday. Senior Matt Linenberger scored the game-winning goal for Sacramento State against San Diego, while fellow senior Chris Sandoval scored the other goal in that match. Max Alvarez, also a senior, assisted on the game-winning goal and leads the team with 12 total shots, including five shots on goal. Senior Bryan Oliver has started in goal for the Hornets in the past two matches, posting a 0.45 goals against average and a .909 save percentage.
SEATTLE U VS. SACRAMENTO STATE: Seattle U and Sacramento State have met five times over the past three seasons, with the Hornets holding a slight 3-2 series edge. The first meeting took place Oct. 23, 2009, at Starfire Soccer Complex in Tukwila, with the Hornets winning, 1-0, on a goal by Ernesto Carranza in the 24th minute. The two teams met twice in each of the last two seasons. On Oct. 10, 2010, in Seattle, Nico de la Cruz took a pass from Troy Bratten and scored with 11 seconds remaining in regulation to give the Redhawks a 1-0 victory. Five days later in Sacramento, Chris Bettencourt scored twice in the second half to help the Hornets earn a 2-0 win. Last season in Sacramento, Max Alvarez scored the first goal, and then assisted on Maxx Baumann's game-winning tally with 3:12 remaining in regulation for the Hornets' 2-1 victory. Ben Striar scored on a penalty kick 56 seconds into the second half to tie the match. One week later, Seattle U prevailed in the rematch at Championship Field, 2-0, on two goals by Marshall Kosaka.
SCOUTING NEBRASKA OMAHA: The Mavericks, in their second season of competition, come into Sunday's match with a 1-2 record after losing to Mercer (2-0) and Bradley (3-2) last weekend in Peoria, Ill. UNO's victory came against Bellevue University, an NAIA school located in Bellevue, Neb. Chava Garcia leads the team with two goals, while Vance Rookwood has one goal and two assists so far this season for Nebraska Omaha. Matt Grosey has played every second in net for the Mavericks so far this season, notching a 1.67 goals against average and a .762 save percentage.
HOME SCHEDULE HIGHLIGHTS: Seattle U will host 2011 NCAA Tournament participants UC Santa Barbara (Sept. 16), CSU Bakersfield (Oct. 14), and New Mexico (Oct. 28) during the 2012 campaign. The Redhawks also welcome regional rival Portland (Sept. 21) to Championship Field this season.