Cal State Fullerton
Cal State Fullerton Edges Cal Poly 2-1 on Mustang Senior Day
11/1/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Cal State Fullerton clinched a tri-share of the Big West Conference regular-season women's soccer title Sunday afternoon by edging Cal Poly 2-1. Prior to kickoff, the Mustangs celebrated their class of nine graduating seniors before a crowd of 899 fans in Alex G. Spanos Stadium: defenders Jordan Ansara, Allie Bégin, Robin Mertens and Samantha Nerney, midfielder Megan Wagner, forwards Sara Epps and Elise Krieghoff, and goalkeepers Alyssa Giannetti and Heather Rouhier.
All of the outfield seniors capable of starting did, and Rouhier started for her first time before Giannetti came on in the 23rd minute.
Cal Poly held a 16-11 advantage in overall shots, the third consecutive game in which the Mustangs outshot the opponent to close the year.
Krieghoff fired the first shot on goal of the day, forcing Jennifer Stuart into an eighth-minute save.
Titan senior Rebecca Wilson notched a brace, upping her season goals count to 18. Her first score came in the 13th minute, when Christina Burkenroad found her with a through ball to the right side, where she slotted it far-post.
Then in the 18th minute, CSF's Tala Haddad hit off the crossbar, before Wilson put away a point-blank, centered rebound.
The Mustangs pulled within a goal in the 66th minute, when junior Cassandra Fasi tapped in a close-range opportunity following a series of touches inside the penalty area.
Rouhier saved a leaping, horizontal attempt by Wilson in the 22nd minute, and Giannetti later denied her on 48' and 55'. Giannetti finished with five saves while not conceding in her last match as a Mustang.
Krieghoff, making her 67th career start (tied for No. 10 all-time at Cal Poly), also placed shots on goal in the 41st, 43rd and 65th minutes, in addition to ricocheting off the right post in the 76th. Epps also shot on target in the 73rd minute.
Altogether, the class of nine fourth-year Mustangs combined to finish their careers with an overall 20-11-2 Big West record (part of 36 victories in all, a run including a 2013 conference championship) and a trio of draws against teams nationally ranked in the 2015 Top 25 polls, partook in 124 goals and 19 shutouts, and broke 10 school records and three league records along the way.
They also have garnered 27 Dean's List honors, an NCAA Public Recognition Award for Academic Excellence and the No. 2-ranked multi-year NCAA Academic Progress Rate among all 24 programs in the state.
While combining for 404 games and 27,795 minutes, they played in front of two of the five biggest crowds assembled in program history and had two players rank among the top seven in three different NCAA career statistical categories for all Division I players: Krieghoff with 52 goals and Giannetti with 7,030 minutes and 380 saves.
National Signing Day will be Feb. 3, before the upcoming spring scrimmages schedule will take place in April and May.
Photos by Alexander Bohlen and Ray Ambler
