Nov. 1, 2005
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This Week in Men's Soccer: The Saint Mary's men's soccer team (7-8-1, 4-5-0 WCC) will return home this weekend to play two matches in Gonzaga (5-7-4, 3-4-2 WCC) and Portland (4-9-2, 2-6-1 WCC). The Gaels will host the Bulldogs on Friday, November 4 and the Pilots on Sunday, November 6 with both games beginning at 2 p.m. from Saint Mary's Stadium.
Last Week Recap: The Gaels suffered two losses including a 1-0 heartbreaker to No. 4-ranked Santa Clara on Friday. In Sunday's match, SMC fell to USF by the score of 4-1. The lone goal of the weekend was scored by senior Derek Youpel on a penalty kick in the 75th minute.
Conference Leaders: Freshman forward Michael Clegg continues to stay atop the WCC in several offensive categories. Clegg leads the league in goals (10) and goals per game (0.67) and game-winning goals (5). The newcomer is second in the conference in points (20) and points per game (1.33). Also on the attacking side of the ball, freshman Carlos Diaz leads the conference with 10 assists and 0.71 assists per game. His 14 points rank him fourth in the WCC and his 1.00 points per game rank him third overall. Junior Matthew Fitzgerald is tied for third in the WCC with five assists.
Sophomore goalkeeper Brian Mason leads the conference in saves (81) and saves per game (5.06). He is also third in the WCC in shutouts (6) and is third in shutouts per game (0.38).
Scouting the Bulldogs: Gonzaga enters Moraga with a 5-7-4 overall record and a 3-4-2 conference ledger. The Bulldogs are coming off a pair of 3-2 victories over San Diego and Loyola Marymount. Gonzaga suffered a 2-1 setback against San Diego on Sunday. Offensively, the Zags are led by George Josten's league-leading 24 points on 10 goals and four assists. Luke Miller has added nine points on three goals and three assists.
Defensively, Gonzaga has allowed 25 goals for a 1.48 goals against average. Vito Higgins has played 1318 minutes in net, posting 65 saves, two shutouts and a 1.36 goals against average.
Versus Gonzaga: SMC holds a 7-6-1 all-time advantage over GU. The Gaels defeated the Bulldogs in Spokane earlier in the season by the score of 1-0. The last time the Gaels suffered a home loss to the Bulldogs was in a 1-0 decision in 2001.
Scouting the Pilots: The Pilots will play the University of Washington on Friday before heading south to Moraga to face the Gaels. The Pilots enter the week with a 4-9-2 overall record and a 2-6-1 league mark. The Pilots succumbed to two 1-0 defeats last week to the hands of LMU and USD. The Pilots are led offensively by Alex Elliott. Elliott leads the team with three goals on the year. Matthew Dallman and Sean Babcock have each handed out a team leading three assists.
Defensively, Portland has allowed 19 goals this season for a 1.22 goals against average. In net Luis Robles has posted three shutouts, 53 saves and a 1.05 goals against average. The Pilots have allowed 10 second half goals compared to their six and have only scored four in the first half this season.
Versus Portland: The Pilots hold a 17-3-1 all-time record against the Gaels. Earlier this season the Gaels handed the Pilots a 2-0 defeat. The last time SMC defeated UP at home was in the 2000 season in a 3-1 decision.
Fifth-Year Head Coach Steve Rammel: Entering his fifth season as the head coach of the Saint Mary's men's soccer team is Steve Rammel. During his time here, he has coached 15 players to All-West Coast Conference honors, including a 2004 Freshman All-American, and has broken a school record for most consecutive shutouts, with four in 2001.
The 2004 season saw Rammel lead his team to a 5-10-5 overall record and a 2-8-2 conference mark. In the 2003 season Rammel guided the Gaels to eight wins, the most in his campaign, which included victories over No. 11-ranked Rutgers and No. 14-ranked Loyola Marymount, the first time the program has beaten two ranked teams in a season, since defeating three ranked opponents in 1991. In the 25-year history of the men's soccer program, SMC has defeated two or more ranked opponents in the same season twice.
Rammel also coached Freshman All-American Brian Mason in 2004, and coached Matt Fitzgerald to back-to-back First Team All-WCC honors. The Gaels also had two other players earn WCC accolades. Mason was named to the WCC All-Freshman Team and Derek Youpel garnered honorable mention.
Three-game Homestand: The Gaels return home to cap of their regular season with three consecutive home games. SMC will host Gonzaga and Portland this weekend before playing Loyola Marymount a week from Thursday. Sunday's match against the Pilots has officially been designated as Senior Day.
Record Breaker: In just his first season at the collegiate ranks, Carlos Diaz (Napa, CA) has etched his name atop the SMC single-season annals. With his assist on a Matthew Fitzgerald goal against Loyola Marymount on Sunday, October 23, Diaz became the single-season record-holder with 10 on the year.
Next Week: Saint Mary's will play its last regular season home match of the season against Loyola Marymount. The Gaels will host the Lions on Thursday, November 10 at 2 p.m. from Saint Mary's Stadium.
