Men's Soccer Prepares for Two Games This Week
9/7/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Sept. 7, 2005
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
This Week in Gael Soccer: The Saint Mary's men's soccer team will begin its week with its first road contest of the season. The Gaels will make the short trek to San Jose tonight to face the San Jose State Spartans with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m. from Spartan Stadium. SMC will return home on Sunday, September 11 to face the Washington Huskies at 3 p.m. from Saint Mary's stadium.
Last Week Recap: The Gaels barnstormed out of the gate to start the season 2-0 for the first time since the 1991 season and for just the second time in school history. SMC opened the season with a 3-0 rout of Sacramento State on September 1. Freshman forward Michael Clegg tallied a hat-trick in the first 35 minutes of play and sophomore goalkeeper Brian Mason recorded his sixth career shutout in the win.
Two days later the Gaels blanked Oregon State 1-0 behind a free kick goal by the newcomer Clegg. Mason tallied his second consecutive shutout and seventh of his career to place him in a tie for fifth in the SMC record books.
Who's Hot: Freshman forward Michael Clegg jumped onto the collegiate scene in impressive fashion last week. The newcomer garnered national attention by being named to the College Soccer News Team of the Week and he was also named West Coast Conference Co-Player of the Week.
Clegg recorded four goals last week including a hat-trick debut against Sacramento State on September 1. The three goals was the most recorded in a season opener by a Gael and it also tied the most goals scored in a single game. The freshman tallied his second game-winning goal in as many games when he scored the lone goal against Oregon State on September 3.
Scouting the Spartans: San Jose State will host Saint Mary's with a 0-0-1 record after notching a double-overtime scoreless tie against Stanford on September 2. The Spartans showcase a new squad after losing seven starters and eight lettermen from a year ago. SJSU does return senior forward and All-MPSF first team selection Johnny Gonzales. Gonzales tallied 12 points in 2004 on four goals and four assists.
Defensively the Spartans start newcomer Richard Mann in goal. Mann recorded a double-overtime shutout against Stanford in his collegiate debut. Senior Dylan Pender also returns for the Spartans after tallying three points on one goal and an assist in 2004.
Versus San Jose State: The Spartans hold a 14-8 all-time advantage over the Gaels. The two teams last met on October 11, 2002 when SJSU beat SMC in Moraga 2-1. The Gaels fell by the same score in 2000 against the No. 14-ranked Spartans in their last meeting in San Jose.
Scouting the Huskies: Washington returns 14 letterwinners and eight starters from a team that made it to the first round of the NCAA tournament and finished the season with a No. 15 ranking. The Huskies are coming off a 1-1 start after participating in the Nike Portland Invitational. UW defeated Cal Poly 3-1 to open the season but fell to No. 12 Creighton by the score of 2-3.
Leading the way offensively for the Huskies is senior Mike Chabala. The midfielder has tallied five points in the two games on two goals and one assist. Spencer Schmidt, Adam West, and Eric Blythe each have two points on one goal scored apiece. In goal senior Chris Eylander has allowed four goals in the two matches while making nine saves.
Versus Washington: The Huskies are 6-1-1 in the all-time series with Saint Mary's and have won the last five straight meetings including a 1-0 victory in Seattle last year. UW is 1-0 at Saint Mary's Stadium, winning that 1997 meeting 3-0.
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.
Mason Unblemished: Sophomore goalkeeper Brian Mason has had no problems making sure the team starts the season out on the right foot. For the second time in his two seasons with the Gaels, the second team freshman All-American has posted back-to-back shutouts to start the year. No other goalkeeper in the history of the program has started a season with consecutive shutouts. After compiling his two shutouts to begin the 2005 campaign, Mason now has seven for his career which ranks him in a tie for fifth all-time in the SMC career annals.
Gaels Equal Best Start: The Saint Mary's men's soccer team has equaled its best start (2-0) in school history. Not since 1991 has a Gaels team started out of the gates with consecutive wins. The 1991 team tied a school record with nine wins and finished with a 9-10-0 record. The Gaels earned a 3-0 victory over Sacramento State on September 1 and blanked Oregon State 1-0 on September 3.
Gael Defense Closing Shop: The Saint Mary's defense has yet to allow a goal matching last year's feat of two consecutive shutouts. Seniors Michael Johnson and Dan Smith along with junior Desmond Brooks have stymied opposing attackers. After taking a 1-0 advantage over OSU, the defense only allowed two shots in the second half to secure the victory. In the two games the defense has frustrated their opposition by making them settle for shots beyond the 18 and not allowing good looks at the net.
Next Week: Saint Mary's will take its longest road trip of the season when its hits the East Coast to play two games. On Friday, September 16 the Gaels will square off against the University of Delaware and then close out their weekend on Sunday, September 18 at Philadelphia. Both game will be played at 1 p.m.
MSOC | Saint Mary's vs. LMU Game Highlights
Monday, October 20
MSOC | Game Highlights vs. Santa Clara
Thursday, October 16
MSOC | Bentley PK save and Toelhoej penalty goal, 1-1 draw vs. Seattle U
Saturday, September 27
MSOC | Saint Mary's vs. UC Davis Game Highlights
Thursday, September 04
