ASU Soccer To Face Western Kentucky In SBC Championship First Round

Women's Soccer 10/22/2009 8:45:00 PM ArkansasState

ASU Soccer Heads To Florida To Face SBC Competition This Weekend

Arkansas State at FAU/FIU
Oct. 23 & 25 • 7 p.m. & 1 p.m. (EST) • Boca Raton/Miami, Fla.

KICKING IT OFF: The Arkansas State soccer team hits the road this weekend to take on the Florida Atlantic and Florida International in Sun Belt Conference action. ASU plays FAU at 7 p.m. (EST) in Boca Raton, Fla. on Friday and FIU at 1 p.m. (EST) in Miami on Sunday.

THE SERIES: The Red Wolves are 0-3 all-time against FAU in their series which dates back to the 2006 season. ASU has played Florida International every season holding a 1-6-2 record against the Golden Panthers, earning a win over FIU during the 2003 season.

THE OPPONENTS: Florida Atlantic stands at 5-10-2 with a 3-5 record in SBC play. FAU currently sits in eighth place, just behind ASU in the conference standings. FAU has conference wins past ULM, Troy and South Alabama. Ashley Mannarino leads FAU with four goals followed by Meghan Brown who has three this season. Ashley Lantes has earned a 5-8-2 record in goal for the Owls. Lantes has made 116 saves, which ranks first in the league, she has also had three shutouts this season. FIU ranks third in the league with a 6-1-1 conference mark while holding a 8-5-3 overall mark. The Golden Panthers own conference wins over WKU, Denver, ULL, ULM, South Alabama and Troy while holding a tie against North Texas. Thaisa Morena leads FIU with five goals, while April Perry and Katrina Rose each have four goals each. Kaitlyn Savage has done most of the work in goal for FIU, earning a 7-3-2 record with three shutouts. Savage holds a 1.26 goals against average with 63 saves.

LAST GAME: (10/18/09): The Arkansas State soccer team dropped its fourth-consecutive Sun Belt Conference match, 2-0, to North Texas, Sunday at the ASU Soccer Park.
                The Red Wolves fell to 6-8-1 on the season with a 3-4 mark in league action while the Mean Green improved to 11-4-1 with a 7-0-1 SBC record. North Texas remained the only undefeated team in conference action.
                North Texas scored its first goal in the 14th minute (13:28) when Kendall Juett sent a cross to the left side which Julie Lackey found and fired a shot into the left side of the net, taking a 1-0 advantage.
                Kendall Juett then dribbled her way up the field and took a shot from the right side which hit the cross bar and rebounded into the back of the net, to move NT to a 2-0 lead in the 56th minute (55:01).
                ASU's Chelsea Fricke, Lucy Brient, Karly Kuranda and Ashley McMurtry each had shots on goal that were saved by North Texas goalkeeper Mandy Hall.
                The shot count was tied at 13 for each squad; North Texas had seven shots on goal to ASU's four.
                Freshman goalkeeper Susan Brown made five saves in goal for the Red Wolves, playing the full 90-minutes of action.
                Sunday's game marked the finale to ASU's second-annual “Playing for Pink” weekend. ASU wore pink jerseys in support of cancer research. The pink jerseys will be auctioned off with 50-percent of the proceeds going to the local chapter of the Susan G. Komen foundation.
                Fans interested in placing bids on the game-worn jerseys should contact ASU assistant soccer coach Lisa Berg at lberg@astate.edu or at 870-972-2340.

BREAKING RECORDS: ASU has already broken several records so far this season, setting new marks in shot attempts (246), attendance (3,348) and assists in a season (McMurtry-6). ASU is also close to breaking a number of other single-season records. The team currently ranks second on the single-season assist chart (25) and needs only five more goals the rest of the season to overtake the no. 1 spot on the single-season goals chart. ASU also needs just one more win to tie the most wins in a season (7).

MAKING HISTORY: ASU jumped out to its best start in conference play starting the season at 3-0. ASU has never won more than two games in conference play, winning two conference matches during the '00, '02, '03 and '05 seasons. Also, ASU's wins past Troy and South Alabama were the first wins over those opponents for ASU in soccer. With six wins, ASU has also achieved the second-highest win total in school history. ASU has not won five or more games in a year since the 2005 season and seven is the most games won in a season ever at ASU (2003).

NATIONAL STAGE: ASU freshman Ashley McMurtry has already proven herself to be a valuable asset around the goal leading the team with six assists this season. McMurtry's performance has earned her the No. 53 ranking in the nation in assists per game with 0.5 per contest. As a team the Red Wolves rank 83rd in the country in Scoring Offense (1.92).

GOALS!: ASU has pushed its season tally to 25 goals and moved this season into fourth all-time in the goals scored category. ASU set a record of 30 goals in a season during the 2003 season and needs just three more goals to move into a tie for second on the single-season chart.

ASSISTS!: ASU freshman Ashley McMurtry ranks fourth in the league with six assists this season, which leads the Red Wolves and puts her atop the single-season assists leaderboard at Arkansas State. McMurtry already ranks sixth on the career chart, needing only three more assists to move into the top spot. As a team ASU ranks sixth in the conference with 25 total assists averaging 1.92 per contest.

SAVES!: ASU freshman goalkeeper Susan Brown has broken into the single-season top 10 chart, overtaking the No. 7 spot with 79 saves this season. Brielan Smiechowski, a countryman of Brown's, holds the single-season record for ASU with 105. Smiechowski and Brown are both native Canadians. Brown is also one shutout shy of tying for the lead in single-season shutouts at three.

ATTENDANCE RECORD: After shattering their single-game record in attendance opening against UCA with 712 fans in attendance, the Red Wolves have surpassed another attendance record, surpassing their single-season record last week pushing their total attendance to 3,348 with one date left.

BACK TO BACK SHUTOUTS: Earlier this season, the Red Wolves posted the first back-to-back shutout victories in program history since the 2001 season when ASU beat ULM and Alabama A&M in consecutive shutouts.

OUTSHOOTING THE COMPETITION: ASU has outshot the competition this season with a margin of 225-170, averaging 17.3 per game to 13.1 by their competition. ASU's total 225 shot count ranks fourth in the conference in total and average per game. During last season ASU took 226 shots for the entire season. ASU's single-season shot record is 229, with only four more shots the 2009 brand of the Red Wolves will overtake that mark. ASU freshman Lucy Brient leads the team with 30 shots so far this season.

TOP SCORERS: Through 15 games this season ASU has eight players who have scored multiple goals. ASU sophomore Kara Nitti leads the team with five goals and three assists. Freshmen Tory Pitts ranks second on the team with three goals and an assist. Ashley McMurtry, Anna Kaloughirou, Chelsea Fricke, Tracy Powell, Miranda Wiley and Stasha Siers each have two goals, while McMurtry leads the team with six assists.

YOUNG PACK: Arkansas State is one of the youngest teams in the Sun Belt Conference boasting only five upperclassmen on the squad of 24 players. In their first contest of the season ASU had nine starters who are listed as a freshman or a sophomore on the Red Wolves roster.

TENTH SEASON: The 2009 season will mark the tenth for the ASU women's soccer program. The Red Wolves own an all-time record of 39-122-8.

SIERS-TOURNEY MVP: ASU sophomore defender Stasha Siers was named the tournament MVP of the inaugural Red Wolves Cup. Siers was joined on the team by fellow ASU players Susan Brown, Kara Nitti and Ashley McMurtry.

HEAD COACH DEREK PITTMAN: Arkansas State Head Coach Derek Pittman begins his third season with the ASU soccer program after coming to Arkansas State prior to the 2007 season.
                Pittman, an assistant coach for the University of Missouri's women's soccer program for the three years prior to coming to Jonesboro, worked primarily with goalkeepers and defense at Missouri. He assumed his duties at ASU Jan. 4, 2007.
                One of the first things Derek Pittman had on his agenda when he arrived at Arkansas State University was to install a rallying cry for the Red Wolves soccer program - “Building A Winning Tradition”. Pittman hit the ground running when he arrived at ASU, immediately installing a strong offseason conditioning program and setting up a competitive spring workout schedule which pitted ASU against both in-state and out-of-state opponents.
                Pittman has posted an 8-24-4 record while at the helm of the ASU program including posting ASU's first win over Middle Tennessee State, which was also the program's first win over a conference foe in four years.
                The 35-year-old Pittman joined the Missouri staff in 2004 after spending the 2003 season at the University of Georgia. He was responsible for coaching the Tigers' goalkeeper to career bests in shutouts and saves as well as the team to season bests in shutouts and fewest goals allowed.
At Georgia, he was responsible for the Bulldogs' recruiting in addition to his coaching duties. While there he coached the goalkeeper to career bests in wins, shutouts, and goals against average. In 2003, the Bulldogs finished 13-10-0 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
                A 1998 graduate of Tulsa, Pittman also served as a graduate assistant coach for the school's men's soccer program from 2001-03. Under his direction, Tulsa's goalkeepers had career bests in saves, shutouts and goals against average in a season. During the 2002 season, the Hurricanes were ranked 12th nationally and fifth in the Midwest Region.
                Pittman, who is licensed by the United States Soccer Federation with a USSF "B" coaching license, has also coached on the club level including stints with the Pride Soccer Club of Missouri, the Tulsa Soccer Club of Oklahoma and the Little Rock Futbol Club of Arkansas.
                As a four-year letterman, he was the starting goalkeeper at the University of Tulsa from 1993-96 and was a second-team Missouri Valley All-Conference pick in 1995. As a senior, the Hurricanes were ranked in the top 25.
                Professionally, Pittman played for the Barrow Amateur Football Club in England while studying at Lancaster University. After training with the Division I Sheffield United and Burnley Football Club, he returned to the United States and played with the Columbus Comets and the Savannah RugRatz in the Eastern Indoor Soccer League.
                Pittman, originally from Owasso, Okla., received his bachelor's of science degree in business administration from Tulsa and has done graduate work in education toward his masters degree. He is married to former Amber Swinehart, who was an All-Big XII player at Missouri.
                Pittman and his wife Amber have a daughter, Emma, who is five months old.

ASSISTANT COACH LISA BERG: Beginning her second season with the ASU Soccer program, Lisa Berg was named assistant soccer coach at Arkansas State University Aug. 9, 2008.
                Berg comes to ASU from Minnesota, where she served as a volunteer assistant for the last two years with the Golden Gopher soccer program.   Berg was an Academic All-Big 10 player for the Golden Gophers from 2003-05 and helped rebuild the Minnesota soccer program during her time as a player and assistant coach. While at Minnesota, Berg helped lift the Gopher program from the bottom of the Big 10 to a consistent qualifier for the conference tournament in a league that annually sends multiple teams to the NCAA Tournament.
                “I am very excited to have Lisa on board here at Arkansas State,” said Pittman. “She brings a ton of energy and enthusiasm. She also brings a great amount of experience to ASU after being involved with a top program at Minnesota. I think that having that big-school mentality will help our players realize what it takes to continue to raise our program to the next level.”
                “Lisa is also fantastic at community service,” added Pittman. “She is already looking for ways to get our kids out in the community and help raise the awareness of soccer in the Jonesboro area.”
                She graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2006 after majoring in Kinesiology/Pre Physical Therapy, with minors in Chemistry and Spanish. Berg currently holds a USSF National C Coaching License and while in Minnesota worked with the St. Croix Soccer Club, the North Suburban Soccer Club and the East Select Soccer Club. She also worked with the Minnesota Olympic Development Program.
                “My experience with helping to rebuild the program at Minnesota and seeing the processes involved with that will really fit well with Arkansas State,” said Berg. “There is so much potential here with the facilities, staff and community support. The players have bought into wanting to build a really solid program as well. Coach Pittman and I work well together, have similar ideas, and will complement each other as a staff.”

HELP BUILD A WINNING TRADITION: ASU soccer fans have the opportunity to help the Red Wolves build a winning soccer tradition by joining the Red Wolves Goal Club. Level 1 ($50) members receive a quarterly newsletter and an autographed 2009 ASU Soccer poster. Level 2 members($100) receive the benefits of Level 1, plus a ticket to the ASU soccer banquet and an ASU T-shirt. For more information or to join the Red Wolves Goal Club, contact assistant coach Lisa Berg at 870-972-8193 or lberg@astate.edu.

RED WOLVES KIDS' CLUB: Youth ages 9-13 are invited to join the Red Wolves Kids' Club and be a ball kid at any of ASU's home soccer game. Kids' Club members also have the opportunity to participate in team introductions and pregame ceremonies. To join the Red Wolves Kids' Club, contact assistant coach Lisa Berg at 870-972-8193 or lberg@astate.edu.

FOLLOW THE RED WOLVES ON FACEBOOK: To become a fan of our Facebook Page, go to www.facebook.com and search for "Arkansas State University Soccer". We currently have 212 fans and we are aiming to get 500 Facebook Fans by our Sun Belt Conference opener next Friday, September 25th at 4:30 PM against South Alabama. On our the "Arkansas State University Soccer" Facebook Page you can find events that the soccer team will be participating in and hosting, game results, and interesting stories and photos of all your favorite Red Wolves Soccer players. We encourage all fans, alumni, and family members of the Red Wolves Soccer Program to become a fan today!

ASU SOCCER IS TWEETING: The Arkansas State soccer team is on twitter! You can follow all the action via ASU Soccer “Tweets”. To follow ASU Soccer on Twitter visit twitter.com/redwolvessoccer. Twitter is a great way to follow anyone via microblogs and get the most up-to-date information on your favorite people and groups. GO RED WOLVES!

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Players Mentioned

#22 Lucy Brient: F; 5' 8"; Freshman

#0 Susan Brown: GK; 5' 8"; Freshman

#18 Chelsea Fricke: D; 5' 8"; Freshman

#19 Karly Kuranda: M; 5' 5"; Sophomore

#15 Ashley McMurtry: M/D; 5' 8"; Freshman

#9 Kara Nitti: F; 5' 6"; Sophomore

#10 Tracy Powell: M; 5' 7"; Sophomore

#11 Stasha Siers: F; 5' 8"; Sophomore

#17 Miranda Wiley: D; 5' 7"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#22 Lucy Brient
: 5' 8"; Freshman
: F

#0 Susan Brown
: 5' 8"; Freshman
: GK

#18 Chelsea Fricke
: 5' 8"; Freshman
: D

#19 Karly Kuranda
: 5' 5"; Sophomore
: M

#15 Ashley McMurtry
: 5' 8"; Freshman
: M/D

#9 Kara Nitti
: 5' 6"; Sophomore
: F

#10 Tracy Powell
: 5' 7"; Sophomore
: M

#11 Stasha Siers
: 5' 8"; Sophomore
: F

#17 Miranda Wiley
: 5' 7"; Junior
: D

Scoreboard

Arkansas State University

Players Mentioned

Players Mentioned