University Southern California Trojans
Women's Soccer Faces SMU On Sunday
November 11, 1999 | Women's Soccer
Nov. 11, 1999
LOS ANGELESTHIS WEEK - The No. 13 USC women's soccer team (14-5 overall, 7-2 in the Pacific-10 Conference for second place), under coach Jim Millinder and led by two-time All-Americans Isabelle Harvey and Kim Clark, is making its second straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. After receiving a first-round bye as one of the top 16 seeds, the Women of Troy host No. 19 SMU (16-5-1) on Sunday (Nov. 14) at 1 p.m. in the Coliseum in a second-round match. The Mustangs beat Baylor, 4-0, in a first-round match in Dallas on Wednesday (Nov. 10).
RANKINGS - USC is ranked No. 13 by Soccer America, No. 14 by Soccer Times and No. 17 by both the NSCAA and Soccer Buzz ... SMU is ranked No. 19 by Soccer America, the NSCAA and Soccer Buzz and No. 21 by Soccer Times.
TICKETS - Tickets for the USC-SMU match will cost $7 for adults and $5 for students, children and senior citizens. They only will be sold at the gate.
ON THE INTERNET - The USC-SMU game can be heard live over the internet via KSCR, the USC student radio station, at kscr.usc.edu. Fans will need a Real Audio player to listen to the broadcast, which will start at 12:45 p.m. Bryan Gottel and John Franchi will call the action.
SMU - The Mustangs (16-5-1 overall, 4-2 Western Athletic Conference for a tie for second place) won the WAC Tournament with overtime victories against Hawaii and Fresno State, then whipped Baylor, 4-0, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. SMU's three starting forwards each have scored 20-plus points: sophomore Sarah Harvey (10 goals, five assists, 25 points), sophomore Tara Comfort (nine goals, seven assists, 25 points) and senior Laura Snyder (eight goals, seven assists, 23 points). Harvey scored a hat trick against Baylor. The defense also has been impressive, as junior goalkeeper Becca Lief has a 0.79 goals-against average. This will be the first meeting between USC and SMU.
LOOKING AHEAD - The winner of this match will move on to the third round of the NCAA Tournament, where they will face either sixth-seeded Penn State or Maryland. If Penn State beats Maryland, the third-round match will be held in University Park, Pa., on Sunday, Nov. 21, at 1 p.m. ET.
VS. THE NCAA TOURNAMENT FIELD - USC's strength of schedule this year was evident as the Women of Troy played 11 of their 19 matches against 1999 NCAA Tournament teams. USC went 6-5 in those games. The wins came against BYU, California, Duke, Maryland, Montana and UConn. All five of USC's losses were to tournament teams: Florida, North Carolina, Fresno State, Stanford and UCLA.
1998 NCAA TOURNAMENT - USC earned its first-ever NCAA Tournament berth in 1998. In the first round, the Women of Troy captured a 2-1 overtime victory over Washington in the Coliseum. But the year ended in the second round at San Diego State, as the Aztecs scored on a penalty kick in the third overtime period to win 1-0. USC ran out of gas after having played three overtime matches in eight days.
IN THE COLISEUM - The Women of Troy have made themselves at home in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, posting a record of 25-2-2 (.897) there in four seasons. This year, USC is 6-0 in the historic stadium.
LAST MATCH - USC had a chance to win the 1999 Pac-10 title outright, but had to settle for second place as the Women of Troy lost at No. 17 UCLA, 3-0, on Sunday (Nov. 7). USC managed just four shots compared to the Bruins' 13. The Bruins scored once before halftime and twice in the second half.
1999 WORLD CUP - Three USC players participated in the 1999 Women's World Cup: Harvey (Canada), Susie Mora (Mexico) and Barbara Almaraz (Mexico). Harvey and Mora started each of their country's three matches, while Almaraz did not see any playing time.
PAC-10 STATS - USC is tied for third in the conference in team points (127) and second in team goalkeeping (1.10 goals-against average) ... Kim Clark is first and Isabelle Harvey is tied for second in assists with nine and eight, respectively ... Harvey is tied for second in points with 30 and goals with 11 ... Shaelyn Fernandes is sixth in goals-against average (1.38) and tied for ninth in saves (52).
HEAD COACH JIM MILLINDER - Now in his fourth season as USC's head coach, Jim Millinder has put USC on the verge of becoming a national power. He has a four-year record of 59-20-2 (.741) with USC and a six-year overall mark of 67-47-6 (.583). A former U.S. National Team member, Millinder was named the 1997 West Region Coach of the Year and the 1996 and 1998 Pac-10 Coach of the Year.
ISABELLE HARVEY - Junior midfielder/forward Isabelle Harvey (Cap-Rouge, Quebec, Canada) had an outstanding performance in the 1999 Women?s World Cup for Canada and is one of the nation's top collegiate players. A two-time All-American and the 1998 Pac-10 Co-Player of the Year, Harvey ranks first in goals (40), points (112) and game-winning goals (18) and second in assists (32) in USC history. In 1999, she has 30 points on 11 goals (both are team highs) and eight assists. She will miss USC's NCAA Tournament game against SMU after receiving a red card against UCLA. Isabelle had a streak of 13 straight conference matches with a point end against UCLA. In her career, she has scored a point in 18 of 25 conference matches. She was named Pac-10 Player of the Week after getting a total of three goals and one assist against the Oregon schools. She scored two goals against both Maryland and Oregon, had a goal and an assist against both Arizona and Oregon State, and two assists against Washington State. Her goal against Oregon State was the 40th of her career, setting a new school record. Her penalty-kick goal against Fresno State pushed her into the lead as USC's all-time top point scorer. She had two assists against Washington State, the first of which allowed her to become the first USC player ever to score 100 points in a career. Harvey starts at midfielder but she also can be pushed up to forward. She had eight goals and a Pac-10-high 12 assists in 1998.
KIM CLARK - Another player who ranks among the best in the nation, senior midfielder/forward Kim Clark (Cupertino/Monta Vista HS) is a two-time All-American third teamer who ranks first in USC history in assists (36), second in points (102) and third in goals (33). This season, she has 17 points on four goals and a team-high nine assists. She had a goal and an assist against California and collected two assists against both Maryland and Washington State. She was named to the Soccer America Team of the Week for scoring the game-winner against then-No. 15 Duke. Her assist against Stanford was the 100th point of her career. The catalyst for USC's offense, Clark starts at midfielder. Clark suffered a broken leg in a match against UCLA last season and missed the final four matches of the season, including USC's postseason run. She finished with 10 goals and six assists in 1998.
CHRISTINA KUSHNIR - The leader of USC's defense, senior sweeper Christina Kushnir (San Diego/Bishop's School) is having another strong season and should be in line for postseason honors. Kushnir, a dominating player in the air, also contributes on offense and has seven career goals. She has two assists in 1999. She was USC's representative on the four-person All-Tournament team at the Duke Adidas Classic.
KATIE TICEHURST - Junior defensive midfielder Katie Ticehurst (Los Alamitos/Mater Dei HS) offers a potent mix of offensive and defensive prowess and is on her way to becoming a premier player. She has three goals and one assist for seven points in 1999. All three of her goals have come >from at least 30 yards out. She scored a spectacular goal against then-No. 4 Florida, striking the ball from about 30 yards out after a long run. She had a goal and an assist against Arizona.
ALI FENNELL - A freshman who has added a great dose of speed and ability to the Women of Troy, midfielder Ali Fennell (Santa Ana/Mater Dei HS) has been tremendous early in her career. She is currently third on the team with 16 points (six goals and four assists). Among her early highlights, she has been named a two-time Pac-10 Player of the Week (Sept. 13 and 20) and to the Soccer America Team of the Week twice. She received the first awards after scoring the game-winner against then-No. 8 UConn and assisting on the game-winner against then-No. 12 Portland. After scoring both goals in a 2-1 win over then-No. 8 BYU, she received the second set of honors.
DEFENDERS - In addition to Kushnir, USC has four outstanding defenders that rotate between the other two spots. Junior Megan Orach (Huntington Beach/Marina HS), a forward her first two seasons, has made a terrific adjustment to defending and has started all 19 matches. She has one goal and one assist in 1999. Junior Susie Mora (Mission Viejo/Santa Margarita HS), a starter for Mexico in the 1999 Women's World Cup, has started 16 times. Sophomore Erin Reed (Alamo/San Ramon Valley HS) has started six times and sophomore Liane Nakano (Fountain Valley/Fountain Valley HS) is a key reserve.
GOALKEEPERS - USC has received steady play from its two goalkeepers, who have shared time. Sophomore Shaelyn Fernandes (San Jose/Presentation HS) is 7-5 as a starter and has a 1.381 goals-against average. Freshman Lauren Arase (La Canada/La Canada HS), a member of the U.S. Under-18 National Team pool, is 7-0 as a starter and has a 0.631 goals-against average. Fernandes has four shutouts, Arase has two and the duo has shared on three others.
FORWARDS - Five players are in the mix at the forward position and each has had a great deal of success. Sophomore Christy Callier (San Diego/University City HS) and senior Kaylee Whitfield (Santa Ana/El Modena HS) have been the starters as of late. Callier has three goals and one assist, including two goals against Arizona. Whitfield has two goals and three assists, with both goals coming against Washington State. Whitfield knows about coming back from adversity, having been hit by lightning when she was 9 years old (her heart stopped beating for a minute), then returning in 1999 after surgeries to torn ligaments in both knees last year. Reserves include sophomore Brittany Savelkoul (Seal Beach/Los Alamitos HS) and freshmen Jackie Fodor (Winnetka/Chatsworth HS) and Jennifer Prigmore (Norman, OK/Norman North HS). Savelkoul has two goals and one assist. Fodor has three goals and two assists, including two goals against UC Irvine. Prigmore, USC's "Super-Sub", has scored 14 points (six goals and two assists) despite having only started one match. She had two goals against Montana and a goal and an assist against UC Irvine.
LINEUP - The Women of Troy have only three seniors - midfielder Kim Clark, defender Christina Kushnir and forward Kaylee Whitfield - and all are starters. One freshman, midfielder Ali Fennell, has earned a permanent starting job, while four other freshmen have started at least once (goalkeeper Lauren Arase, forward Jackie Fodor, midfielder Laura Foster and forward Jennifer Prigmore). USC started the same lineup in eight of nine conference matches.
MISCELLANEOUS - Ali Fennell is the only women's soccer player to ever earn back-to-back Pac-10 Player of the Week honors ... The Women of Troy scored a goal in the first 10 minutes of the match in six of nine conference games ... USC has set a school single-season record with nine shutouts this season ... USC posted shutouts in its first two matches of the season for the first time in school history ... USC posted three straight shutouts (against Montana, Arizona and Arizona State) to set a school record (overall, USC did not surrender a goal in 398 minutes of play) ... Jennifer Prigmore is the third Trojan freshman to score goals in each of her first two matches (Erin Bailey in 1994 and Courtney Barham in 1995 were the others) ... USC won back-to-back matches against ranked teams for the first time ever against Portland and UConn (the streak went to four with wins over BYU and Duke) ... USC was outshot in seven straight matches (but went 4-3 in those matches) before outshooting Montana.
QUICK STATS - USC is 12-1 when it scores first ... USC is 2-4 when the opponent scores first ... USC is 10-0 when leading at halftime ... USC is 1-4 when trailing at halftime ... USC is 3-1 when tied at halftime ... USC is 9-0 when it outshoots the opponent ... USC is 4-5 when it is outshot ... USC is 1-0 when shots are equal.
LAST SEASON - In 1998, the Women of Troy went 14-7-1 overall, earned their first-ever Pacific-10 Conference championship (tying for first at 7-2 with California and UCLA but beating both to win the tiebreaker) and made it to their first-ever NCAA Tournament (where they beat Washington in the first round but lost to San Diego State in three overtimes in the second).
