Cal State Fullerton senior defender Vanessa Valentine headed home the
game-winning goal in the fourth minute of overtime play to help lift the
Titans to a 1-0 victory over host UC Irvine and a share of the 2004 Big
West Conference title on Sunday afternoon at Anteater Stadium.
It is the third conference title for the Titans since 1996 and the second
for the university under Head Coach Ali Khosroshahin (2001).
Fullerton finishes the regular season with an 11-7-1 overall record and
a 7-1-1 mark in Big West play. The Titans and UC Santa Barbara share the
regular season title, but the Gauchos will be the No. 1 seed in next weekend's
Big West Tournament by virtue of their head-to-head win over Fullerton
on Oct. 8.
UC Irvine finishes 4-14-2 overall and 1-8 in league play.
The teams played for 90 scoreless minutes to get the match into overtime.
In overtime, freshman Lauren Cram took the throw in for the Titans which
was headed on by Marlene Sandoval to Valentine who knocked in the game-winner
3:25 into the first overtime period.
The victory gave the Titans their seventh consecutive win, tying the school
record last set in 2002.
UCI sophomore Britney Webster (Capistrano Valley HS) had a shot that ricocheted
off the post with 10 minutes remaining for the Anteaters in the best chance
for either team to score in regulation.
Redshirt sophomore Karen Bardsley earned her fifth shutout of the year,
putting her one short of tying Laura Janke's single-season mark of six
set in 2003. UCI sophomore goalkeeper Marissa Welliver had seven saves.
Valentine became the 13th different player to score a goal for the Titans
this season while the Anteaters' defense held Fullerton's leading scorer,
Kandace Wilson, without a shot for the match.
Cal State Fullerton will meet third-seeded Cal Poly on Friday night (Nov.
5) at 7:30 p.m. in the second match of the Big West Tournament at Anteater
Stadium. Top-seeded UC Santa Barbara will meet No. 4 Cal State Northridge
on Friday afternoon at 5 p.m. in the first match of the day.
