Idaho State Faces CSU Fullerton at Home Friday

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POCATELLO, Idaho – The Idaho State soccer team returns to Pocatello for their second home match of the season. The Bengals face CSU Fullerton out of the Big West Conference on Friday, Aug. 28 at 4 p.m. at Davis Field.

LAST MATCH: IDAHO STATE FALLS TO UC IRVINE, 3-1
In their first road match of the season, the Bengals were defeated by UC Irvine of the Big West Conference at Anteater Stadium in Irvine, Calif.
 
Idaho State (0-2-0) kept UC Irvine (1-1-0) at bay during the first half, nearly matching them in every statistical category over the first 45 minutes. The Bengals fired off four shots to UCI's eight and took three shots on goal to the Anteater's four. Both teams left the pitch at halftime without a goal.
 
The momentum shifted quickly in the second half, and in less than five minutes UCI scored two goals that the Bengals could not recover from. UCI's goals came in the 50th and 52nd minutes to surge ahead to a 2-0 lead. Idaho State's Maria Sanchez answered for ISU, scoring the Bengal's lone goal in the 58th minute to cut UCI's lead to one, 2-1.
 
The Anteaters responded, and in the 66th minute UCI's Lili Andino snuck one past ISU goalkeeper Sheridan Hapsic to extend the Anteaters lead, 3-1. Despite the physical play in the remaining 25 minutes with 13 fouls whistled, neither team was able to break free for another score.

ABOUT CSU FULLERTON
The 2014 Big West regular season and tournament champions return 14 letterwinners and seven starters from last season's squad that finished 10-8-4 overall with a 6-0-2 record in the Big West.  The Titans were picked to finish third in the Big West this season in the preseason poll that was released Aug. 12.
 
Notable returners for CSU Fullerton include First Team All-Big West performers Morgan Batcheller (Sr., defender), Christina Burkenroad (Sr., midfielder) and Rebecca Wilson (Sr., forward) as well as Big West honorable mention and Big West All-Freshman Team member Connie Caliz (So., midfielder).
 
CSU Fullerton won its first two matches of the 2015 season. In the first match on Aug. 21, the Titans defeated Liberty 1-0 at home after a second-half goal from Burkenroad. In its second match on Aug. 23, CSU Fullerton defeated George Washington 4-1 at home.  Burkenroad and Wilson each had two goals apiece in the win.

Head Coach Demian Brown is in his ninth year with the Titans and carries a 70-72-23 record.