SACRAMENTO — The regular season will end on the road for the Sacramento State women's soccer team, which opens a run of three straight away from home with a pair of Big Sky Conference matches this weekend. The Hornets travel to Weber State on Friday (Oct. 13) for a 6 p.m. kick-off, before heading to Idaho State on Sunday (Oct. 15) for a High Noon clash with the Bengals.

THIS WEEK…
GAME NOTES: Sacramento State | Weber State | Idaho State

MATCH #15
WHAT: Sacramento State (4-7-3, 2-2-1 Big Sky) at Weber State (0-9-3, 0-3-2 Big Sky)
WHEN: Friday, Oct. 13, 2023
TIME: 6 p.m.
WHERE: Ogden, Utah
STADIUM: Wildcat Soccer Field
WATCH: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: HornetStats.com

MATCH #16
WHAT: Sacramento State (4-7-3, 2-2-1 Big Sky) at Idaho State (3-11-1, 1-3-1 Big Sky)
WHEN: Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023
TIME: Noon
WHERE: Pocatello, Idaho
STADIUM: Davis Field
WATCH: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: HornetStats.com

BE A FOLLOWER: Fans can keep up with the latest in Sacramento State athletics by following us on Facebook (/SacramentoStateAthletics), Twitter (@HornetSports), and Instagram (@sacstateathletics). You can also follow the Hornets' women's soccer program on all three platforms: Instagram (@sacstatewsoccer), Twitter (@sacstatewsoccer), and Facebook (/sacstatewsoccer).

WE'LL DO IT LIVE!: Every home match during the 2023 regular season will be streamed live on the ESPN+ subscription platform, with select road contests available on various streaming platforms. Links to watch and for live stats for all matches will be posted, as soon as they are available, on the men's soccer schedule page at HornetSports.com.

O CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAINS!: Sophomore Madelyn Dougherty, junior Isabella Vinsonhaler, and junior Abigail Lopez, were named team captains for 2023.

BIG SKY BIG PICTURE: With two weeks remaining in the regular season, Sacramento State is in the thick of the race for a spot in the Big Sky's postseason tournament, currently standing tied for fourth with Idaho with three matches remaining. Portland State (13 points) and Montana (10 points) are in the top two positions, followed closely by Northern Arizona (10), which faces the Grizzlies this week. Idaho State, which is tied with Eastern Washington for sixth, would be the No. 6 seed by virtue of its head-to-head victory over the Eagles.

SCOUTING WEBER STATE: The Wildcats enter the week at 0-9-3 overall and 0-3-2 in Big Sky play, joining Northern Colorado as the only two winless teams in the league... Weber State dropped its only match last week, falling at Montana by a 2-1 score... Friday's contest marks only the fourth home match of the year for the Wildcats, who are 0-2-1 on their home pitch... Weber State has results against Idaho (1-1) and Northern Colorado (0-0) in league play... The Wildcats are winless in their last 14 matches dating back to a 2-0 win over Montana on Oct. 23 of last season... Sophomore forward Sayler Schlosser leads the team with eight points on the year thanks to three goals and a pair of assists, while sophomore Grace Kirby has scored three times... Three players have split time in net, with junior Hadley Harris seeing the most minutes (398:45) and leading the team with a 2.03 goals against average and 26 saves.

SERIES NOTES: Weber State leads the all-time series with Sacramento State by a 15-10-5 count, including a 13-10-4 mark in Big Sky head-to-head meetings... The Hornets are unbeaten in their last two battles with the Wildcats, posting a 1-0 win in the 2022 regular season and a 1-1 draw in the first round of last year's Big Sky Tournament before falling on penalties... Weber State leads the series, 10-3-2, in matches played in Ogden, Utah... Sacramento State is 0-4-2 in its last six trips Ogden, last posting a win by a 1-0 score in 2008.

SCOUTING IDAHO STATE: The Bengals enter the week with a 3-11-1 overall record and a 1-3-1 mark in Big Sky play, hosting Portland State on Friday before welcoming the Hornets... Idaho State is winless in its last four (0-3-1), falling 1-0 at Montana in its only match last weekend... The Bengals haven't won since a 3-2 win over Eastern Washington on Sept. 21... Junior forward Kaylyn Buchanan leads the team with six goals and 12 points, while sophomore Saydree Bell has scored four times and has nine points... Three different players have seen time in net for ISU with junior Kelsey Jargstorf playing the majority of minutes (823)... Jargstorf has a 2.62 goals against average and 60 saves while earning the win in the team's three victories.

SERIES NOTES: Idaho State holds a 13-8-4 lead in the all-time series with Sacramento State following a 1-0 win in Sacramento last year... Prior to that, the Hornets had gone 5-0-1 in the previous six meetings with the Bengals... Sacramento State is 3-6-3 in matches played in Pocatello, going unbeaten in its last three (2-0-1) trips to Idaho... The Hornets posted wins in 2015 and 2021 and a draw in 2019.

ONE AND ONLY: Last week's results against Eastern Washington and Idaho marked the ninth and 10th times in 14 contests that the Hornets have had a match decided by a single goal or less this season.

ALL YOU NEED IS ONE: Each of Sacramento State's last three matches -- and four of its last five -- have ended in 1-0 results, while the Hornets have played in six 1-0 matches this year, posting a 4-2 record in those contests.

PKs ARE OK: After Erika Tilford buried her first career goal from the penalty spot in the win over Eastern Washington, the Hornets have now hit 14 of their last 15 penalty kicks since 2018.

CORNERED: Sacramento State finished with a 19-8 combined advantage in corners in its matches against Eastern Washington and Idaho last week, with a season-high 10 of those coming against the Eagles. The 19 corners were more than the Hornets' previous four matches combined, while the 10 against EWU were the most since they had a 10-0 advantage in that category against Southern Utah on Oct. 6, 2019.

NO HOLDING BACK: The Hornets' offense unleashed a barrage of 21 shots in the win over Eastern Washington, posting its highest single-match shot total since attempting 27 shots against North Dakota in a 3-0 win on Oct. 1, 2017. Sophomore Madelyn Dougherty finished with six of those 21 attempts against the Eagles, marking the second-highest single-match total since Abigail Lopez finished with seven against Northern Colorado earlier this year.

TAKE YOUR BEST SHOT... OR SEVEN: Lopez's seven shot attempts at Northern Colorado were a career high and the most by a Hornet since Kylee Kim-Bustillos against California Baptist in 2019. The total is also the second highest in the Big Sky, trailing only Eastern Washington's Maddie Morgan, who had eight against Providence (Mont.) on Aug. 31.

KEEPING THE SHEETS CLEAN: Freshman goalkeeper Izzy Palmatier posted her third shutout of the year in the Hornets' win over Eastern Washington, matching teammate Mia Shalit's total from last season. A fourth shutout this year by Palmatier would give the Folsom, Calif., native the most clean sheets by a Sacramento State keeper since Aaliyah Fesili finished with 10 in 2019. Palmatier's three shutouts this year are tied for third in the Big Sky entering the week, while she ranks fourth in saves (44) and tied for second in saves per game (4.00).

FIRST THINGS FIRST: If the Hornets can manage to get on the board first, things usually turn out pretty well. Sacramento State has scored first six times this year and is unbeaten in those six contests, posting a 4-0-2 mark. That streak grows slightly larger dating back to last year as the Hornets are unbeaten in their last nine matches (6-0-3) in which they break onto the scoreboard first, last losing a match under those conditions against Montana on Sept. 23, 2022, by a 2-1 score in last year's Big Sky opener.

ABBY AIMING HIGH: Although she was denied in the scoring column last week, senior Abigail Lopez's scoring has her standing among the Big Sky's best, ranking tied for fifth in shots (35), third in shots per game (2.92), tied for ninth in goals (4), and ninth in goals per game (0.33).

MINUTE WOMEN: Talking about putting in the time. Sacramento State has four of the Big Sky's top 10 field players in terms of minutes played: junior Erika Tilford ranks second (1,257), junior Ali Fuamatu-Ma'afala is fourth (1,230), sophomore Maddy Dougherty is fifth (1,205), and junior Isabella Vinsonhaler is 10th (1,165). 

FULL 90: Continuing on the minutes theme, 10 Hornets have combined to play a full 90 minutes a total of 60 times, led by Tilford, who has gone the distance in 13 of the team's 14 matches and 87 minutes in the other. Fuamatu-Ma'afala, Dougherty, and Isabella Vinsonhaler had accomplished the feat 10 times in 14 contests, including the last six in a row by Dougherty, five straight by Vinsonhaler, and five consecutive matches (and seven of the last eight) by Fuamatu-Ma'afala. Cassandra Herrman, who opened the year coming off the bench has been an integral member of the back line as well, going the distance in seven of her last eight matches and 83 minutes in the other.

FASTER THAN FAST: Before the sound of the opening whistle faded into the distance, junior Danna Restom put the Hornets up 1-0 at Northern Colorado on Sept. 24, scoring her first goal of the year just 38 seconds into the contest -- the second-fastest goal in school history behind only Lisa Wrightsman's 36-second strike at Northern Arizona in 2002.

IT'S LATE... I'VE GOTTA SCORE: If the drama of the opening minute against Northern Colorado wasn't enough, Lopez put everyone on the edge of their seats in the final minute, scoring the game-tying goal after the Bears had scored twice in five-and-a-half minutes to take the lead. Lopez's goal with 48 seconds remaining is the ninth-latest regulation goal in school history and the second time in the last three matches that the Hornets have scored in the final minute -- both ending in draws after Isabella Vinsonhaler scored with :03 remaining in a 1-1 draw with California Baptist on Sept. 17.

LOPEZ CLOSING IN ON CAREER HIGH: On the back of taking at least one shot in 13 of the team's 14 matches, Lopez's 35 shots are a new career high (28 last season) and the most by a Hornet since Kylee Kim-Bustillos finished with 43 attempts in 2019.

MAMA MIA!: In making only her second start since returning from injury, senior goalkeeper Mia Shalit finished with a season-high eight stops in the shutout of Northern Arizona -- one more than she had in her three previous matches combined and the most since she had 11 at Northern Arizona in last year's regular season finale.

COMING UP BIG IN THE BIG SKY: Shalit has shined in conference play over her last 10 starts dating back to last year, posting a 0.90 goals against average and 49 saves to go along with four shutouts and an .845 save percentage.

NOSE FOR THE GOAL: Lopez, a two-time All-Big Sky honoree, has been one of the program's top scorers in her two-plus seasons with the Hornets, entering the week with 11 career goals while assisting on four others over 47 matches. She enters the week two goals shy of breaking into the top 10 on the school's all-time list (Tisha Smith and Adaurie Dayak are tied for ninth with 13).

SPOT ON: Lopez kept her perfect career record from the penalty spot intact with her goal against Northern Arizona, improving to 4-for-4 in penalties in her two-plus seasons. Her four career makes strengthen her hold on second place on the school's career list according to available records, standing behind only Aubrey Goodwill and her seven penalty makes.

MIGHTY MIA: Senior goalkeeper Mia Shalit returns for her third season between the pipes for the Hornets after leading the Big Sky in overall saves (94) and finishing second in saves per game (5.22). Shalit, who spent time in the summer of 2022 with the Peruvian Women's National Team, finished the year ranked eighth on the school's single-season list with her 94 stops, while her 1,640 minutes stand seventh on the single-season chart. Nearly half of those 94 saves came in the span of four matches when she posted double-digit stops against No. 21 Stanford (15), No. 22 Washington (11), Northern Arizona (11), and Saint Mary's (11).

MILESTONES AHEAD: Shalit enters the 2023 campaign looking to move up a number of school all-time lists:
• Ranks 8th in career saves with 164 (needs 8 to match Kristy Milanese for 7th)
• Ranks T-9th in career shutouts with six (needs 2 to tie Amy Seely and Jenny Lawrence for 7th)
• Ranks 9th in career minutes with 2,873 (needs 16 to match Kristy Milanese for 8th and 33 to match Mandy Trojan for 7th)