SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The 2024 season rolls on for the Sacramento State women's soccer team as the Hornets are into the NCAA Tournament for the third time in the history of the program beginning this weekend. Sacramento State takes on No. 1 seed and host USC in the opening round on Sunday (Nov. 17) at 2 p.m. at Dignity Health Sports Park Track Stadium in Carson, Calif.
MATCH #21
2024 NCAA WOMEN'S SOCCER TOURNAMENT - FIRST ROUND
WHAT: #16 Sacramento State (5-6-9, 3-2-3 Big Sky) at #1 USC (15-1-3, 10-0-1 Big Ten)
WHEN: Sunday, Nov. 17, 2023
TIME: 2 p.m. PT
WHERE: Carson, Calif.
STADIUM: Dignity Health Sports Park Track Field
WATCH: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: USCTrojans.com
TICKETS: USCTrojans.com
MATCH DAY INFORMATION: USCTrojans.com
GAME NOTES: Sacramento State | USC
O CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAINS!
• Seniors Abigail Lopez and Isabella Vinsonhaler, junior Madelyn Dougherty, and sophomore Ellie Farber, have been selected as 2024 captains
• This is the third straight season that Vinsonhaler has been named a team captain, while Lopez and Dougherty were captains in 2023
IN THE RANKINGS
• USC enters the postseason ranked No. 4 in the nation according to the latest United Soccer Coaches poll (as of Oct. 29)
• The Trojans are the first ranked opponent for the Hornets since they faced No. 22 Washington on Sept. 15, 2022
• According to available records, Sacramento State is 1-6-1 against nationally ranked opponents, but is winless in their last five (0-4-1)
• The Hornets posted their lone ranked victory with a 1-0 triumph over No. 10 California on Oct. 2, 2019
• Sacramento State also has a scoreless draw at No. 24 Long Beach State on Sept. 5, 2010
SCOUTING USC
• The Trojans are making their 23rd all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament and their first as a No. 1 seed, entering the postseason with a 15-1-3 overall record and a 10-0-1 mark in the Big Ten
• USC is a two-time NCAA national champion, winning titles in 2007 and 2016
• The Trojans fell in penalties to Rutgers in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament after clinching the league's regular season title
• USC is 5-0-1 at home this year and is unbeaten in its last 13 matches on its home turf dating back to a 3-2 loss to Utah Valley on Sept. 7 of last season
• Of the Trojans' 19 matches this year, 10 have come against opponents in this year's NCAA field
• Senior forward Maile Hayes is one of four players with double-digit points on the year, posting eight goals and three assists for a team-high 19 points
• Senior midfielder Helena Sampaio leads the team with six assists and is third with 12 points
• Graduate goalkeeper Laurence Gladu has played every match in net for the Trojans, posting a 0.68 goals against average and 55 saves (.809 save percentage) to go with 15 shutouts
• USC has outscored the opposition, 33-13, this year and is unbeaten in its last 13 matches
SERIES NOTABLES
• Sunday marks only the second-ever meeting between Sacramento State and USC, but the first in nearly 30 years
• The Trojans posted a 7-0 victory over the Hornets back on Sept. 29, 1995, in Los Angeles
CONFERENCE CALL
• Sacramento State has faced only three schools from the current Big Ten Conference alignment -- all three of which were former members of the Pac-12
• The Hornets are 0-1 against the Big Ten this season, falling at Oregon (2-0) earlier this year on Sept. 8 in Eugene
• Sacramento State is 1-2-1 against the Ducks and 0-1 against both the Trojans and Washington
HORNETS IN THE NCAAs
• Sacramento State is making its third-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament, but its first in nearly 15 years after falling at Stanford in the first round in 2010
• Prior to this season, the Hornets have only faced the Cardinal in the NCAA Tournament, also falling on the road at Stanford in 2007
VERSUS THE FIELD
• Sacramento State has faced only one other team in this year's field, posting a 1-1 draw with UC Santa Barbara (which faces No. 3 Stanford) thanks to Ellie Farber's tying goal with 1:39 remaining in regulation
HISTORY MADE
• The Hornets became the first team in the history of the Big Sky Conference Tournament to advance and win the title in penalty kicks in all three of their matches
• Sacramento State advanced 4-3 on penalties against No. 4 Northern Arizona and No. 1 Montana, before clinching the title with a 7-6 victory against No. 2 Idaho in the championship match
WE'RE GOING STREAKING
• Sacramento State puts its nine-match unbeaten streak on the line at the NCAA Tournament this week, posting a 3-0-6 record in that span dating back to a 4-1 win over Idaho State on Oct. 4
• In that stretch, the Hornets' defense has surrendered only five goals (0.52 goals against average) over the 865:19 in that stretch -- including shutouts of Weber State, a pair of scoreless draws against regular season champion Montana, Portland State, and last year's Big Sky Tournament champ Idaho
• Meanwhile the offense has found the back of the net 12 times in that stretch
• The nine-match unbeaten streak is tied for the second-longest in school history and is the longest since the program was unbeaten in 17 straight matches (11-0-6) between a loss to UC Davis (Aug. 23) and a tournament defeat to Eastern Washington (Nov. 8) in 2019
TIE ME A RIVER
• The three draws during last week's Big Sky Conference Tournament gave Sacramento State nine overall on the year -- setting a new school record
• The nine draws are tied for the most in the nation entering the postseason along with Wyoming (4-6-9), Towson (6-4-9), and UC Santa Barbara (8-5-9)
• The nine draws are one shy of the NCAA single-season mark of 10 shared by Canisius (5-5-10), Pacific (7-3-10), and Indiana State (2-6-10) -- all coming in 2022 when the NCAA eliminated overtime for regular season matches
• Sunday's scoreless draw against Idaho in the Big Sky Championship match was the team's fourth of the season, standing just two shy of the NCAA record of six set by Indiana in 2022
MVP! MVP! MVP!
• Despite not playing a minute of regulation or overtime, redshirt freshman Sierra Sonko was named the Big Sky Tournament MVP, entering all three matches prior to penalty kicks
• Sonko, who appeared in only one match and played five minutes during the regular season, stopped six of the 18 penalty shots she faced in the shootouts to help the Hornets advance
• She became only the third Sacramento State player to win tournament MVP honors, joining Katie McCoy (2007) and Elece McBride (2010)
SONKO GOES NATIONAL
• Thanks to her performance in those shootouts, Sonko was named the National Player of the Week by the website Top Drawer Soccer
QUINTET NAMED TO BIG SKY ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
• In addition to Sonko's MVP performance, sophomore forward Teysha-Ray Spinney-Kuahuia, sophomore midfielder Ellie Farber, senior defender Sydney Sharts, sophomore defender Dalen Lau, and sophomore goalkeeper Izzy Palmatier, were named to the Big Sky All-Tournament Team, matching the most in school history with the 2007 and 2010 squads
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS
• After allowing two goals to No. 4 Northern Arizona in the tournament opener, the Hornets' defense stood tall the rest of the way, not allowing a goal in the team's final 243 minutes of regulation and overtime
• Sacramento State then posted shutouts of regular season champion and top-seeded Montana in the semifinals and defending tournament champion and second-seeded Idaho in the title tilt
• Idaho led the Big Sky conference in goals (35) and points (99), while Montana was third in goals (29) and points (80)
IZZY DOES IT
• The Hornets never would have reached penalties if it wasn't for the efforts of the Hornets' back line and sophomore goalkeeper Izzy Palmatier, who allowed only two goals (a 0.54 goals against average) and made 21 saves in the three tournament matches (330 minutes) while facing 58 total shots
• Palmatier's 21 saves are the second-most in the history of the Big Sky Tournament, trailing only the 22 stops by Northern Arizona's Trinity Corcoran in 2023
• Of those 21, eight came in the win over the Lumberjacks in the tournament opener -- a total that stands fifth on her single-match list
• The sophomore from Folsom, Calif., enters the postseason leading the league in overall saves (100), while ranking third in shutouts (7), fourth in the Big Sky in goals against average (1.12), fourth in save percentage (.813), and fourth in saves per game (5.00)
• Three of her top five career single-match save totals have all come this year
• A career-high 11 saves came in a scoreless draw against Cal Poly on Aug. 29, followed by 10 saves against Oregon on Sept. 8 -- her second and third career contests with double-digit stops
• The 11 saves against the Mustangs were just one shy of breaking onto the program's single-match top 10 list and were the most since Mia Shalit finished with 11 against Northern Arizona on Oct. 21, 2022
KEEPING IT "100"
• Palmatier's 100 saves (and counting) this season make her only the sixth Sacramento State keeper to reach the century mark in that category in the history of the program and the first since Aaliyah Fesili (102) in 2019
• Stacy Himes holds the school's single-season record with 123 stops in 1996
• Palmatier is the first Big Sky goalkeeper to post 100 saves in a season since Eastern Washington's Kelsee Winston finished with 116 in 2021
• She becomes the third Hornet in the last five seasons to lead the Big Sky in saves along with Mia Shalit (94) in 2022 and Fesili in 2020 (62)
WHEN IT'S GOTTA BE CLEAN
• Palmatier's two shutouts in the Big Sky Tournament give her seven on the season and 11 for her career
• The 11 career shutouts are tied with Mandy Trojan (2006-09) for fifth, just two back of Stacy Himes (1994-97) and Kimberly Mata (2010, 2012-14) for third
• Meanwhile, the seven clean sheets in 2024 are tied for fifth on the single-season list with Savannah Abercombie (2010) and Stacy Himes (1996)
• Palmatier is only the seventh Hornet keeper to reach double digits for their career -- and the first since Aaliyah Fesili (2017-21) finished with 18
SHE'S A KEEPER
• Palmatier's 35 matches (and 35 starts) are seventh and sixth, respectively, on the school's all-time list
• After making 21 saves last week in the tournament, the sophomore ranks seventh on the school's career chart with 173 stops -- just 10 behind Jenny Lawrence (2005-08) for the No. 6 spot
• Her eight career victories also stand ninth on the all-time list, needing one more to match Shalit for eighth
• In addition, if the season ended today, her 1.31 goals against average would rank tied for sixth on the school's all-time list, while her 4.94 saves per match would be third
SORRY, THAT'S TWO ASSISTS IN FARBER
• Sophomore Ellie Farber moved into second on the team scoring list thanks to a pair of assists against Northern Arizona last week, entering the postseason with three goals and three assists for nine points
• She became the second Hornet to post an assist "brace" this season, joining Abigail Lopez, who accomplished the feat against Weber State on Oct. 6
• It also marked the second time she has posted a two-assist match in her career, doing so in a 2-2 draw at Northern Colorado on Sept. 24 of last season
• Farber's six career assists are just five shy of the career top 10 and a tie with four other former Hornets for eighth place
FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING
• Sophomore Lexi Schroeder became the latest Hornet to tally their first career goal this season, scoring the Hornets' opener against Northern Arizona in the Big Sky Tournament
• Earlier in the year, freshman Candace Ching tallied her first career points following a redshirt year at Nevada, scoring twice (vs. Idaho State and at Portland State) and adding an assist (vs. Weber State)
• Sydney Sharts her first career goals (vs. Idaho State & Weber State) after tallying her first collegiate point with an assist at Oklahoma in 2021
• Ali Fuamatu-Ma'afala tallied her first career points with an assist vs. CSUN and Weber State
• Pickell also her first career assist on Teysha-Ray Spinney-Kuahuia's goal against the Lumberjacks
YOU GET A GOAL! YOU GET A GOAL!
• Of the Hornets' last 11 goals (not counting the "own goal" against Idaho State on Oct. 4), eight different players have accounted for those scores with Sydney Sharts, Abigail Lopez, and Candace Ching netting two goals apiece along with one each from Ellie Farber, Ariana Scholten, Madelyn Dougherty, Lexi Schroeder, and Teysha-Ray Spinney-Kuahuia
• In addition, eight different players have assisted on those nine goals, with Lopez and Dougherty each finishing with a pair, including the first career point for freshman Tierra Pickell against Northern Arizona in the Big Sky Tournament opener
FIVE HORNETS ON THE BIG SKY HONOR ROLL
• Seniors Abigail Lopez and Sydney Sharts were named to the first team, senior Cassandra Herrman picked up second-team honors, and both Madelyn Dougherty and Ellie Farber were picked to the honorable mention squad
• Lopez was named to the first team for the second straight season, while Sharts, Herrman, Dougherty, and Farber all earned their first career awards
FANTASTIC FOUR
• Lopez's first-team honor in 2024 made her only the 11th Hornet to earn multiple All-Big Sky first team awards and the first time since both Jasmyne Dunn and Aubrey Goodwill did so in 2021 and 2022
• This year's award was also Lopez's fourth All-Big Sky honor, making her only the fourth Hornet to win four All-Big Sky awards in a career, joining Katie McCoy (first-team honors in 2005-07 and a second-team award in 2004), Kara Taylor (first-team honors in 2005, 2007-08 and an honorable mention award in 2006), and Goodwill (first-team honors in 2021-22, a second-team award in 2020, and an honorable mention selection in 2019)
WE'LL HAVE A HOUSE PARTY
• Home, sweet home has been the mantra for the Hornets in 2024, finishing the year unbeaten at home with a 4-0-4 record following their draw against league-leading Montana on Oct. 18
• The four wins at Hornet Soccer Field this season are the most since the 2019 squad finished unbeaten with a 7-0-2 mark on their home turf
• The eight-match home unbeaten streak is the third-longest in school history, trailing only the 17-match (14-0-3) run from Oct. 1, 2006 to Aug. 29, 2008, and a 13-match (8-0-5) run from Aug. 25, 2019 to March 21, 2021
• Sacramento State is 6-2-6 in its last 14 matches on its home turf dating back to last year
TOP 10 FOR NUMBER 10
• Lopez continued her climb up the school's all-time lists for goals and points following her first-half game-tying score against Northern Colorado
• The now four-time All-Big Sky Conference honoree enters this week's NCAA Tournament match with 15 career scores to go with seven assists for 37 points
• Her 15 goals are tied for seventh on the school's all-time list along with Kim Kemper (2006-09) and stand two back of Leah Larot (17 from 2007-10) for sixth
• Lopez's 37 career points pushed her past former teammate Aubrey Goodwill (36 from 2018-22) and into a tie for eighth along with Lori Kerswell (1997-98, 2000-01) and Elece McBride (2008-12)
• Two more points would tie her with Larot and her 39 points for seventh
• Thanks to her four attempts last week, Lopez's 128 career shots are eighth on the all-time list, passing Kayla Collins (126 from 2015-17) and standing just three behind Linda Sanchez (2002-05) for seventh
• Lopez's four goals this season ties her personal single-season career high set in 2023, while her three assists this year are a career high
• Entering the year, Lopez has led the team in points twice in the last three seasons (10 in 2021 and eight in 2023)
• A fifth score for Lopez would be the most by a Hornet since Kylee Kim-Bustillos and Ariana Nino finished with nine and five goals, respectively, during the 2019 campaign
LOPEZ AMONG THE BEST IN THE BIG SKY
• The senior enters the week ranking tied for fourth in overall shot attempts (48), sixth in shots per game (2.40), tied for eighth in points (11), tied for 10th in goals scored (4), and tied for seventh in assists (3)
