SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Let the (postseason) games begin! The Sacramento State women's soccer team heads to Missoula, Mont., as the No. 5 seed, opening play at the Big Sky Conference Tournament against fourth-seeded Northern Arizona on Wednesday (Nov. 6) at 1 p.m. PT. The semifinal round, which pits Wednesday's winner against host and top-seeded Montana, begins Friday (Nov. 8) at 1 p.m., followed by Sunday's championship (Nov. 10) at Noon.
MATCH #18
Big Sky Conference Tournament - First Round
WHAT: #5 Sacramento State (5-6-6, 3-2-3 Big Sky) vs. #4 Northern Arizona (4-7-5, 4-3-1 Big Sky)
WHEN: Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2023
TIME: 1 p.m. PT
WHERE: Missoula, Mont.
STADIUM: South Campus Stadium
WATCH: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: Big Sky Conference
GAME NOTES: Sacramento State | Northern Arizona | Tournament Central
BIG SKY CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Wednesday, Nov. 6 (Quarterfinals)
#3 Eastern Washington vs. #6 Portland State, 10 AM PT -- Live Stats | ESPN+
#4 Northern Arizona vs. #5 Sacramento State, 1 PM PT
Friday, Nov. 8 (Semifinals)
EWU/PSU vs. #2 Idaho, 10 AM PT -- Live Stats | ESPN+
NAU/SAC at #1 Montana, 1 PM PT -- Live Stats | ESPN+
Sunday, Nov. 10
Championship Match, Noon PT -- Live Stats | ESPN+
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
SCOUTING NORTHERN ARIZONA
• The Lumberjacks enter the postseason with a 4-7-5 overall record and a 4-3-1 mark in Big Sky play
• NAU is unbeaten in its last three, drawing with Sacramento State before defeating both Weber State (2-1) and Idaho State (2-0) on the road to close out the regular season
• Three of the Lumberjacks' four wins this year have come away from home (3-4-1), all in conference play
• Senior forward Haylee Phoenix leads the team with five goals and 10 points, while senior midfielder Joey Lujan has three goals and three assists
• Senior goalkeeper Trinity Corcoran has played all but 180 minutes this year, posting a 1.21 goals against average (17 goals allowed) and 87 saves (.837 save percentage) to go with three shutouts
SERIES NOTABLES
• Northern Arizona leads the all-time series with Sacramento State, 16-10-6
• The Lumberjacks are unbeaten in the last two meetings following last year's 3-0 win in the conference tournament and this year's 1-1 draw
• The last five meetings in the series have been split between the two, 2-2-1
• Sacramento State's two wins in that span have both come by 1-0 scores
FIVE HORNETS ON THE 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)
TOURNEY TIDBITS
• Sacramento State is making its 15th all-time appearance in the Big Sky Tournament and its fifth since 2019
• The Hornets are 6-11-2 all time in the tournament, posting a 2-3 record in the quarterfinals, 2-8-1 in the semifinal round, and a 2-0-1 record in the championship match
• Sacramento State reached the championship match in 2006, 2007, and 2010, falling on penalties to Idaho State in 2006 following a 2-2 draw, while posting wins over Northern Colorado (2-0) and Northern Arizona (1-0) in the next two appearances
• Wednesday marks the second straight year that the Hornets and Lumberjacks will meet in the opening round after NAU posted a 3-0 win on its home field in last season's opener
• Sacramento State is 0-2 in tournament matches in Missoula, falling to Weber State (3-0) and the Grizzlies (5-0) in 1997 and 2000, respectively
• The Hornets are 1-6-1 in their last eight tournament matches after going unbeaten in seven straight (5-0-2) -- including five straight wins -- from 2006-15
HORNETS VS. THE FIELD
• Outside of Northern Arizona, the Hornets are 1-2-1 against the rest of the tournament field
• Sacramento State posted a win at Portland State (1-0) and a home scoreless draw with Montana (0-0) while falling to both Idaho (2-0) and Eastern Washington (3-0) on the road
HORNETS VS. THE FIELD... TOURNEY STYLE
• The Hornets and the Lumberjacks have played the most head-to-head tournament matches in school history, meeting five times in 2005, 2010, 2016, 2021, and 2023
• NAU leads that series, 3-2, with wins in 2005 (2-1), 2016 (3-2), and 2023 (3-0)
• Sacramento State won in the 2010 (1-0) championship game and the 2021 opening round (1-0)
• The Hornets are also 2-0 against Portland State (2007, 2010), 1-1 against Eastern Washington (2015, 2019), 1-2 against Northern Colorado (2007, 2015, 2017), 0-0-1 against Idaho State (2006), and 0-2-1 against both Weber State (1997, 2001, 2022) and Montana (2000, 2006, 2021).
PREVIOUSLY AGAINST THE LUMBERJACKS
• Sacramento State and Northern Arizona battled to a 1-1 draw in Flagstaff on Oct. 20
• The Lumberjacks opened the scoring just 3:54 into the contest on a goal by Haylee Phoenix before junior Madelyn Dougherty answered with her second score of the year in the 12th minute to tie the match
• NAU out-shot Sacramento State, 18-15, for the match, but the Hornets put 10 of their shots on goal compared to just five for the Lumberjacks
PALMATIER PICKS UP BIG SKY WEEKLY HONORS
• Sophomore goalkeeper Izzy Palmatier was named the Big Sky Co-Defensive Player of the Week on Tuesday (Oct. 29) after helping the Hornets to a shutout at Portland State in the team's regular season finale
• It is Palmatier's second defensive award of the season (Sept. 3) and the third of her career
• The three weekly defensive honors are tied for the third-most in school history behind Sacramento State goalkeeper alums Aaliyah Fesili (six) and Savannah Abercrombe (five)
• Palmatier is the first Hornet -- and the first Sacramento State keeper -- to win a pair of defensive weekly honors in the same season since defender Aubrey Goodwill and Fesili each did it twice in the 2020-21 spring season.
WE'RE GOING STREAKING
• Sacramento State puts its six-match unbeaten streak on the line at the Big Sky Tournament this week, posting a 3-0-3 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 three goals (0.50 goals against average) over the 535:19 in that stretch -- including shutouts of Weber State, regular season champion Montana, and the Vikings -- while the offense has found the back of the net 10 times
• The six-match unbeaten streak is tied for the fifth-longest in school history and is the longest since going 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 the team's current unbeaten streak all came consecutively against Northern Colorado (1-1), Montana (0-0), and Northern Arizona (1-1)
• That result against the Lumberjacks gave Sacramento State six overall draws on the year -- the most in the Big Sky Conference entering the postseason and tied for the most in school history, matching the 2019 squad that finished 11-2-6 overall
• Sacramento State's three consecutive draws are the most since the Hornets played in four straight draws against Pacific, Oregon, and Eastern Washington (twice) during the pandemic-delayed 2020-21 spring season
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
• Sacramento State enters the postseason as one of three unbeaten Big Sky teams at home this year along with Montana (9-0-1) and Idaho (7-0-1)
NO TIME TO WASTE
• Candace Ching teamed with team Madelyn Dougherty to make quick work of Portland State's shutout bid in the regular season finale, needing just 49 seconds to put Sacramento State up 1-0
• Ching's second goal of the year is the third-fastest in school history, and the fifth scored in under a minute, trailing only a goal by Lisa Wrightsman just 36 seconds into a match at Northern Arizona in 2022 and Danna Restom's goal just 38 seconds into a 2-2 draw at Northern Colorado on Sept. 24 of last season
• Meanwhile, Dougherty's assist was her third of the season, moving her into a tie with Abigail Lopez for the team lead
WHEN IT'S GOTTA BE CLEAN
• Palmatier's shutout in the win at Portland State was her fifth of the season and ninth of her career, moving her into sole possession of seventh on the school's all-time list and standing just one shy of Kristy Milanese (1998-99) for sixth
• Meanwhile, the five clean sheets in 2024 are tied for 10th on the single-season list with four others
• One more clean sheets this year will make Palmatier only the seventh Hornet keeper to reach double digits for their career -- and the first since Aaliyah Fesili (2017-21) finished with 18
IZZY DOES IT
• Following her six-save performance in the regular season finale at Portland State, Palmatier enters the postseason ranked tied for third in the Big Sky in overall saves (79) and fourth in saves per match (4.65), while standing fourth in shutouts (5) and fifth in both save percentage (.790) and goals against average (1.24)
• 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
• The 11 stops were tied for the most in a match by a Big Sky keeper until Portland State's Eden Millan finished with 12 against Eastern Washington on Sept. 27
SHE'S A KEEPER
• Palmatier's 32 matches (and 32 starts between the pipes) are tied for ninth and tied for seventh, respectively, on the school's all-time list
• After making six saves last week against the Vikings, the sophomore ranks 10th on the school's career chart with 152 stops, putting her in sole possession of ninth on the all-time list -- just 12 behind Mia Shalit (2021-23) for the No. 8 spot
• Her eight career victories in net also stand ninth on the all-time list, needing one more to match Shalit for eighth
• Her 79 saves are a new career high and stands just nine short of the school's single-season top 10 list
• In addition, if the season ended today, her 1.40 goals against average would rank eighth on the school's all-time list, while her 4.75 saves per match would be fourth
HOT SHOTS
• Sacramento State's 18 shot attempts at Portland State marked the team's second-highest total of the year, trailing only the 20 attempts against Houston Baptist on Aug. 17
• It came just a week after the Hornets put up 15 attempts at Northern Arizona, which stood as the second-highest total for just a week
• The Hornets' 10 shots on goal in that match against the Lumberjacks were the most by a Sacramento State offense since the Hornets finished with 10 against Portland State in the pandemic-delayed 2020-21 spring season on April 11, 2021
• Sacramento State has posted double-digit shot attempts in seven of its last eight matches, with the lone holdout an eight-shot performance in a draw with regular season champion Montana on Oct. 18
YOU GET A GOAL! YOU GET A GOAL!
• Of the Hornets' last nine goals (not counting the "own goal" against Idaho State on Oct. 4), six 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, and Madelyn Dougherty
• In addition, six different players have assisted on those nine goals, with Lopez and Dougherty each finishing with a pair
WINNER WINNER, CHICKEN DINNER
• Five different Hornets have accounted for game-winning goals this season: Abigail Lopez (CSUN), Ellie Farber (Weber State), Madelyn Dougherty (Houston Christian), Sydney Sharts (Idaho State), and Candace Ching (Portland State)
• In addition, Farber (UC Santa Barbara), Lopez (Cal State Bakersfield & Northern Colorado), and Dougherty (Northern Arizona) have tallied game-tying goals in four of the team's six draws
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 matches 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)
HIGH FIVE?
• With one regular season match remaining -- and possible matches in the Big Sky Tournament looming on the horizon -- Lopez still has a chance to build upon on her season goal total
• Entering the week with four goals to her name, 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 fifth in overall shot attempts (42), fourth in shots per game (2.47), tied for eighth in points (11), tied for ninth in goals scored (4), and tied for seventh in assists (3)
