Aug. 27, 2004
Contact: Brian McCann
STRONGSVILLE, Ohio -- As collegiate women's soccer games go, Cleveland State's 4-0 loss to Kent State in the program's debut as an intercollegiate sport meant more that it took place than the actual result.
When the Vikings took to the field for the first time in regular season play wearing the Cleveland State green and white on Friday night at Foltz Field in Strongsville, the match marked the end of a three-year period during which time the program went from concept to reality.
For first year CSU head coach Derrek Falor, the match was a personal milestone in an 18-month process during which time he built the Viking women's soccer program from scratch, meticulously designing every facet of the program. Unfortunately for Falor, the 18 month period only involved an actual two weeks of practice on the field and the Vikings showed it, allowing several scoring opportunities early in the match by what Falor termed, "first match jitters."
"We competed pretty hard and I believe that we made a positive statement tonight," Falor said. "There is an awful lot to build on from this performance and how we channel that over the next few matches will speak highly to how much success we will achieve this year."
"Kent State is a very strong team and they showed why they were the Mid-American Conference co-champions last year. For us to tand toe-to-toe with them and not give up or give in shows that we are improving as a team. It is just going to take a little time for us to get used to playing together."
"Physically, we grew up an awful lot in the last week," Falor added. "I thought that we were very passive in our scrimmage at Mercyhurst on Sunday (Aug. 22) but we adapted well to the physicality of Division I soccer tonight."
Kent State jumped on the scoreboard early when Brittany Fracasso gathered in a loose ball in the box off a cross from Danie Irwin and guided the ball past Viking goalie Allie Zajaros just 12:56 into the match. The Golden Flashes made it 2-0 in the 21st minute when Kimberly Dimitroff's header deflected off a CSU defender and found the net off a corner from Fracasso.
The Viking defense tightened after that, holding the Golden Flash scoreless until Kent State tallied a pair of goals in a three-minute span.
Nikki Lichtenfeld scored on a penalty kick after she was fouled by CSU's Maggie Pugliese in the box in the 61st minute. Amy Kessler closed the scoring at the 64:29 mark when she took a cross from Jenn Frey and beat Zajaros.
Kent State dominated statistically, outshooting the Vikings, 13-3, and holding a 6-0 advantage in corner kicks.
Zajaros, who went the entire 90 minutes in goal, made a pair of saves. The Vikings could manage just three shots offensively with KSU goalie Alicia Fernandez making one save.
The match, which was part of CSU Welcome Week activities for new students, took place in front of a zealous crowd of 682 fans at Foltz Field. Included in that total were almost 200 CSU student-athletes representing every varsity sport.
"The crowd was absolutely great tonight," Falor said. "It just shows the amount of support that this program has received from the university administration, the athletic department staff and coaches, and the student-athletes from the other teams. It was great going out on the field tonight with `Cleveland State' across our chests and we hope that we will be able to accomplish our goal of winning championships in the years to come."
The Vikings continue their inaugural season when they travel to the University of Toledo for a 1 p.m. match on Sunday, August 29.
