For the second time in the last three seasons, Cal State Fullerton serves as host of the Big West Women's Soccer Tournament. The Titans, which finished in a tie with Long Beach State for the regular season title, defeated the 49ers earlier this season to win the head-to-head tiebreaker and earn hosting privileges.
Titan Stadium is the site for Friday evening's semifinal matches at 5 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday's championship at 1:00 p.m. The first game features No. 2 seed Long Beach State against third-seeded Cal Poly in what is a rematch of one of last year's tournament semifinals. The top-seeded Titans face Orange County rival and No. 4 seed UC Irvine in the nightcap.
Three of the four members of the field have combined to win the previous six tournament championships. Cal Poly leads all schools with three titles, Cal State Fullerton has two and UC Irvine one.
CSF attempts to become the first school to capture three consecutive Big West Tournament titles. After winning the 2005 and 2006 crowns, the Titans went on to experience success in the NCAA Tournament, reaching the round of 16 and second round, respectively.
This season, the Titans matched Long Beach State with a 6-2-0 conference record for 18 points. CSF used its 1-0 victory at LBSU on Oct. 19 as the determining factor in earning the opportunity to host.
How advantageous is home field advantage? The host school has hoisted the crown on two occasions - UC Irvine in 1997 and Cal State Fullerton in 2005. UC Irvine hosted but did not compete in the 2004 event.
Cal Poly (2003) and Cal State Fullerton (2005) are the only two schools to notch the regular season and tournament championship in the same year. The Titans, which have shared or outright won the regular season title three times in the last four seasons, have an opportunity to accomplish the feat again. Long Beach State chases that distinction for the second straight year. The 49ers shared the regular season title with UC Santa Barbara last season, but whiffed on the double dip as Cal Poly ended their tournament title aspirations in the semifinals.
The 49ers have experienced impressive success with three straight seasons of at least 12 victories. But they hope to overcome a tourney trend which reveals that a No. 2 seed has never emerged as champion.
In contrast, tournament history suggests it's great to be a No. 3 seed. Three times has the third seeded team bucked the odds and raised the trophy. Cal Poly took advantage of that slot in 2004 to win, as did UCI in 1997 and CSF's club last season.
The Mustangs have played in more Big West Tournament contests (10) than any other school. They have never lost in the semifinals (5-0) and are 8-2 all-time.
Although not a newcomer to the tournament party, UC Irvine returns after a long break. The Anteaters hosted in their last appearance in 2003, falling to Cal Poly in the semifinals. The Mustangs and Anteaters traded championships in 1996 and 1997, then got reacquainted in 2003 in the resurrected version of the event after a five-year hiatus. In contrast, UCI and CSF will be meeting for the first time in the tournament.
The Big West Tournament champion automatically qualifies for the 64-team NCAA Tournament bracket, which will be announced on Monday, Nov. 12 at 5:00 p.m. (PST) on ESPNews.
PAST TOURNEY CHAMPS 1996 #4 Cal Poly
1997 #3 UC Irvine
2003 #1 Cal Poly
2004 #3 Cal Poly
2005 #1 Cal State Fullerton
2006 #3 Cal State Fullerton
BIG WEST TOURNAMENT TICKETS NOW ON SALE Tickets are now on sale for the 2007 Big West Conference Women's Soccer Tournament hosted by Cal State Fullerton beginning Friday.
All-tournament passes are available for $18 for adults and $12 for youth (ages 3-17), seniors (65-and-better), and students. All-tournament passes will be available on a presale basis only until noon on Friday (Nov. 9) by calling the Cal State Fullerton athletic ticket office at (714) 278-CSUF.
Single-day passes are available for $10 for adults, $7 for youth and seniors, and $5 for students from the four participating schools (with valid ID). Tickets can also be purchased online by clicking here.