Sept. 10, 2002
Just Briefly
The Lions continued their hot scoring streak defeating Loyola-Chicago 3-0 last Sunday afternoon. LMU improved their record to a perfect 3-0-0 with the win. Senior Shari Nishikawa scored the Lions' first goal of the game, the eventual game-winner. Freshman Kelly Lewandowski scored her first and second career goals against the Ramblers. Lewandowski was assisted by junior Jennifer Cefalia on her first goal and senior Annie Beltran on the second.
Up Next
Loyola Marymount gets ready to travel for its first road trip of the 2002 season. The Lions head east to Winston-Salem, North Carolina for the Wake Forest University Adidas Invitational. It will be a battle of the undefeated as LMU kicks off the tournament with a game against host No.13 Wake Forest on Friday, Sept. 13. The Lions will round out the weekend with a match-up against Vanderbilt University on Sunday, Sept. 15.
Freshman Fronts Attack
Freshman Kelly Lewandowski led the Lions offensive attack against Loyola-Chicago last Sunday. Lewandowski belted out three shots on goal and found the back of the net on two of the chances. Her two goals paved the way for the Lions 3-0 win over the Ramblers. Lewandowski is now LMU's leading points scorer with five on the year.
Skhal Stops All
Senior goalkeeper Elizabeth Skhal has turned away every scoring attempt from the Lions' opponents this season. Skhal has anchored LMU to a perfect 3-0-0 record so far and has yet to allow a goal through nearly 245 minutes played. Skhal has collected three shutouts in three games, she had 3.5 shutouts all of last season.
Fearless Freshman
First year jitters and tentativeness are not words to describe Head Coach Gregg Murphy's freshman class. The class, which was ranked as seventh best in the West Region by SoccerBuzz Magazine, has definitely lived up to its reputation so far this season. Of the 27 players listed on the 2002 roster, 13 are incoming freshman; 11 of those 13 have seen playing time already. Three of those 11 have scored at least one point, with one, Kelly Lewandowski, leading all Lions with five points on the season.
Offensive Frenzy
The Lions three wins have not been close calls by any means. LMU has dominated its opponents in both the shots (67-13) and corner kicks (22-6) categories. The Lions have enjoyed the second half a little more than the first putting up 39 shots in the second period compared to 27 in the first. The opposite is true when it comes to corner kicks as they've drawn 12 in the first half and 10 in the second.
Weekend Review
vs. Loyola-Chicago 9/8/02
The Lions claimed a 3-0 win over Loyola-Chicago last Sunday afternoon at Sullivan Field. Freshman Kelly Lewandowski netted two goals for the Lions keeping them undefeated so far this season. After a slow first half by both teams and a 0-0 score at the break the Lions came out ready to play in the second half. Four minutes into the second period LMU junior Shari Nishikawa curved a corner kick and snuck it past Loyola-Chicago goalkeeper Heather Joseph for the score. The goal was Nishikawa's first of the year. Freshman Kelly Lewandowski collected the next two goals for the Lions. Lewandowski's first goal (77:20) came off an assist from junior Jennifer Cefalia. Just under two minutes later (78:45), senior Annie Beltran found Lewandowski again for the Lions third goal of the game. Lewandowski converted her two goals taking advantage of the Ramblers' goalkeepers being out of position. Joseph was replaced as the Ramblers goalkeeper in the 77th minute by Erica Pedini. Joseph made 10 saves and allowed two goals while Pedini allowed the third goal. Joseph picks up the loss, her record drops to 1-2-0 on the season. Lion senior goalkeeper Beth Skhal was again on top of her game making four saves on the day. Skhal, who has yet to allow a goal this season, improved her record to a perfect 3-0-0 on the year. The Lions dominated the game offensively outshooting the Ramblers 30-5. LMU kept Loyola-Chicago on their heels defensively as well drawing 12 corner kicks. The Ramblers managed to draw just one corner kick with 1:30 remaining in regulation.
LMU Head Coach
Gregg Murphy is in his seventh year at the helm of the LMU women's soccer program. Under Murphy the Lions have enjoyed unprecedented success, posting winning seasons in all but two of his years in Westchester. Murphy's record at LMU now stands at 63-43-8, while his career coaching record, which spans eleven seasons, stands at 121-95-12. An outstanding recruiter, Murphy's 2002 class was ranked 7th best in the West Region by SoccerBuzz. Murphy is a 1986 graduate of Chapman University.
Demon Deacons Diary
Wake Forest enters its tournament with a 4-0-0 record and a No. 13 national ranking in the latest NSCAA/Adidas Women's Top 25 poll. The Demon Deacons started their season with quite the offensive output scoring 13 goals in just four games. Defensively WFU has been just as impressive holding its opponents to just two goals. Alana Thom and Katherine Winstead lead the Demon Deacons with three goals each. Thom has also collected three assists and leads the squad with nine points on the year. Head Coach Tony da Luz is in his sixth year at Wake Forest, he owns a 64-38-5 record with the Demon Deacons. Friday's contest marks the first ever meeting between Wake Forest and Loyola Marymount.
Commodores Comments
Vanderbilt travels to North Carolina with a 1-1-0 overall record. The Commodores split their only two contests of the 2002 season falling to Saint Louis, 1-0, in overtime and then defeating Alabama-Birmingham 4-2. Michelle Bruntlett leads Vanderbilt, scoring two of its four goals on the year. Esther Thompson has spent a majority of the two games in goal for the Commodores. She has allowed one goal, made seven saves and owns a 0.64 goals against average.
