SAN MARCOS, Calif. – Men’s soccer, women’s soccer, volleyball and men’s and women’s cross country will all return to action this week for Cal State San Marcos Athletics.
Men’s soccer will get the week started by continuing its three-game road trip with a stop at Biola on Wednesday at 7 p.m. They’ll then conclude the road swing at Concordia Irvine on Saturday at 3 p.m.
Women’s soccer will play in its first road game of the season on Thursday at 5 p.m. as it visits Azusa Pacific before journeying back to San Marcos to face Simon Fraser on Saturday at 12:30 p.m.
Volleyball will head up to Cal State San Bernardino for the 2019 West Region Volleyball Showcase. On Thursday, the Cougars will face Alaska Anchorage at 10 a.m. before concluding the day with Simon Fraser at 5:30 p.m. On Friday, CSUSM and Point Loma will hit the court for a noon first serve. The Cougars will conclude their trip against Biola on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
Men’s and women’s cross country will host the 2019 Cougar Challenge on Friday at Walnut Grove Park in San Marcos. The women’s 6K will begin at 8:30 a.m., and the men’s 8K will follow at 9:15 a.m.
MEN’S SOCCER
Wednesday, Sept. 11 – 7 p.m.
CSUSM (1-1) at Biola (0-2)
La Mirada, Calif. – Al Barbour Field
Live Stats | Live Video
Saturday, Sept. 14 – 3 p.m.
CSUSM at Concordia Irvine (0-1)
Irvine, Calif. – Eagles Field
Live Stats | Live Video
PREVIOUS WEEK •CSUSM began its season on a strong note by shutting out No. 25 Fresno Pacific by a score of 3-0.
•The Cougars then suffered their first setback of the season with a 2-1 loss at No. 11 Azusa Pacific.
•Freshman forward John Williamson led the CCAA with three goals in the first week of action while scoring two in his first collegiate game against APU.
WEDNESDAY AT BIOLA •Wednesday’s match between CSUSM and Biola will mark the 11th consecutive season in which the Cougars and Eagles have played each other.
•CSUSM owns a 5-3-3 series lead over Biola and has tallied wins in the past two games.
•The Cougars own a 3-2-1 series lead when playing in La Mirada.
•CSUSM defeated Biola 3-2 in last season’s overtime contest in San Marcos.
•The Eagles are off to an 0-2 start after suffering a 1-0 road loss at Point Loma and a 3-2 defeat at home against Northwest Nazarene.
•Biola was picked to finish sixth in the 2019 PacWest Preseason Coaches Poll.
ROUNDING OUT THE ROAD TRIP AT CUI •Saturday’s game will be the eighth all-time meeting between the Cougars and CUI.
•CSUSM owns a 4-3 series lead with victories in three of the last four contests.
•The Cougars have won each of the last two matches by a score of 2-1.
•When playing in Irvine, CSUSM is 3-2 overall.
•A win by the Cougars would give them a three-game winning streak against the Eagles – the longest by either side in the series.
•Concordia Irvine suffered a swift 5-0 defeat at the hands of UC San Diego in its season opener in La Jolla.
•Before facing the Cougars, the Eagles will travel to Cal State LA for a game on Monday.
•CUI was picked to finish fourth in the 2019 PacWest Preseason Coaches Poll.
THE PULVERS FILE •This season marks the 14th season for head coach Ron Pulvers at CSUSM.
•Pulvers has a 112-86-23 (.559) record as CSUSM’s head men’s coach.
•In 22 seasons as a collegiate head men’s soccer coach, Pulvers holds a 238-157-37 (.594) career record.
•He was 84-42-24 (.640) while in charge of the CSUSM women’s program.
•From 2006-13, Pulvers led both the CSUSM men’s and women’s soccer teams.
VOLLEYBALL
2019 West Region Volleyball Showcase
Official Tournament Page
San Bernardino, Calif. | Coussoulis Arena
Live Stats | Video
Thursday, Sept. 12
CSUSM (5-0) vs. Alaska-Anchorage (2-2) – 10 a.m.
CSUSM vs. Simon Fraser (2-2) – 5:30 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 13
CSUSM vs. Point Loma (3-1) – 1 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 14
CSUSM at Biola (2-2) – 7:30 p.m.
D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase Breakdown •The Cougars will be facing Simon Fraser for the first time in program history.
•CSUSM dropped a five-set match to Alaska Anchorage in last year’s West Region Volleyball Showcase when Concordia Irvine hosted.
•The Cougars have a two-match win streak, tallying five-set victories, against Point Loma after falling in their first four meetings.
•CSUSM has yet to face the Eagles of Biola since both teams moved to NCAA Division II. During the NAIA years, Biola came out on top in all four meetings.
PREVIOUS WEEK •CSUSM is off to their best start in program history after going 5-0 in the Cougar Classic this past weekend.
•The Cougars defense was on point in the tournament, holding their opponents to a .120 attack percentage while out-blocking the visitors 48-23.
•For the first time in Cougar Classic history, a MVP was rewarded and it went to senior Maddy Newcombe who tallied a .379 attack percentage and 19 blocks.
•Joining Newcombe on the 2019 Cougar Classic All-tournament team were Olivia Aguilar, Grecia Cordero-Barr and Aleese Wheaton. It is Newcombe’s fourth time earning the honor while Cordero-Barr collects her second accolade.
THE LEONARD FILE •Head coach Andrea Leonard enters her ninth season in charge of the Cougar volleyball team, a program she has built from the ground up since arriving on campus in 2010.
•Leonard has a 160-105 (.604) record as CSUSM’s head coach.
•In 15 seasons as a collegiate head volleyball coach, Leonard holds a 252-231 (.552) career record.
•Leonard was CSUSM’s first-ever CCAA Coach of the Year after guiding the Cougars to a third-place finish in the overall standings in the 2017 season.
WOMEN’S SOCCER
Thursday, Sept. 12 – 5 p.m.
CSUSM (1-0) at Azusa Pacific (1-0)
Azusa, Calif. – Cougar Soccer Complex
Live Stats | Live Video ($)
Saturday, Sept. 14 – 12:30 p.m.
CSUSM vs. Simon Fraser (0-0)
San Marcos, Calif. – The Cage
Live Stats | Watch Live!
PREVIOUS WEEK •CSUSM won its season opener over Central Washington at home by a score of 1-0.
•Hannah Arcala had the Cougars’ lone goal of the game.
•It was the first-ever meeting between CSUSM and CWU.
ON THE ROAD AT AZUSA PACIFIC •Thursday’s game will be the first between CSUSM and Azusa Pacific since facing each other at the 2008 NAIA National Tournament in Daytona Beach, Florida.
•APU owns a 3-0 lead in the all-time series and is 2-0 when playing CSUSM in Azusa.
•APU defeated Cal State Dominguez Hills 3-1 in its season opener on the road.
•APU was projected to finish third in the 2019 PacWest Preseason Coaches Poll.
BACK AT THE CAGE AGAINST SIMON FRASER •Saturday’s game between CSUSM and Simon Fraser will be the first since the 2009 A.I.I. Women’s Soccer Tournament in Phoenix, Arizona. CSUSM won that game 1-0.
•The Cougars own a 1-0-1 series lead against the Clan.
•This will be first game between CSUSM and SFU to occur at a home venue as the previous two meetings took place at neutral sites.
•This will be the Clan’s first game of the 2019 season.
•SFU was picked to finish fourth in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) after finishing last season at 8-3-1 in conference play and 10-6-1 overall.
•The Clan returns 10 letterwinners and six starters.
THE RENNEISEN FILE •Head coach Bobby Renneisen enters his sixth year in charge of the women’s program and 14th overall at CSUSM
•Renneisen’s 2018 team made its second consecutive CCAA Tournament appearance in 2018 while also handing No. 1 UC San Diego its lone regular-season loss.
•Between 2006-13, Renneisen was an assistant/associate head coach for both the men’s and women’s soccer teams.
•As the women’s head coach, Renneisen is 37-30-23 (.539) for his career with the Cougars.
MEN’S / WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
Friday, Sept. 13
Cougar Challenge
San Marcos, Calif. – Walnut Grove Park
LIVE SCORING | MEN’S COURSE MAP | WOMEN’S COURSE MAP
RACE START TIMES
8:30 a.m. – Women’s 6K
9:15 a.m. – Men’s 8K
TEAMS
Azusa Pacific, Cal Poly Pomona, Cal State San Bernardino (Women Only), Cal State San Marcos, Hawaii Pacific, Queens (N.C.), San Diego Christian (Women Only), UC San Diego,
COUGARS COMPETING
WOMEN: Jax Heckers, Marina McDonough, Clarissa Garcia, Renee Laurenzana, Aylin Beltran-Picos, Luz Mercado, Grace Handler, Olivia Quezada, Natalie Schroeder, Laura Georgelin, Ana Mercado, Gabriela Hubarth, Alicia Villarreal, Sierra Roberson, Bri Chavira, Lauren Allison Aipa, Johanna Hunck, Makayla Jones, Daria Bonds.
MEN: Kibrom Elias, Joshua Litwiller, Kevin Lehr, Shea Vavra, Robert Marin, Tyler Lopez, Ruben Piña, Trevor Boaz, Isaq Moalim, Joshua Hunck, Austin Edwards, David Bonds.
PREVIOUS RACE
•Last week, the men won the Biola Invitational with Kibrom Elias leading the Cougars with a third place finish, completing the course in 25:22.1.
•The women’s team also capture a Biola Invitational victory as junior Jax Heckers was the first to cross the finish line for the Cougars to place sixth overall with a time of 18:30.92.
UPCOMING RACE •Friday’s Cougar Challenge will be the 12th annual race CSUSM has hosted, first off campus in program history.
•In the 2019 USTFCCCA Preseason Regional Rankings, the men’s team is ranked seventh, joining four other CCAA schools in the top 10, while the women sit sixth with two other conference members.
THE OLSON FILE •Head coach Torrey Olson begins his second season at the helm of the men’s and women’s track and field programs after taking over in the summer of 2018.
•Olson came to CSUSM after spending three seasons as the Director of Track & Field and Cross Country at the Academy of Art University where his teams earned 50-plus All-American honors.
•Olson served as the head cross country coach the previous three years at Academy of Art.
•In addition to the Academy of Art, Olson has also worked with the University of San Francisco and Pomona-Pitzer College.
•A graduate of Pomona College in 2009, Olson also holds an MFA from St. Mary’s College (2012).
