Sept. 3, 2009

Complete Release in PDF Format

This Week
East/West Cup presented by Courtyard by Marriott Los Angeles Westside
LMU (2-1-0) vs. Vermont (0-0-1)
Friday, September 4 • 4:00 p.m.
Sullivan Field • Los Angeles, Calif.
Gametracker and live audio available on LMULions.com
TEAM LMU Game of the Week

LMU (2-1-0) vs. Houston (0-2-0)
Sunday, September 6 • 1:00 p.m.
Sullivan Field • Los Angeles, Calif.
Gametracker and live audio available through LMULions.com

Briefly
LMU concludes its longest homestand of the season this week when it brings to a close this three-game stretch with visits from Vermont and Houston, two teams it has never faced before. On Friday, the Lions and Catamounts kick off at 4 p.m. and will be playing for the East/West Cup presented by Courtyard by Marriott Los Angeles Westside. The home stand comes to an end on Sunday at 1 p.m. against the Cougars.

Lions Audio Network
Once again, in conjunction with Stretch Internet, all LMU home games will be broadcast live online at www.LMULions.com. Just click on the "Listen Live" link on the women's soccer home page, then click on "Listen" or "Archive" next to the game of your choice. All broadcasts will be archived within 72 hours of their original airing and will include both the pre-game and post-game shows. LMU is also proud to introduce a new weekly podcast show, hosted by Jesse Kass. The show will feature radio highlights and recaps from recent games, interviews with student-athletes, and previews of upcoming events. The show will be available online at LMULions.com. Fans can also subscribe to the podcast via iTunes.

Feeney Debuts on "Inside the Lions"
Senior Kim Feeney will be the first guest on the new online show "Inside the Lions", which will make its debut Thursday, September 3 on www.LMULions.com. Hosted by men's basketball player Jarred Dubois, "Inside the Lions" will feature a one-on-one interview with a student-athlete and game highlights.

Follow the Lions Online
Log on to www.LMULions.com for all the latest info on the Lions, including updated schedules, rosters, player bios, and more. Don't forget to also sign up to follow the Lions on Facebook (Facebook.com/LMULions) and Twitter (Twitter.com/LMULions).

Coming to a Game?
If you are planning to attend a game at LMU this season, then be sure to reserve your tickets today by ordering online at www.LMULions.com or by calling the LMU Ticket Office at (310) 338-LION. The Loyola Marymount University campus is located in Westchester at 1 LMU Drive, approximately four miles north of the Los Angeles International Airport. Visitors must use the main entrance off of Lincoln Blvd. on LMU Drive. Parking for Sullivan Field will be in General Parking Lot A.

TEAM LMU Game of the Week
This week's TEAM LMU Game of the Week is Friday's women's soccer match against Vermont. The purpose of TEAM LMU is to bring Lion fans together as one, creating an atmosphere that helps build the Lions into champions, while allowing all to enjoy the benefits of our corporate partners. For more information on TEAM LMU, log on to www.LMULions.com/teamlmu.

Last Week Recap
LMU split its games last week between home and away and also split the results, posting a win and a loss. On Thursday, the Lions traveled to Cal State Northridge but were unable to stop the Matador offensive, giving up three goals in the second half in a 3-0 defeat. The Lions managed to reverse the scoreline on Sunday in their home opener against Northern Arizona. Junior Gabby Parisella, who entered the game in the 33rd minute, turned the tide in LMU's favor with a pair of goals in the span of five minutes. Parisella converted crosses from junior Julie Gallaudet on each goal for her first career multi-goal game and her first strikes since October 7, 2007. Gallaudet then tied the school record with her third assist in the second half, slotting a through-ball to sophomore Erin Rementer, who pushed the ball past the keeper for her third career goal. That was more than enough support for senior goalkeeper Allyssa Clark, who registered her second shutout of the season and 10th of her career with seven saves.

About the Vermont Catamounts (0-0-1)
Vermont opened up last week by hosting the TD Bank Classic. In the non-counting opener against the University of Montreal, Carson Laderoute scored twice, including the game-winner two minutes into overtime in a 3-2 victory. Gabby Bonfigli had assists on all three goals. On Sunday, the Catamounts played their true season opener, with Bonfigli getting on the scoresheet herself with the opener against Central Connecticut. UVM then conceded a pair of goals to fall behind before Heidi Hassler earned the draw, making it 2-2 seven minutes from time.
Vermont went 4-13-1 last season, placing seventh in the America East Conference with a 2-5-1 record. They return 17 letterwinners and seven starters. This will be the first meeting between LMU and UVM.

About the Houston Cougars (0-2-0)
Houston kept it in-state for its first two games, hosting UT-San Antonio and traveling to #25 Texas. On August 23, UTSA had taken a first-half lead, only for Avery Blasi to pull UH level two minutes after halftime. The Cougars would go down to the game-winner in the second overtime for a 2-1 loss. Houston played Texas even in the first half but the Longhorns pulled away with a pair of goals in the last 45 minutes in a 2-0 defeat.
Houston was 7-10-1 last year and 3-7-1 in Conference USA play to finish 10th. They return eight starters and 13 letterwinners. This will be the first meeting between the Lions and Cougars.

Gallaudet Picks Up Where She Left Off
Junior Julie Gallaudet wasted no time in finding her form from last season, scoring LMU's second goal in the season-opening win at UNLV. She then tied the school record with three assists against Northern Arizona, equalling the feat of Cindy Carullo in 1993 and Jessica Lyon in 1997. Gallaudet, who led the Lions with five goals and 14 points in 2008, now has six goals for her career, second among active players behind senior Lacey Bartels' seven. She also has eight career assists, putting her one outside the LMU top-10.

Welcome Back, Gabby
Junior Gabrielle Parisella was never gone but her name has been absent from the scoresheet for quite some time. After scoring three goals as a freshman, Parisella was shut out left year. Well, she is blanked no more after tallying her first career two-goal game against Northern Arizona. Her two goals in a three-minute span broke a personal 28-game drought.

McGovern Makes Quite a Debut
Quick, what do Cori McGovern and Tiffany Harrison have in common? The answer is that they are the last two Lions to score in their collegiate debuts. Harrison, now a senior, netted her first career goal in her debut three years ago while McGovern registered LMU's first tally of the season at UNLV, latching on to a long throw in the 51st minute to put the Lions on the road to a 2-0 victory.

Another Clean Sheet for Clark
Speaking of picking up where she left off, senior Allyssa Clark notched two shutouts in the first three games, adding to her eight from last year. Her 10 career shutouts rank fourth all-time at LMU while she also became the fifth player to go over the century mark in saves. Her 12 career goalie wins rank fifth at LMU.

Defending Their Turf
Sullivan Field has been Home Sweet Home for the Lions, who have lost just one game in the stadium in each of the last two seasons. The Lions' 3-0 win over Northern Arizona in this year's home opener meant that they are now 9-4-4 in home openers and 4-1-3 since 2001. Overall in two years under Mallia, LMU is 17-2-2 at Sullivan Field.

Lions in the Regional Rankings
LMU opened the 2009 season ranked fifth in the NSCAA West Region poll but has dropped into a tie for eighth in the September 1 poll. For all 13 weeks last season, LMU bounced between the "receiving votes" category and top-15 for the Soccerbuzz.com West Region rankings. This week's ranking runs their streak of consecutive weeks in any West Rankings to 23.

LMU Picked Fifth in WCC Preseason Coaches Poll
Coming off of two consecutive third-place finishes in the West Coast Conference, LMU women's soccer has been tabbed to place fifth in 2009, according to the WCC Preseason Coaches Poll. LMU, who went 10-6-3 and earned its second-highest out-right finish (third) in the program's WCC history, gained 28 total points, one behind Pepperdine, who was fourth with 29 points. Portland, who has won two straight conference titles and four in the last five seasons, gained the maximum seven first-place votes and 49 points overall to head this year's preseason list. San Diego, who advanced to the second round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament, was second with 41 points and Santa Clara was third with 38 points and the other first-place vote. Gonzaga (16 points) was sixth, followed by San Francisco (12 points), and Saint Mary's (11 points).

Sorentino on WCC Preseason All-Conference Team
For the first time, the WCC has named a preseason all-conference team, also voted on by the coaches. LMU junior forward Lily Sorentino, who tied the LMU school record with eight assists last season and was a First Team All-WCC selection, was the lone Lion representative on this year's team. Portland had four representatives, followed by three from Santa Clara, and one each from Pepperdine, San Diego, LMU, and Gonzaga.

Recruiting Class Ranked Second in WCC
Online soccer publication TopDrawerSoccer.com has ranked LMU's 2009 recruiting class as the second-best in the West Coast Conference. Head Coach Joe Mallia and his staff will be bringing in eight highly-touted freshman to join a Lion squad that has finished third in the WCC in each of the past two seasons. TopDrawerSoccer.com had the Lions at #2 on its list from the WCC, behind Santa Clara but ahead of two-time defending conference champions Portland. Rounding out the list at #4 was Pepperdine. The eight-member class is the largest in Mallia's tenure at LMU and comprises goalkeepers Brittany Jagger, Alaina Martin, and Paige Pennington, midfielders Amanda Owens and Cori McGovern, and defenders Jordan Nelson, Kelsey Wilson, and Claire Yearian.

Mallia Adds One More
In addition to the eight freshmen who have joined the Lions this season, Joe Mallia has added one more to his roster as Mallia and his wife, Amy, welcomed their third daughter, Addison Rose, on August 14, 2009. Addison joins older sisters Kaitlyn (7) and Reagan (4) in bringing the Mallia clan to five.

- GO LIONS -