SUE LAGARDE/ Daily Titan
Before getting ready to open conference play next Friday at home against UCI, the Cal State Fullerton women’s soccer team will host the 2012 Under Armour Invitational this weekend.
The four-team tournament will feature four exciting games over two days. The first game of the tournament will feature rival Long Beach State against a Texas Tech team that will be looking to get back on track after dropping their first two opening games in Southeastern Conference Sports play.
The Titans will take on an Army team who comes into the tournament winners of two of their last three games. Friday’s game against the Black Knights will start at 7:30 p.m.
The teams will take a break from competition Saturday before heading back to the pitch the following day. Sunday will feature two more games, opening with Long Beach taking on Army at 11 a.m. followed by CSUF going up against Texas Tech.
This tournament will be a tough challenge for the Titans. While they may be avoiding Long Beach State, who is currently ranked 20th in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) coaches’ poll, taking on Army and Texas Tech won’t be an easy task for the Titans.
The Red Raiders, Black Knights and 49ers come in with a .500 or better season record. All three teams head into the tournament with a combined record of 14-8.
While the Titans may be heading into Friday with a record of only 2-5, they have played better than their record indicates. They are coming off a 1-0 victory over Creighton last Sunday, and gave Florida State, currently ranked No. 1 in the nation, all they could handle in a 1-0 loss last Friday.
All seven of the Titans’ games this season so far have been decided by one goal. Head Coach Demian Brown said there have been many positives for his team despite their 2-5 record so far.
“Losing is always tough. I have liked a lot of what I have seen out of my team, especially the last few games. In the last two games along we have had 44 opportunities to set-up scoring opportunities,” Brown said.
This tournament should help the Titans prepare for Big West Conference play. After wrapping up the Under Armour Invitational, the Titans will spend the first two conference games at home against UCI and Long Beach before heading to Northridge, who is currently sitting just outside the top 25. They then travel to Hawaii.
With the five-game home stand starting with two tournament home games this weekend, CSUF will look to build momentum heading into conference action.
“We don’t need to change things around too much. We just have to focus on each game we play one at a time. If we do that then we can go a long way the rest of the season,” Brown said.
Tickets to this weekend’s Under Armour Invitational can be purchased at Titan Stadium. Admission is $6 for youth and seniors and $8 for adults per day for both games. Students are free with student ID.
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