Boise, ID
High 54 | Low 31
Currently: 39°
Tue
55|34
Wed
61|41
Thu
59|38

A day of firsts for Boise State soccer

Broncos win WAC title, clinch first trip to NCAA tourney

BY JORDAN RODRIGUEZ - jrodriguez@idahostatesman.com

Copyright: © 2009 Idaho Statesman

Published: 11/09/09


Bookmark and Share
Share on Twitter Share on Facebook
print story email story to a friend

Email Story

close
Email Story
Comments (0) |

Sunday was a landmark day for the Boise State women's soccer team, which completed its surprise run through the Western Athletic Conference Tournament with a 1-0 victory over Nevada in the championship match.

Freshman forward Erica Parks scored a first-half goal and the Broncos made it stand up with a stout defensive effort, setting off a celebration with a facility-record crowd of 1,223 at the Boas Soccer Complex.

Boise State (13-6-4) will learn its first-round NCAA Tournament opponent Monday during a televised announcement (6 p.m., ESPNews). The tournament begins Friday.

"We just feel on top of the world right now," said Parks, a Skyview High product who scored three tournament goals to earn MVP honors. "I watched (Boise State) when I was in high school, and now I'm here É it's just surreal right now."

Parks also netted the game-winner during Friday's 1-0 semifinal win over Utah State and had a goal in Thursday's 2-1 first-round victory over Fresno State.

"Erica was massive this weekend," BSU coach Steve Lucas said. "But we have a great group. Everyone played their butts off and made it exciting for the fans."

The Broncos controlled the action against Nevada, holding the Wolf Pack to two shots. Sophomore goalkeeper Liz Ruiz, a Capital High product, stopped both to earn her third WAC Tournament win.

Sunday's celebration put an exclamation point on what has been the most successful season in the BSU soccer program's 12-year history. The Broncos set school records for wins (13) and shutouts (nine) and rode home-field advantage to a WAC Tournament title as the No. 3 seed.

"We had a lot of ties and losses early in the season, but we are peaking at the right time," Parks said.

OPTIONS: Most Read Stories  |  Story Comments  |  Email Story  |  Print story
hide comments

Story Comments
We welcome comments but ask that you remain on topic. Some comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. Comments that are profane, personal attacks or otherwise inappropriate or are off topic are subject to removal. Repeat offenders will be blocked. Do not flag comments merely because you disagree with the comment.

more about comments here.
Local Deals
Find a Job
Keywords:
Location: