Cal State San Bernardino's women's soccer team opens the 2008 regular season hungry for a victory after two losses and a tie in pre-season exhibition outings and Head Coach Diego Bocanegra couldn't have picked a much stronger opponent for that match. 

    The Coyotes will be in Seattle to take on Seattle Pacific University at 7 p.m. Thursday . The host Falcons are coming off a 23-1 season in which they advanced to the NCAA national tournament semifinals. 

    On Saturday, the Coyotes take on Saint Martin's University in Lacey, Wash., south of Seattle, at noon 

    The Coyotes are coming off an 8-8-4 season in 2007, the team's best performance since 2003 and have 10 starters returning including two second-team all-California Collegiate Athletic Association players – sophomore forward Katie Liby and senior goalkeeper Leslie Rhodes. 

    Liby led the team in scoring as a freshman with eight goals and an assist while Rhodes posted four shutouts in goal while stopping 69 shots on goal. Rhodes has plenty of help in goal with returning veterans in senior Shawna-Rei Kam and junior Laura Lyons. 

    Also back for CSUSB is senior midfielder-forward Krista Feer, the team's No. 2 scorer with seven goals and two assists in 2007. 

    The Coyotes will again feature a strong defense that limited 20 opponents to a total of 24 goals in 2007. The backline is headed by junior Ashley Salas, an all-CCAA honorable mention, and senior Sophia Bruins. 

    The midfield crew is headed by sophomore Ashley Haagsma, who assisted on four goals in 2007, and senior Lindsey Jordan who sat out 2007 with an injury after leading the team in scoring in 2006. 

    Bocanegra has recruited several freshmen that figure to see plenty of action including Kristina Gomez (Arrowhead Christian Academy), Casey Hirsch (Esperanza High School), MacKenzie Dill (Rancho Cucamonga High School) and Ashley Cabrera (St. Lucy's Priory). 

    Seattle Pacific returns eight starters from its Final Four team led by all-America defender Claire Grubbs and returning goalkeeper Jesslyn Rahm (0.45 goals against with 15 shutouts). SPU has won all three previous meetings with the Coyotes. 

    The Falcons are ranked No. 4 in the nation in the pre-season coaches poll. Their coach, Chuck Sekyra, was named the 2007 Division II women's coach of the year. The program has won Great Northwest Athletic Conference titles five of the past six seasons. 

    Saint Martin's is looking to improve on its 2007 record – 2-17-1 overall and 1-12-1 in the GNAC conference. The Saints had nine freshmen on last year's team, led by Kayci Donatelli, their leading scorer with five goals. 

    YOTES NOTES – In a CCAA coaches' pre-season poll, the Coyotes have been tabbed for last place in the South. CSUSB posted a 4-8-2 record in CCAA play in 2007….Chico State was picked to win the North Division and UC San Diego the South Division with Chico prevailing as the overall champion, according to the coach's poll…Cal State Dominguez Hills is ranked No. 13 in the pre-season national D-2 poll while Chico State was put in 25th spot…..also back for the Coyotes in 2008 is sophomore Jenna Sanchez who scored three goals and assisted on three others from her midfield position…. Junior Lauren Zellmer is also back after scoring two goals and assisting on four others in 2007…..CSUSB played well in a 3-2 exhibition loss to Division I UC Irvine and dominated Biola University, outshooting the Eagles 20-1 in a game that wound up in a 0-0 tie last Saturday.

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