KEVIN KLAUS

UA junior forward Tymarie Novak attempts a header against Oregon State earlier this season at Murphey Field. The Wildcats will attempt to continue their home winning-streak tomorrow against No. 23 California.

Thursday November 1, 2001

Soccer opens final three-game home stand of season

There is both good and bad news for the Arizona soccer team.

The good news is that the Wildcats conclude their regular season with a three-game home stand - where they are 5-0 - beginning tomorrow night.

The bad news is that in those three games, UA faces three of the Pacific-10 Conferences most talented opponents.

Arizona (5-9-1, 2-4-0 Pac-10) will open its home stand against No. 23 California tomorrow night.

Cal (10-5-1 overall, 2-3-0 Pac-10) holds a strong advantage over the Wildcats despite suffering a 2-1 loss to Stanford last weekend.

The Golden Bears hold a flawless lifetime record against UA with six career wins. Last season, Cal shut out the Wildcats 2-0, scoring two goals in the first 25 minutes of the game.

The weekend does not get any easier because Arizona faces No. 2 Stanford on Sunday.

The Cardinal (12-1-1) are undefeated in the Pac-10 (5-0-0), and are on a six-game unbeaten streak.

Like Cal, Stanford holds a 6-0 series record against the Wildcats and shut out UA in last year's match.

Yet to win a game against either team in their short history, the Wildcats hope to show fans that they are capable of producing a win despite the weekend's intensity.

"Bodies are going to be flying," UA midfielder/forward Candice Wilks said. "It's not going to be an easy (weekend). But on any given day, any team can beat any other team in thePac-10."

Arizona senior goalkeeper Shannon Monti will play a crucial role for the Wildcats this weekend.

Monti - who accumulated two 10-save games in last weekend's losses to Washington and Washington State - said this weekend is critical test of character for the Wildcats.

"Every team in the Pac-10 is solid," Monti said. "We need to respect the level they're at and raise our own level. It's an important (weekend) for us as a team and as a program because every team is beatable."

The Wildcats bring their final three games of the season home to UA's Murphey Stadium where they have been the most successful and where they hope to build off their crowd's energy and excitement

"I don't know what it is about playing at home," Wilks said. "Maybe it's more of an adrenaline rush. We just want to show people that we are excelling and getting better."

The Wildcats conclude they regular season the following weekend against rival Arizona State.

Arizona kicks off tomorrow night at 7 at Murphey Stadium and at 11 a.m. on Sunday.