The Red Raiders will look to move to 5-0 when they host Nevada Friday at the John Walker Soccer Complex.

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Aug. 30, 2012

After picking up two wins at the TCU Invitational last weekend, the Red Raiders return home Friday night for a non-conference match with the Nevada Wolf Pack. With the two victories, Tech improved to a perfect 4-0 on the season, matching the program's best start since 2010.

Kickoff for Friday's match is set for 7 p.m. at the John Walker Soccer Complex.

"Nevada is an athletic team," head coach Tom Stone said. "They are a very physical team and they play every game with a lot of energy so we are going to have to match that. We will be in front of our great home crowd and we are used to playing in front of more than 1,000 people. Another big crowd would be huge for us in this match."

The Red Raiders enter the weekend boasting one of the top offenses in the country led by Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week in junior forward Jessica Fuston. A Cedar Park, Texas native, Fuston led the Red Raiders Sunday afternoon with a three goal outburst in the their dominant 4-0 shutout victory over Montana to close out a successful week¬end tournament in Ft. Worth.

The dominant Sunday performance by the Red Raiders followed a thrilling 1-0 shutout of previously unbeaten Stephen F. Austin. Freshman Janine Beckie provided the late heroics Friday night with the game-winning goal in the final minute of regulation off a deflection from teammate Tiffini Smith's shot.

The Red Raiders have outscored their opponents by a margin of 9-1 on the season after shutting out both SFA and Montana at the TCU Invitational. The impressive offensive output of nine goals currently ranks tops in the Big 12.

Friday's match will mark the final home game for three weeks as the Red Raiders will hit the road for six matches away from the friendly confines of the John Walker Soccer Complex.

Tech will return home to face New Mexico State on Sept. 23.

Texas Tech Storylines

Red Raiders Receiving Votes For Second Consecutive Week
Texas Tech continued to receive votes in the NSCAA Top-25 poll released Tuesday. With a perfect 4-0-0 Tech received 36 votes in the Week 2 poll -marking the first time in school history the Red Raiders have received votes in back-to-back weeks.

Tech checked in at No. 3 in the Central Region - marking the highest regional ranking in program history. Tech is ahead of Big 12 members Baylor (4th), West Virginia (5th), Texas (6th), Kansas (7th) and Iowa State (8th).

Stephen F. Austin, who Tech defeated 1-0 last weekend at the TCU Invitational is ranked 10th in the Central Region.

Fuston Named Big 12 Player of the Week
With the three goal outburst on Friday, which tied a career-high, junior forward Jessica Fuston was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week. It marked the fourth time during her career that Fuston has been honored by the conference as a player of the week. Fuston currently leads the Big 12 with four goals on the season while also ranking tops in the conference in points (8), points per game (2), and goals per game (1).

Texas Tech Among National Leaders in Attendance
Texas Tech ranked No. 13 nationally in home attendance during the 2011 season with an average of 1,332 fans per game and broke two single-game attendance with a record crowd of 2,228 on the Oct. 15 match against Kansas. The mark of 2,228 is 148% capacity at the John Walker Soccer Complex.

Texas Tech has a current streak of six-straight Friday night matches with a crowd of over 1,000 at the John Walker Soccer Complex. The Red Raiders hosted an announced crowd of 1,117 for its home opener on Friday Aug. 17 in a 2-1 win over Idaho at the John Walker Soccer Complex.

Tom Stone Nearing 50-Win Milestone
With a win over Montana on Sunday, head coach Tom Stone improved his overall record at Texas Tech to 48-42-10. Stone is already the winningest coach in program history and would be the first to reach the 50-win milestone.

Red Raiders Seeking Best Start in Three Years
Texas Tech will be seeking its fifth win of the season Friday night to move to a perfect 5-0 start for the first time since the 2010 season. The Red Raiders are one of just two Big 12 teams to begin the season with four straight wins. During the stretch Tech has outscored its opponents by a total of 9-1 which leads the Big 12 in total goal differential.

Texas Tech Pacing Big 12 Offenses
With nine goals in just four matches, the Texas Tech offense is pacing the Big 12 Conference. The Red Raiders are tied for tops in the conference in goals scored, while also ranking first in assists (8), points (26) and goals per game (2.25).

Fuston and Beckie - Dynamic Duo
Junior forward Jessica Fuston and freshman forward Janine Beckie have proven to be a dynamic duo for the Red Raiders - and stopping the pair is something opposing defenses have yet to do.

Beckie and Fuston have combined for six of the Red Raiders' nine goals through the first four matches.

Meanwhile, Beckie leads the squad in both shots (18) and shots on goal (8). Beckie, the 2011 Gatorade Colorado Player of the Year during his senior season at Valor Christian High School, scored Texas Tech's first goal of the season just 53 seconds into the opener against Idaho.

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