CSUDH Men's Soccer Weekly Release
August 28, 2002

THIS WEEK IN TOROS SOCCER
Aug. 29 #1 CSUDH vs. Alliant University 1 pm
Aug. 31 #1 CSUDH vs. Cal Baptist University 4:00

LOOKING AHEAD: The Toros open up their 2002 regular season schedule with home games this week against NAIA school's Alliant University and Cal Baptist.

SO CLOSE...SO FAR: Cal State Dominguez Hills came so close to claiming their second consecutive NCAA II national championship last year but came up short in the final 10 minutes of the championship game. University of Tampa scored two goals in the final ten minutes of play to capture the 2001 NCAA II National Championship over Cal State Dominguez Hills 2-1 in Tampa, FL. CSUDH, the defending NCAA II champs, took an early lead scoring at the 1:19 mark. Senior All-America defender Joe Cartlidge headed in a corner kick from Sean Lockhart giving the Toros a 1-0 lead. Both defenses would hold the contest scoreless the rest of the first half.

"The game couldn't have started off any better," said Toros head coach Joe Flanagan. "I thought it was important to get the lead on Tampa."

Junior midfielder Isidro Torres nearly made it 2-0 in the 55th minute, however, his open net shot was sent well over the goal. Tampa appeared to have scored the equalizer in the 57th minute, but the goal was called back due to a handball foul inside the box.

Jason Bell was able to tally the equalizer in the 80th minute on a header. Josh Huettich sent a long cross from the right side inside the box finding the head of Bell making it 1-1. Six minutes later at 86:20, Tampa's Kareem Escayg hit a fortunate shot that found the back of the net. From 40 yards away, Escayg's shot hit the back of the neck of Toros defender Sean Silveri then deflected over the head of CSUDH goalie Luis Morales for the game-winning goal.

The Toros completed the 2001 season with a 20-3-1 record. Tampa completed the season 19-0-2 while winning their third national championship (1981 & 1994). Three Cal State Dominguez Hills players were named to the 2001 NCAA II Men's Soccer Championship All-Tournament Team. They were: Junior forward Scott White, senior defender Joe Cartlidge and senior goalkeeper Luis Morales. Morales was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Defensive Player.

ALONE AT THE TOP: Cal State Dominguez Hills begins the season with a target on their back as the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) made the Toros its preseason No. 1 pick. University of Tampa fell all the way down to the No. 9 spot.

READY TO GO!: The Toros are chomping at the bit as the 2002 season is nearing its start. The squad returns 8 starters from last year's team and once again had a stellar recruiting class. All-American forward Gabriel Valencia, who was second on the squad in scoring in 2001 with 27 points, looks to lead the team and close out his collegiate career on top. Joining him back are junior midfielder Victor Guerrero (15 pts./4g/7a) and senior forward Scott White (18 pts./5g/8a). Also back are All-CCAA players Eddie Gonzales-Pinto and Rick Cobb. The losses of CCAA Player of the Year and All-American Sean Lockhart will hurt, as will the loss of All-American defender Joe Cartlidge. But a recruiting class consisting of 5 freshman, 1 juco transfer and a First Team All-West Region transfer in Eduardo Serrano from Humboldt State helps take the sting away. The 2002 squad will be deeper, well rounded and more experienced which should help the Toros in their quest of winning their fourth straight CCAA title.

THE COACH: Head coach Joe Flanagan is in his ninth season at the helm of the Toros program. Last year Flanagan led CSUDH to its second consecutive appearance in the NCAA II National Championship game only to succumb to University of Tampa 2-1 in the final minutes of the game. Flanagan, the 2001 NCAA II Far West Region Coach of the Year, became the Toros all-time winningest coach last year and now is 103-51-8 (.660). Flanagan won his 100th career game when the Toros shutout UC Davis 1-0 in the CCAA Championship game last year. CSUDH has now won the past three CCAA titles. Coach Flanagan was named the 2001 CCAA Coach of the Year for the second season in a row.

MORE FLANAGAN: Heading into this season, Flanagan in the 15th winningest active coach at the NCAA Division II level with a 103-51-8 record and a .660 winning percentage. The only coach that ranks higher than Flanagan is legendary Seattle Pacific mentor Cliff McCrath who leads all active coaches at any level with 530 wins.

CLASS BREAKDOWN: 14 underclassmen dot the 2002 roster including 5 freshman and 9 sophomores. The upper class is evenly split with 5 juniors and 5 seniors.

NOW IS GREAT...BUT FUTURE GETTING BETTER: Over the past two years, CSUDH has firmly established itself as one of the premier soccer schools in the country. As with every year, key players will be lost. This year the squad will lose 5 seniors including All-American forward Gabriel Valencia, NCAA All-Tournament forward Scott White and a tough defender in Sean Silveri. But once again a strong core will be back to build upon which has been the case for the last 4 years, resulting in the building of one of the top programs in the country. Add to this the impending Home Depot National Training Center, which will be home to U.S. Soccer and the Los Angeles Galaxy among others, that is currently being constructed on the CSUDH campus and the future is unlimited.

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