CSUDH Men's Soccer Weekly Release
November 4, 2002

THIS WEEK IN TOROS SOCCER
CCAA CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT
Nov. 8 #1 CSUDH vs. #3 UC San Diego Seawolf Field, 11 AM
Nov. 8 #4 CS Bakersfield @ #2 Sonoma St. Seawolf Field, 2 PM
Nov. 10 CCAA Championship Game Seawolf Field, 1 PM

LOOKING AHEAD:
The Toros clinched the No. 1 seed in the upcoming conference tournament with victories last week over CS Bakersfield and Cal State L.A. CSUDH will play in the first semifinal on Friday, Nov. 8 against No. 3 seed UC San Diego. If the Toros win, they will advance to the championship game on Sunday, Nov. 10 against the winner of the CS Bakersfield/Sonoma St. semifinal.

TOROS SURVIVE SCARE, WIN SHOWDOWN OVER NO. 7 BAKERSFIELD, 5-4:
For 83 minutes it looked as if the Toros would cruise to an easy win over then No. 7-ranked Cal State Bakersfield in a crucial CCAA game Wednesday at Toro Field. However, the Roadrunners sent the match into overtime with an amazing three-goal effort over a 1:09 span to tie the game at 4-4 to send it into the extra period. Roadrunner-killer Gabriel Valencia (Salesian HS) knocked in the game-winner, his second goal of the match, to propel the Toros to the 5-4 win and a clinch of the CCAA Central Division crown. Cal State Dominguez Hills took a 3-0 halftime lead on goals by Victor Guerrero (Century HS), Valencia and Ryan Taylor (Ayala HS). Guerrero struck first on a penalty kick giving CSUDH a 1-0 lead at 17:13. Valencia made it 2-0 on a counter heading home a cross from Michael Jimenez (Bishop Montgomery HS) in the 31st minute. Taylor then closed out the scoring in the first half with his first of two goals in the game. Taylor one-timed his shot to the near post from 15-yards after Eddie Gonzales-Pinto (N. Torrance HS) played back the ball from the goalmouth making it 3-0. Bakersfield made it 3-1 in the 60th minute, but Taylor gave CSUDH a three-goal advantage once again in the 80th minute sending his shot to the far post off a nice cross from defender Jeff Kunze (Edison HS). With less than seven minutes left, the 'Runners began their version of the The Fast and the Furious by scoring three consecutive goals over the next 1:09 to forge a 4-4 tie. Kyle Gookins' second goal of the match knotted the score sending the game into overtime, setting up Valencia's heroics. Seven minutes into the extra period, Valencia scored the match-winner on a beautiful header to the near post off an even prettier cross from Jimenez. The win gave CSUDH its third consecutive CCAA Central Division title and the top seed in the CCAA Championship Tournament.

TOROS SHUTOUT CAL STATE LA IN SEASON FINALE, 3-0:
CSUDH closed out the 2002 regular season campaign with a 3-0 shutout on the road at Cal State LA on Saturday. Junior forward Eduardo Serrano (Toluca, Mexico) tallied his 13th & 14th goals of the year to lead the Toros attack. Serrano's first goal came in the 12th minute off a double assist from Gabriel Valencia and Victor Guerrero. The score remained at 1-0 until the 72nd minute when Serrano scored his second goal of the match off a 20-yard blast from the right side. Sophomore Juventino Morfin (Lincoln HS) capped the scoring with his 7th goal of the year with less than a minute remaining. Morfin cleaned up a Cal State LA goalie miscue to account for the final, 3-0. Junior Javier Barragan (LB Jordan HS) and freshman Scott Wilson (S. Torrance HS) combined for the shutouts making a total of four saves. Barragan earned his 15th win of the year.

CCAA TOURNAMENT TICKET INFORMATION:
Ticket prices for the CCAA Championship Tournament are as follows: Multi-tournament four-session pass: $10 for adults, $5 for seniors, students with valid I.D. and children; Single session tickets: $5 adults, $3 seniors, students with valid I.D. and children. Regular season athletic passes are not valid for CCAA Championship events.

GOING BACK TO WHERE IT ALL STARTED:
The Toros will be gunning for their fourth consecutive CCAA championship when they travel to Sonoma State this week. CSUDH won its third league title, and first since 1988, the last time the conference championship was held at Sonoma in 1999, defeating Grand Canyon, 3-1. The last team to win four sole CCAA titles in a row was Cal State Northridge (1984-87).

SHOOTING FOR SIX:
This weekend, the Toros will be attempting to win its sixth CCAA title since the inception of the program in 1977, which would tie the mark for most conference crowns. No current CCAA school has more titles than the Toros ('82, '88, '99, '00 &'01). Former CCAA member Cal State Northridge holds the record with six titles ('84, '85, '86, '87, '88, & '89) before they moved to NCAA Division I. Cal State LA follows the Toros with four league titles ('80, '81, '83 & '92).

MOVIN' ON UP:
Several players are continuing their rise in the CSUDH record books.

• In his first year in a Toros uniform, Eduardo Serrano already finds himself among the best in the season all-time lists. Serrano's 14 goals move him into a tie for 8th with former great Gerardo Yepez (1991). His 31 points break him into the top ten. He is just two points behind Yepez for the 9th spot.
• With an assist on Saturday, Victor Guerrero has 27 career assists and needs only one more to tie the all-time mark (28) set by Sean Lockhart (2000-01). His 59 career points now rank him 6th all-time. Guerrero only needs one more goal to break into the top ten for career goals, he now has 16.
• Gabriel Valencia now has 47 career points placing him in a tie for 7th with Martin Mira (1987-90). Also, his 20 career goals put him in the 8th spot.
• Senior Scott White (Sonora HS), who has been out the last two games, has 46 career points placing him 8th all-time in scoring. His 16 career assists put him in a tie for 4th.
• In goal, Javier Barragan places prominently all-time. Barragan's 15 wins and seven shutouts this year are second only to former great Luis Morales (20 wins/12 SHO - 2001). Barragan already qualifies for career GAA and is at the top with his current 0.82 mark. His shutout total also places him 8th in a tie with Galaxy starter Kevin Hartman (1992-93). Barragan is 7th on the list for career wins (15).

TOROS TIE ONE ON WITH LATEST SHUTOUT:
Saturday's blanking of Cal State LA tied the Toros all-time mark for shutouts in a season with 12. The mark was set last year when CSUDH recorded 12 "goose eggs" over a 24 game span. This year, the Toros have set the new standard in just 20 games.

THE TORO CHARGE:
CSUDH is now 16-3-1 overall and 13-1-0 in CCAA play. The team moved back into the top spot in the latest NSCAA/NCAA II regional coaches poll this week. Bakersfield moves down to No. 2 and Sonoma remained at No. 3. The Toros have won its past three games and six of the last seven. The last loss was against UC Davis (0-2) which failed to make the CCAA championship event. The Toros are 10-0-1 at home and 6-3-0 on the road. Friday's semifinal will be its first neutral field match of the year. Serrano paces the Toros balanced attack which now includes seven players in double figures. Serrano's 31 points (14g, 3a) rank him second in the CCAA. The 6-1 junior also leads the squad with five game-winning shots. Play-maker Victor Guerrero leads the team with 11 assists and has 21 points on the year. In between the posts, Barragan has been nothing short of spectacular. The 6-0 junior has registered a 0.82 GAA and seven shutouts. He has allowed only 14 goals while making 66 saves in 19 games.

INJURY UPDATE:
Pending an MRI on his knee Tuesday, senior forward Scott White (16 pts./6g, 4a), is listed as probable for Friday's match. Defender Brian Suarez (Mary Star of the Sea HS), who sat out the game against CSLA with a lingering ankle injury, will be ready to go this week.

NSCAA/NCAA II Far West Region Coaches Poll as of 11/4/02
1. CSUDH (16-3-1)
2. CS Bakersfield (17-3-0)
3. Sonoma State (16-3-0)
4. UC Davis (13-5-1)
5. UC San Diego (11-5-0)
6. West. Wash. (13-4-1)
7. Seattle Univ. (10-5-2)
8. Seattle Pacific (10-5-2)
9. CS San Bern. (9-9-1)

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