| LOOKING AHEAD |
|
CSUDH earned its fifth-consecutive
appearance in the NCAA postseason after being selected as the
No. 2 seed in the three team far west region field. The Toros
will take on No. 3 seed Cal State Bakersfield, who earned a
spot in the postseason with its victory over CSUDH last
Sunday. Host Seattle University is the No. 1 seed, and is also
ranked No. 1 in the country in the NSCAA/adidas poll. This is
the first NCAA postseason berth for Seattle since they moved
up from NAIA in 2001. |
THIS WEEK IN TOROS SOCCER
NCAA II FAR WEST REGION CHAMPIONSHIP
Nov. 12 CS Bakersfield vs. #9 CS Dominguez Hills Champ Field,
1:00
Nov. 14 CSUDH/CSUB winner vs. #1 Seattle University Champ Field,
1:00
A QUICK LOOK BACK:
The Toros saw its 18-game unbeaten streak halted when they
stumbled in the CCAA Championship Game against Cal State
Bakersfield, 2-0. CSUDH defeated Sonoma State, 4-2, in the
semifinals on Friday at Toro Field.
TOROS UPENDED IN CCAA TOURNAMENT FOR SECOND
YEAR IN A ROW:
Cal State Bakersfield took claim to the 2004 CCAA Championship
with a 2-0 victory over CSUDH last Sunday in the finals of the
CCAA Championship Tournament held at Toro Field. Jason Ashhurst
scored off a turnover in the 44th minute, just five seconds before
the half, to give the 'Runners a 1-0 lead. The Toros came out with
a little more intensity in the second half, but just could not
find the back of the net. CCAA Player of the Year Kei Kamara
nearly equalized in the 55th minute, however his header from close
range went off the post and was cleared. CSUB scored an insurance
goal in the 89th minute to seal the win. In the game, CSUDH
outshot Bakersfield 16-12 in the match and held a 7-6 advantage in
corners.
TOROS BEAT SONOMA IN CCAA SEMIFINALS:
Jesse Graham's goal in the 70th minute lifted Cal State Dominguez
Hills to a 4-2 win over Sonoma State in the second semifinal of
the 2004 California Collegiate Athletic Association Men's Soccer
Championship Tournament held at CSUDH last Friday night. Graham
took a pass from Kevin Sosa and beat Sonoma goalie Clark Rupp to
give the Toros a 3-2 lead with 20 minutes to play. Graham's tally
broke a brief 2-2 deadlock that Sonoma forged just three minutes
earlier. Ryan Taylor gave CSUDH an insurmountable lead with the
final goal of the contest at 84:14. Taylor took a Kei Kamara
throw-in over the Seawolf defense and beat Rupp with a touch shot.
Sonoma struck first in the 5th minute on freshman Andrew Bailey's
13th goal of the year. CSUDH responded with goals from All-CCAA
First Team selections Kei Kamara (12:14) and Francisco Corona
(15:30). With the win, 10th ranked Cal State Dominguez Hills
extended its unbeaten streak to 18 games in improving to 17-2-2 on
the season.
CORONA SETS SINGLE SEASON ASSIST MARK:
Francisco Corona registered four assists in the Toros three
victories leading up to the CCAA Tournament to break the CSUDH
all-time single season assist record. The 5-9 junior now has 18 on
the season, surpassing the previous standard of 15 set by former
CSUDH all-american and current assistant coach, Sean Lockhart, who
set the record in 2000 during the Toros national championship run.
CORONA EYEING SCORING MARK:
Corona's 44 points this season place him fourth all-time in the
single-season points category. He moved past former great Mike
Brocki (1982) with a goal against Sonoma State last weekend.
Corona is now only two points shy of tying the all-time mark set
by 2000 NCAA Player of the Year Juan Carlos Bolanos and former
all-american and L.A. Galaxy player Alex Bengard (2000).
TOROS IN THE POSTSEASON:
This is the seventh NCAA appearance with the Toros posting a 7-5-0
record in postseason play. CSUDH will be attempting to snap a
three-match postseason losing streak dating back to the title game
in 2001 against Tampa. CSUDH's first appearance was in 1982 where
they lost in the quarterfinals (0-2) to Missouri-St. Louis. The
team then qualified for the NCAA's in 1988 but lost to Cal State
Northridge 3-1 in the opening round. In that game, current head
coach Joe Flanagan scored the Toros lone goal. Then came the
11-year drought followed by the magical championship 2000 season.
HEAD COACH JOE FLANAGAN:
Heading into this season, Flanagan ranked as the 14th winningest
active coach at the NCAA Division II level with a 138-58-11
record. He now sports a 155-61-13 mark after the 2004 regular
season campaign for an impressive .705 win percentage. The only
coach on the West Coast that ranks higher than Flanagan is
legendary Seattle Pacific mentor Cliff McCrath who leads all
active coaches at any level with 554 wins.
THE TORO CHARGE:
CSUDH is 17-3-2 overall and finished with a 12-0-2 in CCAA play.
Leading the offensive charge with 44 points is Corona followed by
Kamara with 42. Jesse Graham (22 pts) and Rick Cobb (18 pts)
follow. Three others have scored in double figures, while 15
players on the roster have scored at least one point. As a team,
the Toros have outscored the opposition by an amazing 67-21 margin
in goals. Goalkeeper Kyle Polak has compiled an impressive 0.87
goals against average, allowing 17 goals in 21 games played in
between the pipes.
TOROS SPORTS HOTLINE:
For results, schedules and other information on Toros soccer,
call the Toros Sports Hotline 24 hours a day at (310) 243-3174.
TOROS ON THE WEB:
Follow Toros athletics on the web. For latest scores, recaps and
statistics, just stay where you are! |
