Toros Men's Soccer Looks to Defend Far West Region Title This Week
October 31, 2006

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Far West Region Schedule
Thursday, November 2
Game 1 – No. 3 Seed Cal State L.A. vs. No. 2 Seed Seattle Pacific @ 4 pm
Game 2 – No. 4 Seed Seattle University vs. No. 1 Seed Cal State Dominguez Hills @ 7 pm
Saturday, November 4
Regional Final – Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner @ 7 pm

NCAA Far West Region Preview: By virtue of winning its last four games and dropping just one game in its last 10 contests, the Toros claimed the NCAA Far West’s top seed, and will host the regional for the second-consecutive year, beginning on Thursday, November 2 against the No. 4 seed Seattle University. Below are the teams that qualified for the Far West Regional, their records, CSUDH’s record against them and a series summary:

Against No. 2 Seed Seattle Pacific (12-6, 1-0): The Toros took the only match-up between the two teams this season, winning a 2-0 battle in Seattle to kick off the season. SPU, which was nationally ranked and top-ranked in the region most of the year, fell to the No. 2 spot in the region after dropping its final two regular season contests.

Against No. 3 Seed Cal State L.A. (12-8-1, 1-2): After suffering through 11 winless years against the Toros heading into 2006, the Golden Eagles took both regular season contests, claiming their place as the south division’s best in the regular season. However, the Toros won when it counted last Sunday as CSUDH won its seventh CCAA Title, and first since the 2002 season.

Against No. 4 Seed Seattle University (11-7, 1-0): The Redhawks made their final charge towards the NCAA Playoffs with two wins to close the regular season, including a 3-1 win vs. then No. 8-ranked Seattle Pacific last Saturday. In the two teams’ meeting, Mario Guerrero, Jose Serpas and Jesse Graham netted goals in CSUDH’s 3-0 shutout win.

Head Coach Joe Flanagan on Seattle University, and the Far West Region: “We played them early in the season so it’s almost like a couple seasons have passed. They’re a big, physical and athletic team so it’ll be a good game. Even though we’re the No. 1 seed, I do believe the West Region is very tight and anyone can get out of it. It’s going to be a tough weekend.”

Toros Claim 7th CCAA Crown: Senior Wilmer Lopez and freshman Derby Carrillo stepped up in the biggest match of their careers in helping lead Cal State Dominguez Hills to the 2006 CCAA Men's Soccer Championship with a 2-1 win over cross-town rival Cal State L.A. Lopez distributed an assist on both CSUDH goals while Carrillo replaced an injured Kyle Polak at the 33:14 mark of the first half and held the Golden Eagles scoreless as CSUDH took the CCAA Title, its first since 2002. After CSULA notched the game’s first goal, the Toros received goals from seniors Jesse Graham and Shogo Okuma in a span of 129 seconds to give CSUDH the lead for good. Okuma’s goal was the first in his Toro career.

Graham, Polak and Rivas Lead Seven Toros Named to All-CCAA Teams: Seniors Jesse Graham and Kyle Polak, along with junior Sammy Rivas, all were named to the 1st-Team All-CCAA squad. Seniors Shogo Okuma and LJ Reinhardt were selected to the 2nd-team, while newcomer Devin Toohey and returning defender Alberto Garcia garnered 3rd-team selections.

Wilmer the “Gr-8”: When Ricky Figueroa went down with a preseason injury, who knew that his jersey number would play such an important role in the Toros’ recent success. After Wilmer Lopez’s uniform was stolen before CSUDH’s final regular season road trip, he donned Figueroa’s No. 8 as a last-minute replacement. Not coincidentally, that number, worn formerly by CSUDH’s all-time career points leader in Francisco Corona, has given Lopez as the Toros good luck as CSUDH has won four-consecutive games, including last Sunday’s contest in which Lopez dished two assists in the Toros’ 2-1 win over CSULA for the CCAA crown.

Deja Vu All Over Again: In keeping with the theme of No. 8, the Toros have jumped to No. 8 from No. 22 in the latest NSCAA Far West Region poll, marking their highest rank since September 19, when they were tied for the 8th position in the NSCAA’s third poll of the year.

Remember the Titans: The Toros owe Cal State Fullerton a bit of thanks as Kyle Polak and Sammy Rivas once called Fullerton home. Polak, a three-time All-CCAA selection who earned his first 1st-team nod last week, has been a mainstay in goal over the past three seasons with 43 wins, while Rivas, in his second year in Cardinal & Gold, picked up his first-career 1st-team All-CCAA honor and is second on the team in goals, assists and points.

Polak’s Place: In just his 3rd year in Cardinal & Red, senior keeper Kyle Polak has established himself as arguably the greatest Toro keeper of all time. Entering the Far West Regional, he holds the 3rd, 5th and 6th best totals for both wins and shutouts, and the 3rd, 5th and 9th lowest marks for goals against average, all in a single season. Additionally, the Huntington Beach native established the CSUDH career marks for most wins and shutouts in a Toro career, and currently sits in 2nd in lowest GAA in a career.

Final Stand: The only Toro with four years of experience under his belt, senior Jesse Graham doesn’t want his career to end in Carson. The San Diego native, who picked up his first 1st-team All-CCAA selection after garnering two 2nd-team nods the past two seasons, leads the team with 8 goals and 5 assists, and has moved into the top 10 on CSUDH’s all-time career lists for assists (4th), goals (T8th) and points (9th). Additionally, Graham earned his first CCAA Player of the Week nod during the season’s final weekend, scoring three goals to help CSUDH get into the CCAA tournament.

Turning Point: In what arguably was the game that turned the season around, a 5-0 thumping of 2005 CCAA Champion Sonoma State on October 1 has prompted a record of 7-1-1 over CSUDH’s subsequent 9 games. Prior to the SSU contest, the Toros had lost 5 of their 6 previous games after starting the season with 6-consecutive wins, including 3 shutouts in Washington to kick off the new year.

The Flanagan File: CSUDH head coach Joe Flanagan is no stranger to the Toros’ soccer program. Not only did he enjoy a stellar career in a Toro uniform during which he established the career record for goals in a season (38), he coached the Toros to their only NCAA National Championship in 2000 when CSUDH defeated Barry University, 2-1, in a classic 4-OT thriller. Additionally, Flanagan has claimed CCAA conference Coach of the Year honors four times (the last in 2005), and the National Coach of the Year in 2000. Entering this season, Flanagan sat as the 11th-winning active coach in the NCAA II level and, entering the regional, currently sports a 187-72-17, good for a .708 winning percentage.

Can’t Be There in Person on Thursday? No Problem...: If you won’t be able to cheer on the Toros in person, have no fear. Live stats and a live Webcast will be available for Thursday’s match-up against Seattle University, with Craig Dunkin calling all the play-by-play on www.toroslive.com.