October 29, 2006

Box Score

La Jolla, CA -- Senior Wilmer Lopez (Inglewood, CA/Inglewood HS) and freshman Derby Carrillo (La Mirada, CA/St. John Bosco HS) 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 (Huntington Beach, CA/CS Fullerton) at the 33:14 mark of the first half and held the Golden Eagles scoreless as the Toros (15-6-1) claimed their seventh title overall, and first since the 2002 campaign.

The Golden Eagles (12-8-1) had the game's first chance when at 2:12, Dennis Idrissa flipped his shot over the CSUDH defense, only to have 1st-team All-CCAA selection Polak punch the effort over the crossbar. CSULA, however, took advantage of its next opportunity at the 20:44 mark when Jason Swope picked up a loose ball and dished to a streaking Morten Marthinsen down the right side. After letting the ball settle, last year's conference MVP sent a screamer past a diving Polak far side for the game's first score.

Defender LJ Reinhardt (Palos Verdes Estates, CA/LMU) nearly equalized in the 24th minute, but his rocket of a free kick glanced off the crossbar, keeping the Toros down a goal.

The game's intensity picked up a notch in the 34th minute when CSULA's Idrissa and Polak collided on an attempted Golden Eagle attack, sending Polak down and Carrillo into the contest.

The La Mirada native was tested immediately as Marthinsen picked up a loose ball in front of the Toro net just 30 seconds later and blasted his shot towards the goal. Carrillo, however, was up to the challenge, stoning Marthinsen and keeping the Toros in the game.

That's when Lopez began to make his presence felt, consistently creating opportunities for himself with his creative ball-handling and decision making. Lopez had a chance in the 36th minute as he dribbled around a CSULA defender, but sailed his shot wide of the goal.

After intermission, Marthinsen had a sitter in the 55th minute, taking a cross from Derrek Horn and finding open space between him and the goal. Marthinsen, however, sailed his shot high over the crossbar, giving the Toros a golden reprieve.

CSUDH made CSULA pay at 64:48 when Lopez took a pass from Friday's hero Julio Madrigal (Inglewood, CA/LA Harbor) and fed Jesse Graham (San Diego, CA/Pt. Loma HS) 10 yards away from the Golden Eagle goal. Graham, who sat out Friday's contest, made the most of his home town opportunity by beating CSULA keeper Patrick Fry for the equalizer.

The Toros continued their momentum just two minutes later when Lopez set up senior Shogo Okuma (Okinawa, Japan/ELAC) with a perfect cross, after which Okuma's far side header gave the Toros a 2-1 lead.

CSULA would continue to battle, pressuring the Toro defense over the final 10 minutes of regulation. Marthinsen again had a chance to equalize in the 85th minute after luring Carrillo out of his box, but his blast was met by an onrushing Carmelo Terranova (Saugus, CA/Saugus HS), who deflected the would-be tying goal away.

The Golden Eagles put up one final push in the waning minutes, but consecutive headers off set plays by Kyle Hewitt and Marthinsen went for naught.

Polak and Carrillo combined for six saves in the win, while Fry was credited with four in the loss. In an evenly played contest, CSULA out-shot CSUDH 15-14, and enjoyed an 8-6 advantage in corners.

The Toros, who entered the weekend as the No. 3 seed in the NCAA's Far West Region, look to have significantly improved their position to host the regional after knocking off the Far West's No. 2 seed, Sonoma State, in the CCAA semifinals, and after the region's top seed, Seattle Pacific University, dropped the final two games of its regular season. CSUDH, along with the other three participants in the upcoming Far West Regional, will discover its opponent and locale on Monday morning.

CSUDH head coach Joe Flanagan:

• On Wilmer Lopez:
  "Wilmer brought us a great spark off the bench. He's probably our most creative player and he did the job for us in both the semifinal and in the final, and I thought he had a great weekend."
• On CSULA:
  "They're a dangerous team to play. They do create chances for themselves. Marthinsen, especially, is a smart player and he plays off other players and gets other players the ball in dangerous positions. We get chances, they get chances, and we were lucky enough to put our chances away today."
• On the Far West Regional:
  "I think it' wide open. Hopefully if we play at home, it'll be an advantage for us. But I think any team can get out of the region. These teams are very close."