The Cal State Dominguez Hills men's soccer team experienced a return to glory of sorts in 2005, taking a 2-1 overtime win over then No. 5-ranked Seattle Pacific to capture the NCAA Far West Region Title, propelling the Toros to a national quarterfinal match-up against top-ranked and undefeated Fort Lewis University, which bested the Toros 3-2 en route to claiming the national title.
With that success, however, came key departures, most notably CSUDH's potent 1-2 combination of sophomore All-American Kei Kamara, who was drafted by the Columbus Crew as the 9th-overall pick in Major League Soccer's SuperDraft, and senior Francisco Corona, who completed his final year of eligibility in Cardinal & Gold as the CSUDH all-time career leader in points. Combined, the talented duo accounted for 49% of the team's goals, 42% of the team's points scored, 28% of the assists and 13 of the Toros' 17 game-winning goals.
This season, however, also marks the return of 11 experienced letter-winners and four starters, which includes his two-time All-CCAA goalkeeper, giving head coach Joe Flanagan ample reason to smile. Fresh off his fourth CCAA Coach of the Year award in 12 years at the helm of the men's program, Flanagan realizes the shoes of his dynamic duo can't be replaced, but knows this veteran squad has more than enough weapons to cause waves in not only the CCAA, but on the national scale as well.
“The returners we have this year are very solid, and we have some good redshirts who we think can step in and fill some holes in the forward spot that we lost in Frankie and Kei,” predicts Flanagan. “And although we're looking for some new guys to step in and fill the holes defensively, our midfield should be one of CSUDH's best ever.”
Here's a closer look at who'll be leading the Toros in 2006:
FORWARDS
With the departures of Kamara and Corona, junior Sammy Rivas is expected to don the leadership role on the front line, and be one of the first options Flanagan intends to utilize. Last season, Rivas saw action in all 24 games, connecting for 6 goals and 16 total points, finishing 2005 tied for 12th in the CCAA in points, and tied for 14th in both goals and assists. Rivas notched multiple goals in two games, with his final goal of the season coming in the NCAA quarterfinal loss to eventual National Champion Fort Lewis.
“Sammy had just an incredible spring for us, and the team really started to understand what he can do,” Flanagan says of his lone returning player in the front line. “He had a very good fall for us too, but he was definitely our go-to guy in the spring with his ability to make plays.” Flanagan continues, “Sammy's not necessarily the guy who's gonna spray the ball around, but he's more of a goal scorer and a guy who takes advantage of opportunities and knows how to put the ball in the back of the net.”
Jose Serpas and #Mario Guerrero#, who both utilized redshirt seasons in 2005, also are expected to contribute to the Toros' new-look attack. Serpas, the 2004 Orange Coast Conference Player of the Year, is a game-breaker who changes pace and exhibits great speed while Guerrero, whose older brother Victor etched his name amongst the Toros greats, looks to continue the legacy left by the former All-American and CCAA Player of the Year.
“Jose has good speed and reads the game very well,” Flanagan begins, while “Mario, though he's a little unproven on the college level, is someone we liked a lot coming out of high school. He would've played for us last year, and played a lot, and we think he can do some good things.”
MIDFIELDERS
Stacked with senior leadership, talent and experience, the midfield is led by Jesse Graham, a two-time All-CCAA selection who has three years of history in Cardinal & Gold, and Wilmer Lopez, who's looking to regain the form he exhibited before injuries took their toll over the speedster over the past two seasons.
Graham, needing two assists to take over 4th place on CSUDH's all-time career assist list and 4 points and 6 goals to break into those top 10 career lists, tied for 4th in the CCAA in assists, 12th in points and 15th in goals. A fiery competitor who started all 23 games played, the San Diego native notched two game-winning goals of his 6 on the season, and 4 assists which led to game-winning goals.
“Jesse, who's grown tremendously since he's been here, had a good spring in that he played in a couple of different spots, and we're hoping he and a couple of other guys can pick up the leadership role,” Flanagan says of his only Toro with three years playing experience under his belt. “Jesse's obviously one of our better players, and if we can play him at right back, it'll make our defense very solid, and we'll be able to go forward a lot better with him back there.”
Lopez, who made a comeback after sitting out 2004 because of injury and saw his first action in the Toros' sixth game of the season, played in a total of 14 games in 2005, much to the delight of CSUDH's coaching staff. A true scorer, Lopez hopes to be 100% for the first time in two years and regain the speed and quickness that made him a terror for opposing defenses in 2003 when he tallied 4 goals and 12 points.
“We haven't seen Wilmer play in the past couple of months, but from what I hear, he's back and looks like the old Wilmer, and we're very excited to see him play again,” anticipates Flanagan. “Last year in the two playoff games, he was pretty close. He came in as a sub and didn't come out again. With his creativeness, I'm hoping this will be the breakout year we've been waiting for him to have since he's been here.”
Sophomore Carmelo Terranova was a pleasant surprise for the Toros as a true freshman last season, notching 4 goals and 5 assists in just 20 games played. The Saugus native finished 8th in the CCAA in assists per game, 16th in points per game and T20th in goals per contest, scoring his first career collegiate goal in the 3-0 win over Western Washington (Aug. 29), and a game-winner in a 3-0 shutout over Grand Canyon (Sept. 26).
“Carmelo has the uncanny knack to score goals,” says Flanagan. “He has those certain intangibles about him that make him a very good player.”
Senior Shogo Okuma and junior Marco Flores round out the returning midfielders. Okuma saw action in all 24 games last season, tallying one assist in the 5-0 romp over Cal Poly Pomona (Oct. 11), while Flores notched his lone assist in the 3-2 win at San Francisco State (Oct. 14), despite seeing action in just five games due to injury.
“Shogo is a solid, consistent player who sprays the ball around and has great vision, and is the settling presence we like to have out there,” Flanagan says, remaining optimistic that Flores can “strengthen his injury to where he again can be that skilled player with the one-on-one type ability we need.”
DEFENDERS
Sophomore #Alberto Garcia# is the lone holdover from a defense that blanked opponents in 9 games, and limited them to one goal in 11 others, anchoring a position that will welcome a bevy of newcomers in 2006.
Garcia saw action in all 24 games in 2006, making 23 starts. A true freshman, the Santa Barbara native notched his first collegiate point on a game-winning goal against Seattle (Oct. 1), and his second against Seattle Pacific in the Far West Region title game (Nov. 14).
“Alberto is our only returning back,” Flanagan says as a matter-of-fact. “He had a great spring and was definitely a settling presence in the back, and we know he's a leader and a consistent player we can count on day in and day out.”
GOALKEEPERS
Goalkeeper remains one of the Toros' strengths, as senior and two-year starter Kyle Polak returns for his final season in Cardinal & Gold. A transfer from Division I Cal State Fullerton, Polak has established himself as one of the all-time CSUDH greats between the posts. Entering this season, the two-time All-CCAA selection, who finished 2nd in the conference in goals against average, tied for 3rd in shutouts and 5th in saves, holds the 3rd and 5th places for wins, the 4th and 5th places for shutouts and the 4th and 8th places for goals against average in a single season.
Additionally, the Huntington Beach native is 2nd in goals against average in a career (currently trailing former Toro great Javier Barragan by 0.05 percentage points) and with 31 wins under his belt, needs just six wins this season to surpass Chris Wilson's 36 victories and establish himself as the winningest Toro of all time.
“Kyle had a weird 2005 in that he wasn't able to practice because of his bad ankle, but he still had a great year,” Flanagan says about his All-CCAA goalie. “We're hoping that the commitment he made over the summer – training with Chivas, and with the Columbus Crew for about a week – and the fact that this is his senior season, he'll be able to step up his game and taking it to another level.
“He has more capabilities as a goal-keeper than anyone we've ever had,” replied Flanagan when asked if Polak could be the best goalie in the history of CSUDH. “I think he's got it all and is extremely committed to the position of getting better. We've had some good goalkeepers in the past but Kyle's definitely turned it up another notch.”
Derby Carrillo, who was granted a medical redshirt last season after seeing action in just 5 contests, will provide solid relief off the bench in 2006. Polak's understudy last season, the La Mirada native tallied 13 saves against just 3 goals allowed.
NEWCOMERS
CSUDH welcomes nine newcomers to the mix, looking to solidify both a defense decimated by departure and a forward position relying on unproven talent to fill the void left by Kamara and Corona.
On the back line, Loyola Marymount transfer LJ Reinhardt will be a welcome addition. Recruited by Flanagan and his staff as a prep, the senior will provide stability and a settling presence in the back. Last season, Reinhardt saw action in 6 games with 2 starts for the Lions, taking 2 of 3 shots on goal as a junior.
Along with the LMU transfer, Flanagan plans on utilizing a handful of other multi-dimensional players who will see plenty of time in the back.
“We have the bodies for defense, but we're just not sure who's going to play where,” summarizes Flanagan. “The good thing is that they're all interchangeable.”
Julio Madrigal and Scott Mariano will look to add to the Toros forwards. Madrigal, who scored 16 goals with 3 assists in just 16 games, led an LA Harbor College squad that went 17-4-5 and 8-3-3 in conference play. Mariano, meanwhile, captained his Gahr HS team that claimed the league championship with a record of 15-2-2, leading the Gladiators in scoring for two seasons.
“Julio scored a lot of goals at LA Harbor and we're looking for him to do the same thing over here,” begins Flanagan, while Mariano, “who can play out wide or up top, had a great spring and did fantastic.”
In the midfield, Cerritos College transfer Humberto Lopez impressed the coaching staff with his all-around ability, and will look to challenge what is an already stacked midfield for playing time.
“He's a creative central mid who can score, create and pass the ball,” says Flanagan with a smile. “And at about 6'1”, he's a good-sized kid who will make our central midfield position the best ever.”
THE SCHEDULE
The Toros continue to stack their schedule with national powers, as evidenced by their first contests of the year at Western Washington, Seattle Pacific and Seattle University, three games in a span of five days. After their northwest trek, the Toros host Grand Canyon for their home opener on Tuesday, September 5, before CCAA Conference play begins with Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State San Bernardino visiting Toro Stadium on September 8 and 10.
CSUDH then takes to the road for nearly three weeks before returning home to host new CCAA member Humboldt State on Friday, September 29. Things get interesting two days later as CCAA Champion Sonoma State visits Carson on October 1, 329 days after the Seawolves captured the CCAA crown with a 1-0 double overtime win, and 350 days after Sonoma State handed the Toros a 6-0 drubbing during the regular season in Rohnert Park.
“Sonoma State's probably the team to beat based on them being conference champions as well as the returning cast they have,” Flanagan says, looking forward to the rematch. “Sonoma's always been a good game for us and after losing in the conference finals, I'm hoping our returners remember that and come out, and play to win that night.”
After UC San Diego pays Toro Stadium a visit on October 4, the Toros play four of their final six games on the road. CSUDH visits Cal State San Bernardino and Cal Poly Pomona on October 6 and 8, before hosting Cal State Bakersfield and Cal State L.A. one week later, with the match up against the Golden Eagles marking the final regular season home game for CSUDH's seniors.
The Toros conclude their regular season on Sunday, October 22 at San Francisco State prior to the start of the CCAA Tournament, slated to begin the weekend of October 27.
“We always have a good game against UC San Diego, and Bakersfield's always been our rival, although it may be different this year because of their transition to D-I,” Flanagan summarizes. “But I'm hoping it still has the same flavor because it's always been a fun, good rivalry between us. Bottom line is that the conference is always tough and you can't take any team lightly in the conference, that's for sure.”
FINAL THOUGHTS
Having soaked in the warmth that was the Far West Regional title, Flanagan and his team are excited for the start of 2006 and the chance to not only capture the conference title that's eluded them the past three years, but also defend their regional crown.
“I think we always want to be one of those contenders,” Flanagan begins. “With our midfield and goalkeeper, the defenders we're bringing in and the fact that I like the forwards even though they're unproven, I think we have the ability to win league.
“Our team is very deep,” he continues. “I don't know that we have a star like Kei or Frankie … yet, but there are a couple in the making. We have guys who have the talent and ability to make things happen in the conference and to make us a competitive team that's gonna be right there to the end.”
