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NCAA Men's Soccer Quarterfinals

Men's Soccer

Men's Soccer: 2008 Quarterfinal Notes


Toros - 2008 NCAA West Region Champs!: The Toros came alive offensively in wins over No. 25 Notre Dame de Namur and No. 18 Cal State L.A., tallying 7 total goals while holding both teams scoreless in respective 3-0 and 4-0 wins in the NCAA's first two rounds.
    Senior midfielder Kyle Holland notched his first-career hat trick against the Argonauts last Thursday, while four Toros scored in last Saturday's win over the Golden Eagles, led by sophomore Diego Turoldo's game-winner.

In the Quarters:  Cal State Dominguez Hills is making its first appearance in the NCAA Quarterfinals since the 2005 season, when it fell 3-2 to eventual NCAA Champion Fort Lewis College.  In that game taking place in Durango, Colorado, the Toros endured a “streak” of unfortunate events in falling a goal short, which marked the final game for former Toro All-American Kei Kamara, now currently playing professionally in the MLS.

About No. 3 Midwestern State: The South Central Region Champions, which reached last year's National Semifinal after eliminating Sonoma State on penalty kicks, visit Carson for the second time in the school's history after advancing with a pair of wins over Incarnate Word (2-1) and No. 2 Fort Lewis (5-0) last weekend in Wichita Falls.
    The Mustangs boast a lethal triple-threat offense in Craig Sutherland (17 goals, 5 assists), Ahmad Ihmeidan (8 goals, 13 assists) and Nick Auditore (11 goals, 4 assists), who have led MSU to a 19-2 overall mark.
    This visit marks the second-ever meeting between the two schools after Midwestern State dropped a 2-1 decision in Carson on September 6, 1997.

In the Wings: The winner of the MSU-CSUDH match-up advances to face the winner of Tusculum (TN) and Tampa (FL) in the NCAA Division II National Semifinals on Thursday, December 4, in Tampa, Florida.

Toros Fall in Quest for CCAA Three-Peat:  When regulation and two overtime periods failed to decide the outcome, it was left to a penalty kick shootout to determine the CCAA Champion, and Sonoma State prevailed 6-5 to claim the CCAA Title, preventing CSUDH from winning its third-straight and ninth overall .
       
CSUDH Against the Nation's Best: The Toros were an almost perfect 6-0-1 against ranked teams during 2008, including three of the wins by identical 1-0 scores.   After taking a 1-0 decision over 20th-ranked Grand Canyon to open the season and a 2-1 win over NAIA No. 2 Concordia (CA), CSUDH picked up a pair of 1-0 thrillers over then 6th-ranked Sonoma State and then 4th-ranked Cal State L.A. in a span of 12 days to further cement its place amongst the CCAA's best, before tying SSU in the conference title game on November 9.
    In those contests, Greg Piechota connected for 2 goals while the keeper duo of Miguel Benitez and Justin Commins combined for 1 goal allowed and a 0.19 GGA.  The Toros outshot their opponents 90-44, including a 48-18 advantage in the second half.
    Then in the NCAA West Region, the Toros posted two dominating shutout wins over 25th-ranked Notre Dame de Namur and 18th-ranked Cal State L.A. to bring them to Saturday's NCAA Quarterfinal match-up against Midwestern State.
    Ironically, CSUDH's two losses have come against unranked teams.

Toros Against the West's Best: The Toros went 4-1-1 against the 2008 NCAA Far West Region qualifiers, taking a 1-0 decision against Sonoma State before the tie in the CCAA Championship game, splitting 1-0 decisions against Cal State L.A., and taking 3-0 and 4-0 wins over Notre Dame de Namur and the Golden Eagles in the NCAA West Regional  In those six games, Miguel Benitez posted a 0.16 GAA, with 17 saves and 4 shutouts, with Kyle Holland tallying all three goals in the 3-0 win over NDDN.

Toros in the NCAA Playoffs:  After claiming its first men's soccer NCAA Championship in 2000, the Toros now are 7-5-2 in NCAA postseason play.  CSUDH posted three wins in 2001 before falling in the championship game, but has gone 4-4-2 over the last seven seasons, including a 1-0-1 record last year that saw CSUDH defeat Grand Canyon and tie Sonoma State in one of the all-time great matches, only to fall in a shootout.

Holland and Gallaugher Named Daktronics 1st-Team All-Region: Senior midfielder Kyle Holland and junior defender Kevin Gallaugher were selected to the Daktronics 1st-team All-Region teams, it was announced earlier.  With their selections, both now are eligible for All-America consideration, to be announced later this month.

Toros Place Five on All-CCAA Teams: Junior defender Kevin Gallaugher earned CCAA Defensive MVP honors, and joined teammate Kyle Holland as 1st-team selections to highlight a total of five Toros named to All-CCAA teams as voted on by the CCAA men's soccer head coaches.  Sophomore Kris Clark earned a  2nd-team All-CCAA honor while four-year seniors Alberto Garcia and Carmelo Terranova both garnered 3rd-team All-CCAA honors to round out the decorated quintet.

CCAA Players of the Week: Senior Kyle Holland and junior Kevin Gallaugher both garnered Brine CCAA Player of the Week honors during the 2008 season, adding to their list of accolades. Holland connected for three goals and an assist as the 8th-ranked Toros swept through their great northwest trip to open the season by outscoring their three opponents by an 8-1 count.
    Gallaugher, meanwhile, turned in a solid defensive effort that helped the Toros post a pair of shutouts against Humboldt State and then 6th-ranked Sonoma State as Cal State Dominguez Hills allowed its two opponents just 15 shots, including seven on-goal.

The Last Hurrah: This marks the final postseason for seven Toro seniors in Miguel Benitez, Justin Commins, Alberto Garcia, Kyle Holland, Irwin Salas, Chris Stonerock and Carmelo Terranova, who between them have seen action in 287 games in Cardinal & Gold.
    Additionally the septet has two CCAA titles, a Far West crown, and three years of NCAA playoff experience under their collective belts.

Toros Among the CCAA's Statistical Best: Here's how CSUDH fared with the rest of the CCAA after the regular season.  Goals - Kyle Holland (2nd, 10), Greg Piechota (T7th, 7); Game Winning Goals - Kyle Holland (3rd, 4), Greg Piechota (T4th, 3), Kevin Gallaugher (T4th, 3); Points - Kyle Holland (5th, 23); Assists - Scott Mariano (T9th, 5), Andrew Marinez (T9th, 5).  Here's a look at the defensive leaders:  GAA - Justin Commins (1st, 0.42), Miguel Benitez (7th, 0.90); Save Percentage - Justin Commins (2nd, .864); Shutouts - Justin Commins (T5th, 5), Miguel Benitez (T7th, 4).     

CSUDH in the Nation:  Through games played as of Nov. 16, here's where the Toros rank both individually as as a team: GAA - Miguel Benitez (13th); Save % - Miguel Benitez (86th);  Goals Per Game - Kyle Holland (80th); Points PG - Kyle Holland (97th);  GAA - 6th; Winning % - 9th; Shutout % - 10th;  Save % - 58th; Scoring offense - 61st.

Home Sweet Home: The Toros took big advantage of playing  on their home field, winning all 11 matches played at Toro Stadium.  In those wins, CSUDH outscored its opponents 25-5, including 8 of the victories by shutout.  Additionally, the Toros' win streak at home during the regular season hits 17 dating back to the 2007 season, with the last loss occurring on September 21, 2007, in a 2-1 defeat at the hands of cross-town rival Cal State L.A.  In those contests, Kyle Holland and Mario Guerrero combined for 11 goals, with Andrew Marinez tallying a team-best 4 assists.  Keepers Miguel Benitez and Justin Commins combined for a 0.45 GAA.

The Road Less Traveled:  CSUDH claimed a 7-2-2 mark away from the friendly confines of Toro Stadium, outscoring their opponents 23-10.  In those games, Kyle Holland accounted for 6 goals and 2 assists, with Greg Piechota right behind at 5 goals and 2 assists.  Senior keeper Justin Commins played superb away from Toro Stadium, allowing just 1 goal in 4 of those contests, good for a 0.27 GAA.  Midfielder Scott Mariano led the Toros with 4 assists.

There's No “I” in Team: Here's a look at how the Toros fare as a team on the offensive end in the CCAA Conference:  Points - 2nd; Goals - 2nd;  Assists - 3rd.  And on defense:  Shutouts - T1st; Goals Allowed - T2nd; GAA - 3rd;  Saves - T10th.

Mr. Holland's Opus:  Senior midfielder Kyle Holland has enjoyed a tremendous senior year thus far.  After joining the Toros in 2006 and contributing to the CCAA crown, an injury sidelined Holland after just two games in 2007.  Making a full comeback in 2008, the Alaska native and proud wearer of the best looking mullet this side of 1987 already has 1st-team All-Region and All-Conference honors under his belt after leading the squad in goals and points.

Feelin' It: Freshman Greg Piechota has been Mr. Offense as of late, notching 3 of his 7 goals on the season in his last two regular season contests.  In those games, a win at Cal Poly Pomona and a tie at Cal State San Bernardino, the San Diego native connected for 3 goals in 6 shots, directing 4 attempts on goal, keeping the Toros unbeaten streak at six to close out the 2008 campaign.

And This is Now....: Here's how this year's squad stacks up with last year's CCAA Championship team: Goals (2008 - 48 / 2007 - 54); Goals scored average (1.96 per game / 2.27 per game), Shots On Goal (186 / 152), Corner kicks (156 / 141), Penalty Kicks (2-2 / 2-3), Goals Against Average (0.64/ 0.63), Saves (61 / 82), Minutes in Goal (2247:22 / 2137:20).

Home Grown:  Three Toros from the immediate area making significant contributions to this year's squad are sophomore midfielder Diego Turoldo (Torrance), senior defender Chris Stonerock (El Segundo) and senior keeper Miguel Benitez (Hawthorne).  Additionally, Jordan Rover (Los Alamitos), Scott Mariano (Artesia) and Marco Pulido (South Gate) are three others who are within 15 minutes from Carson.

“Commins” On Strong:  Senior keeper Justin Commins has made the most out of his opportunity this season, his last as a Toro.  After waiting in the wings his first three years behind All-Region keeper Kyle Polak in 2005 and 2006, and behind All-American keeper Derby Carrillo last year, all Commins has done in his time between the pipes is put his 0.41 goals against average in position establish the CSUDH single season GAA record of 0.53, set just last year by Carrillo.

Double Trouble:  Freshmen identical twins Greg and Mike Piechota have had opponents seeing double trouble during the regular season.  Not only have the brothers combined for 7 goals and 4 assists, they have helped solidify both forward and midfield positions, and are continuing the identical twin tradition for which CSUDH soccer teams also are famous.
    Mike has started four games this season, including the CCAA semifinal match-up against Chico State on November 7.

Streaks:  CSUDH enjoyed a seven-game win streak to kick off the 2008 campaign, and followed that effort with a four-game win streak in late September/early October, before ending the regular and postseason with a 10-game unbeaten run.

The Toros Are...: 5-2-1 when scoring one goal, 4-0-1 when scoring 2 goals, 5-0 when scoring 3 goals, 3-0 when scoring 4 goals, and 1-0 when scoring 5 goals.  Conversely, they are 11-0-2 when allowing no goals, 6-1-1 when allowing 1 goal, 0-0-1 when allowing 2 goals, and 1-1 when allowing 3 goals.

The Flanagan File:  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 with 38, he coached the Toros to their only NCAA National Championship in 2000 when CSUDH defeated Barry University, 2-1, in a classic 4-overtime 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 enters the quarterfinal sporting a 223-78-23 record, good for a .724 winning percentage.

The Flanagan File II: In his illustrious coaching career in Carson, including the tthis 2008 season, Flanagan has reached the playoffs 10-consecutive seasons, winning 5 CCAA Crowns, 4 NCAA Far West Titles, and 1 NCAA National Championship in his 14 years as head coach, also boasting 2 seasons with at least 20 wins, 3 with 18 victories and 3 with 17.
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