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Michael Foo

Men's Soccer

2011 Men's Soccer NCAA West Region Notes


SEATTLE, Wash. -- The Cal State Dominguez Hills Toros men's soccer team makes its 12th trip to the NCAA postseason under head coach Joe Flanagan after missing last year's playoffs for the first time in 11 years.  Winners of two NCAA West Region titles in the past three years, the Toros will have some familiarity with the field of four, with CCAA Champion Cal State L.A. and Chico State also making the trip to the great northwest.  Here's a look at the other three teams and their records, CSUDH's record against them and a series capsule, if applicable.

About No. 1 Seed, No. 13 Seattle Pacific (13-3-2): This is the 30th playoff appearance for the five-time NCAA Champion Falcons, but the first since 2006.  SPU has registered 13 shutouts this season and outscored opponents 37-14, with senior midfielder Tyler Schultz leading the team with 15 goals, including eight game-winners.  
    The two teams have faced off seven times in their history, with CSUDH holding a 4-2-1 lead that included a 2-0 CSUDH win in Carson on October 23, 2009, when SPU was ranked No. 22 in the NSCAA.

About No. 2 Seed, No. 17 Cal State L.A. (14-1-5 / 1-0-1): The cross-town rivals squared off twice this season, with CSUDH taking the series with a win and a tie.  Jordan Rover scored a goal in each contest, with Billy Gutierrez connecting for the game-winner at 7th-ranked Golden Eagles on a left-footed volley from about 30 yards out to hand CSULA its lone loss on the year.
      Cal State L.A. went on to claim its first-ever CCAA Championship last Sunday in a 2-0 win over Chico State.

About No. 3 Seed Chico State (13-4-3 / 0-2): The Wildcats owned the Toros this year, combining for 7 second-half goals in a 5-0 regular season win in Carson and a 3-0 win in the first CCAA semifinal last Friday.  Chris Akwaja netted three scores while Octavio Guzman chipped in two scores, with keeper James Stroud keeping the Toros out of the net in making nine saves in the two games.  
    Last year, Chico State hosted and won the NCAA West Regional before falling to Midwestern State in the quarters.

A New Season: The Toros enter the NCAA postseason having lost their last two games by a combined score of 5-0, but look to right their ship against top-seeded Seattle Pacific on Thursday.  
    SPU has maintained its top billing in the west throughout the year, with two of its three losses coming at the hands of unbeaten and untied Simon Fraser, currently the top-ranked team in the nation.

CSUDH Against the Nation's Best: The Toros went 1-1 against ranked teams heading into this weekend's NCAA West regional.  In a September 25 win at No. 7 Cal State L.A., Billy Gutierrez and Jordan Rover connected for goals that handed the Golden Eagles their only loss of the year.  Six weeks later, however, the Toros were stopped cold by No. 15 Chico State in the semifinal round of the CCAA Championship Tournament in which the Wildcats went wild in the second half en route to all three goals.

Toros Against the West's Best: The Toros went 1-2-1 against the 2011 NCAA Far West Region qualifiers, getting outscored 8-3 in the process.  CSUDH played CSULA to a 1-1 draw on September 11 before getting blasted by Chico State five days later at home.  Then, after besting No. 7 CSULA on the road, CSUDH suffered a 3-0 loss to the Wildcats in the CCAA Championship Tournament before the Golden Eagles upended Chico State for the league title.

Toros in the NCAA Playoffs: After claiming its first men's soccer NCAA Championship in 2000 and its second in 2008, the Toros are 12-6-2 all-time in NCAA postseason play entering Thursday's match-up, with its last appearance resulting in a 1-0 loss at Fort Lewis in 2009 en route to the Skyhawk title that year.
    CSUDH won three contests in 2001 before falling in the title game, but went 2-4-2 over the next six seasons, including a 1-0-1 record in 2007 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.  Then in 2008, the Toros reeled off five-consecutive wins to claim the program's second title in eight years.

CSUDH Places Four on All-CCAA Teams: Senior forward Jordan Rover joined senior defender Antonio Garcia and junior keeper Markus Dickerson with 2nd-team All-CCAA selections, while junior newcomer Ronald Ybarra picked up honorable mention All-CCAA honors as the Toros placed four on this year's All-CCAA teams.
        
The Last Hurrah: This marks the final postseason for four Toro seniors in Antonio Garcia, Billy Gutierrez, Josh Walker and Jordan Rover, who between them have seen action in 176 games in Cardinal and Gold.  Additionally the quartet has two CCAA titles, two NCAA West Region crowns and one NCAA Championship under their collective belts.

Toros Among the CCAA's Statistical Best:  Here's how CSUDH fared with the rest of the CCAA heading into the NCAA West Regionals: GWG - Connor Brandt (T4th, 3), Jordan Rover (T4th, 3); Assists - Billy Gutierrez (T5th, 6); Goals - Jordan Rover (T6th, 7); Points - Jordan Rover (T9th, 17); Shutouts - Markus Dickerson (4th, 4.5); Saves - Markus Dickerson (5th, 55); GAA  - Markus Dickerson (9th, 1.20); Save % - Markus Dickerson (9th, .724);

Home (Not So) Sweet Home: The Toros went just 5-2-2 in Carson, getting out of the blocks to kick off the season before sputtering at the season's end en route to a 2-2-2 record over its final six games.  Jordan Rover tallied 3 goals and 3 assists to lead the offense, while Henry Calistro chipped in 2 scores.
        In the seven games, the Toros took 42 more shots than their opponents, but managed a 10-all tie in goals with three contests going extra sessions, including two that went into double overtimes (both ties).  In goal, Markus Dickerson make all nine starts and made 14 saves, but saved just 58.3% of SOG in large part to Chico State's shocking 5-0 win on September 15.

The Road Less Traveled:  CSUDH claimed a better record outside Carson, an effort they will need against the host Falcons.  On the road, the Toros strung together four wins in their first four road games before a 2-1 double-overtime loss to rival Sonoma State halted that streak, only to see CSUDH win three-straight before dropping its regular season finale at CS Monterey Bay.
    Miguel Vazquez led the Toros with 9 points and 3 goals, while Jordan Rover added a team-best 4 scores.  In goal, Markus Dickerson boasted a 1.07 GAA, stopping .810 of shots against.

Out of Conference:  Just two games were played this season against non-CCAA schools, and the Toros claimed two wins by identical 2-1 scores.  However, the other non-conference contest came in last Friday's CCAA semifinal as No. 15 Chico State put a 3-0 hurt on the Toros to bring their non-conference ledger to 2-1 heading into the West Region's first round contest against SPU.

Looking Ahead: If the Toros are fortunate enough to advance onto Saturday night's West Region final, a familiar foe will be lurking in either CCAA Champion and No. 17 Cal State L.A. or Chico State.
    In league action which saw the Toros post a 10-4-2 mark, freshman Connor Brandt led the squad with 3 game-winners, while Jordan Rover posted 5 goals and 12 points in league play.  Billy Gutierrez and Juan Quinonez each enjoyed 4 assists with Henry Calistro and Miguel Vazquez chipping in with 3 goals apiece.

There's No “I” in Team: Here's a look at how the Toros fare as a team heading into the West Regional: Points - 6th (81); Goals - 6th (27);  Assists - 4th (27).  And on defense:  Shutouts - 5th (5); Goals Allowed - T5th (23); GAA - 4th (1.16);  Saves - 6th (71).

And This is Now....: Here's how this year's NCAA West Region qualifying squad stacks up with 2009's NCAA qualifying team, the last time CSUDH reached the NCAA postseason and advanced to the NCAA Quarters before falling to eventual champion Fort Lewis: Goals (2011 - 27/ 2009 - 48); Goals scored average (1.36 / 1.88 per game), Shots On Goal (130 / 203), Corner kicks (105 / 165), Penalty Kicks (2-4 / 6-7), GAA (1.16 / 0.78), Saves (68 / 93), Minutes in Goal (1784:07 / 2256:18).

The Fab Five:  Of the 10 freshmen on the roster at the start of the season, whether true or redshirt, five have made a significant impact during the course of the season.  Temecula native Connor Brandt leads the youth brigade with 4 goals and 10 points, including a CCAA Player of the Week nod for the week of September 26-October 2 during which he tallied 2 game-winners at San Francisco State and Cal Poly Pomona, including the golden goal in the second overtime against the Broncos.
    Additionally, Henry Calistro, Mario Romero, Victor Cervantes and Juan Quinonez have combined for 4 goals and 7 assists, with the four keeping close watch and control over their midfield position.

Players of Their Week: Freshman Connor Brandt and sophomore Miguel Vazquez made history earlier this season with each claiming his first-ever Wilson/CCAA Player of the Week honor.
    Brandt accomplished this feat the week of Sept 26-Oct 2 after notching two game-winning goals to move CSUDH into a first-place tie atop the South Division.  Then, just two weeks later, Vazquez earned his first CCAA POW for totaling 7 points on 3 goals and an assist in two more road wins that again earned the Toros a share of first place in the South Divison.

Going the Distance:  This season, CSUDH has benefited from players not only outside the Carson and Torrance areas, but way outside the Carson and Torrance areas.  Sophomore midfielder Carlos Garcia has enjoyed 3 starts in 14  games played outside his native Phoenix area with an assist, while Florida native Dimitri Aureles has contributed a goal in 16 games played, making 5 starts.      Sophomore defender and Utah product Jordan Hatanaka, meanwhile, is just one of two Toros to start all 19 games thus far to give him 40 starts in 40 games played in his two years.

When the Going is Good...: The Toros have been dominant in their 12 wins, out-scoring opponents 24-8 with 26 assists, while sporting a 0.66 GAA average.  Jordan Rover has paced the offensive attack with 6 goals and 15 points, with Miguel Vazquez and Connor Brandt chipping in 4 scores each.
    Senior Billy Gutierrez has been a spark plug off the bench with 5 assists and 9 points, adding 2 goals in the wins.  In net, Markus Dickerson has allowed just 6 goals while boasting a 0.61 GAA and four shutouts, while Juan Quiroz has seen action in 3 games, allowing 2 goals and sporting a 0.83 GAA.

But When It's Bad...: It's bad.  In CSUDH's 5 losses this year, they have been been blanked 4 times en route to just one goal scored versus 13 for their opponents, despite holding a 60-58 advantage in shots taken, with the score courtesy of a Billy Gutierrez equalizing penalty kick make which came with just 54 ticks left in regulation in the eventual 2-1 double-overtime loss at Sonoma State.  NCAA West Region participant Chico State has been the main culprit in the scoring differential by posting 8 of the 13 goals.

Been There, Done That:  Playing in the NCAA tournament won't cause any jitters for one at least one Toro in Jordan Rover, who was instrumental in the 2008 run that culminated with CSUDH's second men's soccer NCAA title.  As a sophomore in that magical season, Rover saw 5 starts in 24 matches played, with 3 of his 4 goals on the year coming in the NCAA postseason (NCAA West Region Title game, NCAA quarterfinal and NCAA semifinal).  
        Additionally, he added an assist in both the West Region Title game and the quarterfinal thriller, adding to his legacy.

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

Making His “Mark”:  Junior keeper Markus Dickerson has come into his own in his three seasons as  the Toro netminder.  In his first two years, he has started 42 of 45 games played, boasting a 0.79 GAA en route to the 2009 CCAA Newcomer of the Year award, 2 All-Region and 3 All-CCAA honors, including this year's 2nd-team honor.  Just this year, Dickerson became CSUDH's all-time leader in shutouts in a career after blanking San Francisco State on October 23.

Advantage - CSUDH:  Much of the Toros success this year has been based on gaining advantages over their opponents on both ends of the pitch, as CSUDH has tallied an edge in all but one category: Goals (CSUDH-27/Opponents-23), Goals Scored Avg (1.36 / 1.16), Shot % (.099 / .108), SOG (130 / 91), SOG% (.478 / .427), Shots/Game (14.3 / 11.2), Corner Kicks (105 / 61), PKs (2-4 /1-2).

Young on Experience:  Although boasting 11 returners on this year's squad, the Toros have just three players who have NCAA playoff experience from CSUDH's last foray into the national scale, coming in 2009.
    Junior keeper Markus Dickerson joins junior Ryan Evans and senior Josh Walker from the 2009 team which won the NCAA West Region with victories over No. 21 Sonoma State and No. 7 Cal State L.A., before bowing out to top-ranked Fort Lewis in the NCAA Quarterfinal in Durango.
    Add in senior Jordan Rover who played in two NCAA playoffs in 2007 and 2008, and the Toros are short on quantity, but long on quality.

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 two NCAA National Championships in 2008 and in 2000, when CSUDH defeated Barry University, 2-1, in a classic 4-overtime thriller for CSUDH's first men's soccer title.
    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 the two title years.  Entering this year's NCAA postseason, Flanagan sports a 270-94-28 record, good for a .724 winning percentage.

The Flanagan File II: In his illustrious coaching career in Carson, Flanagan has reached the playoffs 12 times entering Thursday's match-up, winning 7 CCAA crowns, 5 NCAA West titles, and 2 NCAA National Championships in his now 18 years as head coach, also boasting 3 seasons with at least 20 wins, 3 with 18 victories, and 3 with 17.


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