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Men's Soccer Looks For First Win At USD
Oct. 30, 2002
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Friday, Nov. 1 - at San Diego, 7 p.m. BULLDOGS DROP HOME FINALE: Gonzaga University lost control of its destiny in the West Coast Conference men's soccer race with a 2-0 setback to the University of San Francisco last Friday in the 2002 home finale for the Bulldogs. The loss evened Gonzaga's record at 1-1-1 in the WCC. HEY, WILLIE: It's been a few years since Willie Nelson recorded "On the Road Again," but that's the theme song for Gonzaga University the rest of the way. The Bulldogs finish the season with four straight road matches, including three in West Coast Conference play beginning with Friday's match at the University of San Diego. Gonzaga meets Loyola Marymount University on Nov. 10 and concludes the regular season at the University of Portland on Nov. 16. The Bulldogs also have one non-conference match remaining Nov. 8 at San Diego State University. UNFRIENDLY CONFINES: Torero Stadium on the University of San Diego campus has not been a friendly venue for Gonzaga University. The Bulldogs are 0-5 at the complex, four of those matches coming since the Bulldogs joined the West Coast Conference in 1993. The Bulldogs dropped a 9-1 non-conference decision in 1992. In the four WCC outings, the Bulldogs have been outscored 12-3 by USD in Torero Stadium. Gonzaga dropped a 1-0 decision in their last visit in 2000. One of the most memorable meetings was 1998 when Gonzaga needed a win or a tie at USD on the final day of the regular season to claim the WCC title outright and with it the automatic berth into the NCAA College Cup. But the Toreros took a 2-1 victory, the Bulldogs and Toreros tied for first and USD got the automatic bid by virtue of the win over Gonzaga. THE WILD, WILD, WEST COAST: The West Coast Conference race appears to be headed for one of the wildest finishes in recent memory, with the University of San Francisco (3-0-0) and Loyola Marymount University (2-1-0) the only teams that can control their destiny. Those two teams face a critical matchup Saturday night at USF, the winner in the driver's seat for the title. USF has WCC matches remaining against the University of San Diego and at Santa Clara University, while LMU finishes with matches at home against Gonzaga University and SCU. Gonzaga needs help for the crown. If the Bulldogs win out they would finish 4-1-1 for 13 points. That means USF would have to drop two of it's final three for the Bulldogs to claim the crown because GU wins over Portland and LMU would eliminate those teams. Gonzaga's 13 points (4-1-1) would be a long shot to win the title, but in the nine previous seasons since Gonzaga joined the conference in 1993, four wins has been enough to capture the title three times, USD the last to do it in 1999 with a 4-2-0 record. Gonzaga has shared two regular-season titles (1997 and '98), but has never captured it outright. SCOUTING THE TOREROS: The University of San Diego (12-4-0; 1-2-0) was the pre-season pick of the coaches to capture the West Coast Conference title. The Toreros started the WCC season 0-2, but rebounded to defeat Santa Clara University 2-1 last weekend to crack the win column. USD is ranked 15th this week in the Soccer America poll. Friday is USD's home finale, with road matches remaining against the University of San Francisco and Saint Mary's College, so the Torero's will need help to capture the crown. Senior forward Ryan Coiner, who scored 11 goals last season, has already surpassed that with 12 goals and 8 assists this season for 32 points to lead the WCC. Eric Wunderle (7 goals, 3 assists) and Tyler Conley (5 goals, 7 assists) each have 17 points to rank in the top 10 in the WCC. Matt McCausland also has five goals, giving the Toreros four players with five or more goals. Senior keepers Parker Jarvis and Matt Kessler have both been solid, although Jarvis has received most of the playing time lately. Jarvis, a transfer from Denver University, is 5-1-0 with a 0.80 GAA. Kessler is 6-2-0 with a 1.08 GAA. BULLDOGS VS. TOREROS: Gonzaga University trails the series against the University of San Diego 2-7-1. The Bulldogs are 0-5-0 in San Diego, including 0-4-0 in West Coast Conference matchups. The Bulldogs' two wins in the series were 2-1 in 1997 and 4-2 in 1999. The teams played to the lone tie in the series last season in Spokane, battling to a 1-1 overtime affair. LIVESTATS ON THE INTERNET: Gonzaga University's match Friday at the University of San Diego can be monitored via Livestats on the Internet. Each match that is available will be linked off the Gonzaga web site at http://www.gozags.com. Look for the "LIVE COVERAGE" box located on the Gonzaga home page and click in the Livestats link to access up-to-the minute scores and play-by-play. Most West Coast Conference schools offer Livestats.
THE THORARINSSON TALE OF THE TAPE: Gonzaga University head coach Einar Thorarinsson is 72-51-9 in his eighth season with the Bulldogs. His overall record is 191-103-22 that includes nine seasons across town at Whitworth College. Since going 3-10-2 in his first season of 1995, the Bulldogs have not had a losing season under Thorarinsson. His teams led the West Coast Conference in wins with a 14-4-0 record in 1997 and 12-4-2 mark in 1998, capturing WCC co-championships in each of those seasons. The Bulldogs were 9-5-2 in 2001, making their inaugural College Cup appearance.
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