Successful Reunion at Chapman : Transfers Neely, Snyder Rejoin Garcia to Give Bobert Winner

The spring of 1983, a memorable time for the Canyon High School soccer team, was a forgettable one for Eunice Bobert, Chapman College soccer coach.

The Comanches had just gone through the regular season rated No.1 in the CIF Southern Section 4-A poll and advanced to the quarterfinals of the playoffs.

Bobert, then in his first year as the Panthers’ head coach, attempted to recruit three of the top seniors off that Canyon team but succeeded in landing just one, Moi Garcia.

The other two, Doug Neely, The Times’ Orange County Soccer Player of the Year, and Rick Snyder opted to play ‘big-time’ college soccer and headed south to San Diego State.

“When we were seniors, I told them that we should stick together and help the Chapman program,” Garcia said. “But they wanted to get away and go to a big school.”

After a 16-5-5 season in 1982, Chapman was 12-6-3 in 1983 and fell to 8-8-2 in 1984. Bobert felt at the time that if he had been able to recruit both Neely and Snyder, the Panthers could have avoided that bad year.

“They probably would have made us a contender. . .provided us with the depth we needed over the last coule of years,” Bobert recalled. “I think we could have stayed at the level we were at and not had to fight back to where we were.”

While Garcia was excelling at Chapman, Snyder was becoming increasingly dissatisfied with San Diego State. The distractions of dormitory life had taken their toll on his grades and Snyder transferred to Orange Coast College following his freshman year.

Neely’s grades also began to slip and he transferred to Chapman after his sophomore year. When Snyder heard that Neely was going to Chapman, he also enrolled, much to Garcia’s delight.

“When they came to Chapman, I was so happy because I needed someone to be there to talk to,” Garcia said. “We’ve been doing so much better. We push each other to do better.”

Bobert shares Garcia’s enthusiasm about the Canyon triumvirate.

“The three I have now . . . were definitely the cream of the crop off that (Canyon) team,” Bobert said. “All three have developed from that high school stage and have adapted really well to the college game. They are among the best around (and) they can play on any team around.”

Garcia credits the addition of Neely and Snyder, as well as former Corona del Mar and Cal State Fullerton standout Scott McCrimmon, for pulling the team together.

“This is the first year since I’ve been here that we’ve felt real close together as a team,” Garcia said. “Everyone gets along and we help each other out. It’s like a family (and) that’s one of the things I really enjoy about being with these guys.”

Snyder and Neely made their presence felt immediately while helping Chapman to an 11-7-1 record during the regular season and a second-place finish in the California Collegiate Athletic Association. Because only the conference champion, Cal State Northridge, is guaranteed a berth in the NCAA Division II playoffs, the Panthers will have to wait until Sunday to see if they get a wild-card berth.

“Snyder is the type of guy who, if he gets the ball, heads for the goal,” Bobert said of his leading scorer. “Neely brings hard work (to the program). He’s the type that will give you 90 minutes of sheer heart and desire and hard work.”

Snyder led the Panthers with 20 points (7 goals, 6 assists) while Neely added a goal and four assists for five points while controlling the midfield. Garcia was second to Snyder in scoring with 12 points on six goals.

Chapman has not been a one-dimensional team, however. Defense plays a key role, as the team’s eight shutouts this season indicate. The Panthers posted shutouts in six of their seven home games to establish a school record.

Chapman came within 16:49 of not allowing a goal at home before giving up a late score to UC Irvine in the Panthers’ 2-1 nonconference win over the Anteaters Wednesday night.

Neely said he believes that the Panthers’ success this year was the result of a true team effort and not solely because of two or three transfers.

“We just make up a small part of the team,” he said. “Everyone’s been responsible for our success.”

One point that all three agree on is the effect Bobert, an All-American at Chapman in 1981, has had on the team.

“I think he’s one of the best coaches I’ve ever had,” said Snyder, echoing the sentiments of his teammates. “I’m so impressed with him. He knows so much, he really understands the game.”

Neely, Snyder and Garcia are just three of 11 players from the Orange County area on the Chapman roster. That, according to Bobert, is a trend he would like to see continue.

“In previous years, we used to go out of state and bring kids in, but it didn’t bring anybody to our games,” Bobert said. “The reason we (recruit locally) is because we’re trying to draw crowds to watch our games. When I used to play at Chapman, there used to be three people on the sidelines, now we’re talking about 300 people in the stands.”