SportsScope : Experience Is Something New for Cal State Dominguez Women’s Soccer Team

Cal State Dominguez Hills, which had trouble dressing enough bodies to field a women’s soccer team in its first season two years ago, hopes to show that it can play with the West Coast’s top teams Saturday when it meets UC Berkeley at 1 p.m. Berkeley has been in the national tournament the last three years.

For the first time, Coach Marine Cano feels he has experience at the key positions: senior Sandra Powers, goalie; senior Jill Draper and juniors Michele Salas and Robyn Queen, forwards, and sophomores Mandi Robinson and Kathleen Fitzgerald, backs. Draper had nine goals and Salas eight last season. Queen, who starred at El Camino College, is a transfer from Berkeley.

Freshman Kristine White is being counted on to stabilize the midfield.

Berkeley graduated three All-Americans but returns goalie Mary Harvey, who started for the West in the recent Olympic Festival, and forward Catharin Gustafson.

Cal beat Dominguez Hills last year, 2-0.

Loyola Marymount University opens the women’s volleyball season Friday at Cal State Fullerton. Coach Nancy Fortner brings eight returning players and great expectations into her seventh season and second of West Coast Athletic Conference play.

The Lions play at Division II power Cal State Northridge at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday and at Fresno State Sept. 12 before playing at home Sept. 16 against UC Riverside.

Fortner, coming off a 15-14 season and 8-4 WCAC finish, expects the Lions to contend for the title against league favorite and defending champ Pepperdine. The winner in the WCAC’S second season of conference play will get an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

Among the eight returning players are senior standouts Andrea Fort at setter and Maryanne Dunn at outside hitter and juniors Lori Rodman, a middle hitter/blocker, and Tiffany Miller, an outside hitter.

Four sophomores return: middle hitter/blocker Cathy Petrissans, outside hitter Leslie Wohlford, setter Seham Khalaf and outside hitter Carmen Perez. Fortner has added four recruits: Hancock Junior College transfer Dena Block, the team’s tallest player at 6 feet, and three freshmen, setter Marette Larson, back-row specialist Letty Padilla and outside hitter Tina Hammers.

Fortner, who has been pushing the women through double sessions since Aug. 11, said, “We will be stronger this year because of our offense. We will be taller, our serving is tougher and we have more experience this year . . . (and) we will be in better condition.”

Fortner also has a new assistant, George Yamashita.

Cal State Dominguez Hills and first year Coach Jennifer Gorecki begin women’s volleyball play this weekend in the 32-team Western Invitational Volleyball Tournament at UC Davis. Gorecki, who spent the last four seasons at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, where she was Wisconsin Women’s Intercollegiate Athletic Conference coach of the year in 1985, appears to have a rebuilding year ahead of her.

The Lady Toros return one starter from last year’s 7-19 team, standout Samaria Niu, and part-time starters Darlee Bratcher and Christie Mattera. There are four other letter winners and no recruits except walk-ons, including Rena Wright, who has run track and played soccer at Dominguez Hills. Her younger sister, Taffy, is a sophomore on the team. The team has no players taller than 5-10.

Under the round-robin format at Davis, the Lady Toros will play Cal State Hayward, UC Davis and Puget Sound in two-game matches Friday, and the Ambassadors, North Dakota State and Fresno State on Saturday. Pool play winners advance to the playoffs Saturday afternoon.

The Lady Toros play in tournaments at Biola and La Verne before playing their home and conference opener Sept. 23 against California Collegiate Athletic Assn. power Cal State Northridge.

Loyola Marymount University has a new men’s soccer coach, Roger L. Langner, and will play host to Cal State Dominguez Hills at 3 p.m. Friday. The Lions lost their season opener, 4-1, to Santa Clara on Monday. Langner, 43, president of Langner & Associates Security Services, was boys soccer coach last year at Pacifica High and won a girls CIF 3-A title at Pacifica in 1983. Langner takes over a young team at Loyola. The Lions’ goal Monday was scored by sophomore David Dufault.

Dominguez Hills, under Coach Marine Cano, opened with a 10-0 victory over Long Beach State that featured five goals in a nine-minute period in the second half. Senior Glenn Strachan led the attack with three goals and two assists. Senior Claudio Taboada also had three goals and freshman Steve Mullen added a goal and three assists.

The Toros play host to Division I power Cal State Los Angeles at 3 p.m. Wednesday.

Loyola Marymount University announced that Rich Rosales, a 1985 graduate and former volleyball player at the school, will take over as men’s volleyball head coach for the 1987 season. Rosales, 24, replaces Kevin Cleary, who resigned after two seasons. Rosales is working on a master’s degree.

Loyola also announced a new water polo coach, Jim McMillian, effective immediately. The former Pepperdine player replaces Greg Outcalt.