Chapman Soccer Team Has Tough Test Against Midwestern Tonight

Chapman College’s soccer team will open its 1986 season tonight, but if Coach Eunice Bobert had his way, the game against Midwestern State would be later in the season.

“It would be nice if we had some games under our belts before we got in to something like this,” said Bobert, whose team plays host to the 14th Far West Classic today through Saturday at Chapman Stadium. The Panthers, ranked third on the West Coast and 11th in the nation among Division II schools, play Midwestern (of Wichita Falls, Tex.,) tonight at 7.

“‘We’ve really got our work cut out for us this weekend,” Bobert said. “We’re facing the highest caliber of competition right off the bat.”

That competition includes defending NCAA Division II champion Seattle Pacific, Far West regional power Chico State, and Westmont and Midwestern, two highly ranked NAIA teams.

“Even though these are the first games of the year, they have a direct bearing on the playoffs,” Bobert said. “Last year we were chosen over Chico State, partly because we beat them in this tourney on their home field.”

He expects Chapman to improve on last season’s 11-8-1 record.

“Last year, Rick Snyder (7 goals, 6 assists, 20 points) was our only consistent scoring threat,” Bobert said.

“Eric Laird was the only true fullback we had, so the whole team had to play defensively. We’ve added John Hudson (a transfer from Fullerton College) at the stopper position, and have a couple of other solid backfield players in Harold Krawitz and Freddy Tapia.”

Midwestern has been to the NAIA tournament five straight years, finishing 11th in 1985 after being knocked out by eventual champion West Virginia Wesleyan.

In other first-round games, Westmont plays Sacramento State at 1 p.m., Chico State plays Northeast Missouri at 3, and Seattle Pacific, the tournament champion the past two years, plays Southern California College at 5.