SportsScope : UCLA Soccer Team Wins Its Opener, Prepare for 2 Road Games Next Week

The UCLA men’s soccer team, defending NCAA Division I champion, opened the season with a 2-1 overtime victory at Westmont, stretching its winning streak to 13.

Jeff Hooker got the Bruins even with a goal, and the overtime winner was scored by sophomore Chris Roosen.

Coach Sigi Schmid’s Bruins will play at Santa Clara on Sunday and San Jose State on Tuesday.

Andy Banachowski, UCLA women’s volleyball coach, says his team has the talent to make it to the NCAA semifinals again this year despite graduation of All-Americans Liz Masakayan, Michelle Boyette, Katie McGarrey and Dawn Kenny.

Banachowski, whose team finished fourth in last year’s NCAA tournament and is ranked third in the nation in the pre-season, said that at the start of the 1985 season his quartet of All-Americans were “a lot of given commodities.”

“This year our talent is at a similar level but is relatively unproven over the course of a full season. We will be relying on consistent performances from several players who have not been in that role before at UCLA.”

Among returning players are senior All-American middle blocker Lisa Ettesvold, senior hitter Leslie Brewer, junior hitter Lori Zeno and sophomore setter Ann Boyer.

The Bruins will open the season Friday in the Western Invitational Tournament at UC Davis and compete in the All-Cal Tournament next Tuesday at UC Santa Cruz.

The Pepperdine women’s volleyball team, defending West Coast Athletic Conference champion and favored to repeat by conference coaches, will open the season against USC at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu.

Pepperdine Coach Nina Matthies has seven returning players, including junior hitter Julie Evans, the WCAC’s most valuable player last season when the Waves posted a 12-0 conference record, and junior all-league setter Lee Hoven. Other veterans are Hoven’s twin Lisa, a two-year starter at hitter, and sophomores Stella Berkebile, Lis Bevington, Linda Burton and Dana Johnson.

Hitter Pam Lawrence, a junior transfer from the University of Hawaii, is expected to strengthen the team. Freshmen vying for playing time are Valerie Foley, Laura Fort, Laura Power and Tami Seidenberg.

Next week the Waves will be in Utah, playing Brigham Young on Sept. 10, Utah on Sept. 11 and Weber State on Sept. 12.

Terry Schroeder, new Pepperdine water polo coach, will begin the season with the team’s seven top scorers from last year, as well as its top three goalkeepers.

Schroeder, twice an Olympian and a three-time All-American at Pepperdine, is assisted by David Myers, another former Pepperdine star.

The Waves, ranked third nationally, will be led by junior Aaron Chasen, a third-team All-American who led the team with 87 goals last season, and by Pero Asic and Sasa Poljak, the Yugoslavian duo who combined for 142 goals and 73 assists. More scoring power will come from returning players Robbie Boyer, Rafael Gandarillas, Rick Scott and Greg Sokil, and the goalies back are Roberto Borelli, Juan Carlos Garay and Scott Madill.

Pepperdine will start the season Sept. 12 in the John Wasko Memorial Tournament at Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool on the campus. The tournament is named for the former Pepperdine player who died last year in a helicopter accident.