Northridge Opens With a Purpose : UCLA Exhibition Will Be a Big Test

Unlike in years past, the exhibition soccer game tonight between Cal State Northridge and UCLA will be more than an exhibition.

The 7:30 game, expected to draw a crowd of more than 1,200 to CSUN’s North Campus Stadium, won’t count on the team’s records.

But the outcome is important, both coaches agree, because UCLA no longer can afford to view the game as a tuneup for the regular season.

CSUN, which has won three consecutive California Collegiate Athletic Assn. titles, always has considered its match with the Bruins as the real thing.

Last season, the Matadors managed a 1-1 tie against the defending national champions.

“It’s not a wish,” CSUN Coach Marwan Ass’ad said. “It’s real. We can beat them.”

UCLA, the top team in the Far West region since 1984, approached previous contests with the Matadors as a way to end preseason training and ready itself for the regular season.

“In the past, they’ve maybe aimed for this game a little more than we have,” UCLA Coach Sigi Schmid said. “This year we’re approaching it a little different.”

The Bruins, who were eliminated in the second round of the NCAA playoffs last season, are taking the CSUN game more seriously for two reasons, Schmid said.

First, UCLA is rebuilding because of the loss of All-American Paul Caligiuri and former U.S. national team members Eric Biefeld and Tom Silvas.

The other reason is the blossoming of the Matador program under Ass’ad, who begins his fifth season at CSUN.

“I’ve learned to become a more effective teacher,” Ass’ad said. “I’m more patient. I used to be very analytical about every single play. I realize now that we’re not going to score every time.”

Still, the CSUN athletic administration, which hopes to someday make a move to Division I, won’t have to wait for the Matador soccer team to improve.

“Northridge is a Division I team that can play with anybody,” Schmid said.

Said Ass’ad: “For three years we’ve been competitive with Division I teams. In soccer society, we’re talked about from San Diego to Seattle. A lot of teams know that if we go Division I, we will not be lost.”

This season, however, the Matadors will try to find a way to win their first Division II title.

“For the last two years, I’ve thought from the beginning that we have a chance to win it all,” said Ass’ad, who has a career record of 62-14-10. “This year, I think our chances are even better.”

CSUN, which finished 15-3-1 last season, ended the regular season ranked No. 1 before losing for the second year in a row to Seattle Pacific in the second round of the playoffs.

All-American John Tronson and two-time All-CCAA player Mike McAndrew have graduated, but the Matadors still have plenty of talent.

All-American fullback Thor Lee is one of the top defenders in the country and played on the West team at the U.S Olympic Sports Festival. Forward Joey Kirk, who led the Matadors with 14 goals and 12 assists last season and is a member of the U.S National team, also should improve the Matadors’ chances of advancing further in the playoffs.

“Thor is a leader on defense and has a great ability to read the game,” Ass’ad said. “Joey has elevated his game by executing little things. He is excellent at getting open for his teammates, which requires timing, rhythm, patience and knowledge.”

All-conference midfielder Mike Harvey, sweeper Steve Lazurus and midfielder Rodney Batt also return.

“We have a good balance of youth and experience,” Ass’ad said. “This is the biggest number of quality players that we’ve ever had come in at one time.”

One of the top newcomers is goalie Willie Lopez, who will challenge senior Mike Caputo for the starting position. Lopez had 11 consecutive shutouts last season at Foothill Community College.

Other first-year players that may start include three midfielders: freshmen Steve Linhart, who played at Thousand Oaks High; junior Juan Florez from Glendale College; and sophomore Henry Vasquez, also from Glendale.

“Last year we had the talent and we just stumbled and fell,” Kirk said. “This year, we don’t have as much talent so we’re not going to take things for granted. The key is going to be the midfield and if they can get the ball to the front line.”

The Matadors will face a UCLA team led by senior forward Jeff Hooker, who played on the 1984 Olympic team, and sophomore forward Bill Thompson, who played for the West team at the Olympic Sports Festival.

“A lot of the dominant personalities we’ve had in the past have graduated,” Schmid said. “A lot of the players who were in subordinate roles are going to have to assert themselves. The game against Northridge is the first big test.”