Northridge’s Kirk Makes CSLA Pay for Body Damage in 1-0 Soccer Win

Joey Kirk has been at this collegiate soccer business for four seasons now, so it is understandable that when he gets tripped, kicked, gouged or suffers any other such sundry indignity, he just shrugs it off.

For example, midway through the first half of Cal State Northridge’s 1-0 victory over Cal State Los Angeles on Wednesday night, Kirk took a pass along the sideline. Just as he started to turn up field and turn on the gas, he tangled--make that tangoed--with a CSLA defender, who leg-whipped Kirk from behind.

The thud of Kirk kissing the ground could be heard in North Campus Stadium’s top row.

Minutes later, a few feet from the first collision, the gutsy Kirk took a kick across the chest that dropped him to his knees--call it a bump-and-grind. As he did after the initial incident, the 5-10, 165-pound senior from Granada Hills just stood up, readjusted a vertebra or two in his spine and continued along his way.

In the second half, Kirk gritted his teeth and deflected a direct kick off his back. The ball cleared the fence surrounding the field and landed in the grandstands--some 35 feet away.

Kirk has been roughed up so many times in his career that when he finally earns his degree, it likely will stand for Bachelor of Hearts, as in Purple.

Kirk scored a goal early in the first half and the CSUN defense did the rest to secure the nonconference victory.

It was the first time CSUN defeated CSLA at home since 1980. The Matadors are 3-0 overall. CSLA’s record dropped to 0-3.

Kirk’s goal came on a penalty kick 4:17 into the first half. He was, what else, fouled by CSLA’s Steve Sengelmann about 30 feet from the goal area. Kirk skipped the penalty shot into the left corner past a not-so-sure Suren Arzoumanian, the CSLA goalkeeper.

“I knew Steve was going to be guarding me,” Kirk said. “He was a teammate of mine from a club team this summer so I knew he’d be their best player. I figured he’d be marking me.”

Marking indeed. Kirk, who is only 15 points shy of the CSUN record for career scoring will be a marked man every time he takes the field. Against CSLA, it seemed several sets of Golden Eagle eyes were on him each time he touched the ball.

“I’m used to it,” Kirk said.

More like used and abused. When Sengelmann buried him in the goal area, the defender pleaded his innocence to the referee.

“Steve said he didn’t touch me, but he got me right here,” Kirk said, showing a nice little bruise-in-the-making on his left calf. “We kind of laughed about it.”

The laughs have come easily at North Campus Stadium. The win gave the Matadors a string of 33 straight regular-season home victories.

Even though CSLA was winless, CSUN Coach Marwan Ass’ad said the Golden Eagles always give his team a difficult time.

“It’s the way they handle the ball with their feet,” Ass’ad said. “They play great foot to foot on offense, good possession soccer. They’re just not dangerous.”

The CSUN defense kept the heat off goalkeeper Mike Caputo, who had three saves. Most of CSLA’s 16 shots on goal were from long range.

CSUN, however, was firing blanks on offense. The Matadors took 12 shots on goal, three in the second half.

“We had our chances,” Ass’ad said. “Chances from in close. We just didn’t convert. You have to make those layups.”

If anybody had a right to be laid up, it was Kirk, who played the entire game. But, entering his final season, he knows what must be done.

“I know it was kind of boring,” Kirk said, “But at least we won. Whatever it takes, as long as we win.”