Northridge Claims Share of Soccer Title

Cal State Northridge staked claim to a share of its fifth consecutive California Collegiate Athletic Assn. soccer title Saturday night, setting up a showdown today with Cal State Dominguez Hills for the conference’s automatic berth in the NCAA Division II playoffs.

The Matadors (14-7 overall, 8-2 in conference play) defeated Chapman, 3-0, in the regular-season finale at Chapman to tie Dominguez Hills for the CCAA title. Dominguez Hills capped its conference season Saturday with a 3-0 victory over Cal State Bakersfield at home.

The co-champions meet at 11 this morning at Cal Poly Pomona to determine which team earns the conference’s automatic berth in the 16-team playoffs.

Northridge, ranked 19th in Division II, took care of business early against Chapman. The Matadors did all their scoring in the first half and were never threatened. Chapman managed only 5 shots on goal against Jeff Blumkin, who recorded 2 saves.

Scott Piri opened the scoring 42 seconds into the match. Kevin Martin added a goal at 19:32 of the half and Scott Hunter closed the scoring 1:15 before intermission.

Dominguez Hills, ranked 16th in Division II, finished the regular season 13-4-2, 7-1-2 in conference play.

The teams tied for the title based on a conference scoring system that awards 2 points for a win, 1 for a tie and zero for a loss.

Against Bakersfield, Mark Merino and Joe Flanagan scored goals in the first half as Dominguez Hills built a 2-0 lead. Robert Enriquez completed the scoring 15 minutes into the second half on an assist from Rich Gabaldon. Toro goalie Chris Wilson recorded just 1 save to post his seventh shutout.