NCAA Division II Soccer Championship : CS Northridge Loses, 3-2, as Florida School Takes Title

Cal State Northridge had the wind and its largest home soccer crowd in history behind it heading into the second half of the NCAA Division II championship match Sunday against the Florida Institute of Technology.

Edward Grosso, however, helped FIT win its first title, scoring on a 5-yard header 2 minutes, 11 seconds into the second half. The goal held up as the game-winner as the Panthers emerged with a 3-2 victory before a crowd of 4,588 at North Campus Stadium.

It was the second consecutive loss for Northridge in the championship game. Last season, the Matadors lost to Southern Connecticut State, 2-0, in Tampa, Fla.

FIT, which began competing in soccer on the intercollegiate level in 1972, was making its first appearance in the championship game. The Panthers’ 18-man roster includes 11 foreign players and no seniors.

The Matadors, however, were done in by a countryman. Grosso, who hails from New York, scored the decisive goal off a free kick by Steve Freeman.

Fifth-ranked FIT (15-6) benefitted from northerly winds that helped prevent Northridge from clearing the ball past midfield for much of the first half. Both teams had 11 shots in the game, but FIT had an 11-1 advantage in corner kicks--an 8-0 edge in the first half--and 2 of those opportunities resulted in goals.

Fitzgerald Haig, a sophomore forward from Haiti, and Robin Chan, a Briton, scored first-half goals on corner kicks for FIT. Freshman Scott Piri and Rick Iversen provided the scoring for 12th-ranked Northridge (18-8).