Ass’ad, CSUN Get Defensive for Soccer Opener

It is listed as an exhibition, but Cal State Northridge soccer Coach Marwan Ass’ad would enjoy nothing more than a Matador victory over Division I power UCLA in a match at North Campus Stadium at 7:30 tonight.

This is the fifth year in a row that Northridge has opened its season against UCLA, but the Matadors have yet to beat the Bruins, a fact that Ass’ad is well aware of.

“We’d like to make this a great rivalry,” Ass’ad said. “A great soccer rivalry. . . . They’re the big cat on the block, but until we beat them, it won’t be one.”

Traditionally known as a fast-breaking offensive team, Northridge plans to increase the tempo this season with an attacking defense, one Ass’ad likened to the full-court press employed by the Georgetown basketball team.

“We’re going to force them to make mistakes,” Ass’ad said. “We’re not going to wait for anyone. We’re going to be a lot more intimidating and a lot more pressurizing this season. We want to be known as a team that doesn’t give you a chance to breathe.”

Ass’ad decided to restructure the Northridge defensive philosophy after the Matadors lost in the NCAA Division II final for the second consecutive season--a 3-2 decision to Florida Institute of Technology.

“We weren’t physical enough in the title game,” Ass’ad said. “And it cost us.”

Ass’ad will rotate 15 to 16 players in his lineup in an effort to wear down the opposition.

As a result, he emphasized conditioning more than ever during spring practice and it has paid off. “We’re in great shape at this time of the year,” Ass’ad said. “More so than ever before. We will play faster, but with more control.”

Scott Piri, a 5-foot-7, 135-pound sophomore halfback, will lead the Matador offense.

Piri had a team-high 12 goals and 31 points last season and will be joined by junior Jim Hofferber (seven goals, 22 points) and sophomore John Alevras on the front line.

Sophomores Ed Burns and Terry Davila will anchor a Matador defense that will be put to a stern test by UCLA, which has 19 returning lettermen from a team that reached the finals of the Far West regional before being eliminated by Portland, 2-0.

Senior Bill Thompson and junior Ray Fernandez, the Bruins’ top scorers last season, will lead the UCLA offense.

“It should be a very exciting match,” Ass’ad said. “UCLA is such a great team that they expose all of our weaknesses. We’ll know what we need to work on after this match.”