College Division / Mitch Polin : Perez Gets His Kicks Coaching San Bernardino

Ralph Perez is the first to admit that he may be a little over-qualified to coach the women’s soccer team at Cal State San Bernardino.

After all, there are not many National Collegiate Athletic Assn. Division III coaches whose credentials include head coaching stints with Division I men’s teams at Cal State Fullerton, Santa Clara and Nevada Las Vegas.

For that matter, Perez is the only Division III coach who is also an assistant national coach for the U.S. World Cup team.

Why would Perez want to coach a program in its second year at San Bernardino?

Perez, 38, who often has to field that question, says it has a lot to do with job security--something that is difficult to come by for most college soccer coaches.

“I want to settle in and get some roots and have a full-time position,” Perez said. “The one job you always want is the full-time secure job, and I always feel a collegiate position is a heck of a lot more secure than a national federation position. In that situation, if you don’t win, you may not be back the next year.”

Perez said that while his position at San Bernardino is not full time at the moment, Athletic Director David Suenram has given him added responsibilities, as the school’s assistant director of recruiting and as basketball game manager, that help him financially.

He said it is his salary at San Bernardino that allows him to pursue his lifelong ambition of coaching the U.S. national team in the World Cup.

“On our national team, the head coach is paid a full salary and everyone else is on a per-diem basis,” Perez said. “All of the other coaches just juggle their schedules around and try to make it whenever they can.”

While his schedule at San Bernardino did not allow him to coach the team in its 1-0 World Cup qualifying victory over El Salvador Sunday in Honduras, Perez said he will probably make two of the team’s final three qualifying matches in October and November.

As an assistant with the national team, under Bob Gansler, Perez said he doesn’t mind taking a supportive coaching role.

“My job is to assist him (Gansler) in whatever way he sees fit, whether that means warming up the (goal)keepers, scouting an opponent or just being another eye for him,” Perez said.

Perez, who has coached in more than 30 international games as an assistant with the U.S. junior national and national teams, said the international experience has been invaluable from a coaching perspective.

“Coaching at the international level, as opposed to coaching at the local level, is totally different and I think that’s something people fail to realize,” he said.

“There’s no greater honor than to coach for your country. As a player, your life’s dream is to play for your country and as a coach it’s to coach for your country.”

As an assistant national coach, Perez gives clinics for players and coaches during the year. He was also director of the 14-state Western region for the U.S. Olympic Development program for eight years, before leaving the position after the summer.

And he is coach of the Corinthians Football Club for girls 19 and younger in the Inland Empire region.

That does not leave Perez with a lot of time.

“I’ve never spent a weekend home with my family,” he said. “I don’t spend Thanksgiving or New Year’s at home. There have been a lot of sacrifices, but I guess we all do it because we love it. I guess the day I don’t love it, I won’t do it anymore.”

As a coach, it’s not surprising that he is optimistic about both the United States’ chances of reaching the 1990 World Cup in Italy, and enthusiastic about the future for women’s soccer at San Bernardino.

“They have a program here that’s building and they’re committed to improving,” Perez said. “The university is very serious about having a Division II program and moving into the CCAA (California Collegiate Athletic Assn.)”

The Coyotes finished 7-6-2 last year as an independent, not including four victories over club teams. The team is 1-2 this season, its losses coming against nationally ranked Cal State Dominguez Hills and UC San Diego.

“The Inland Empire is kind of an untapped area to draw from,” he said. “We’re one of the only (four-year) universities out here that has women’s soccer.”

Perez is not sure how long he will maintain his hectic coaching schedule but says it will probably be for at least the next two years, or as long as he continues to dream of coaching the United States in the World Cup.

College Division Notes

The Cal State San Bernardino men’s soccer team, ranked 13th in the NCAA Division III and No. 2 in the West behind UC San Diego, is off to a 4-0 record and has outscored its opponents by a 20-2 margin. The Coyotes face an important nonconference match when they visit Claremont-Mudd, ranked No. 15 in Division III, Saturday. . . . The Pomona-Pitzer football team, 0-8 last season, won its first game in more than a year with a 13-0 decision over Colorado College last Saturday. . . . Cal State Northridge has named Debby De Angelis as its athletic business manager. De Angelis served in a similar position at Northeastern in Boston since 1979 and was women’s crew coach from 1979-83.

Northridge soccer Coach Marwan Ass’ad reached a milestone when he recorded his 100th coaching victory with his team’s 1-0 win over The Master’s College on Sept. 9. The Matadors, ranked No. 1 in the NCAA Division II, also defeated Southern California College last week and have a 3-0-1 record. . . . UC Riverside made a big impression while winning the Cal State Northridge Women’s Volleyball Tournament last Saturday. The Highlanders, led by outside hitter Sheri Benson and setter Regina Carbajal, had a 4-0 record in the five-team, round-robin tournament including victories over Division II powers Northridge and Portland State.