Davila Gives Northridge a Leg Up in 1-0 Win

No Cal State Northridge soccer player deserved to score the Matadors’ first goal in Division I more than Teddy Davila.

Eleven months after suffering a severe leg fracture, Davila scored on a header to give CSUN a 1-0 triumph Saturday over UC Irvine in its Division I debut.

A crowd of 436 roared with approval when Davila celebrated his effort with a sprint around the north end of North Campus Stadium.

“I planned to take off my shirt and jump into the crowd if I ever scored,” said the sophomore from Reseda who missed most of the ’89 season after breaking his leg in a collision with a Cal Poly Pomona player.

Bobby Reyes started the play with an indirect foul kick in the 49th minute.

“I think they were sleeping,” Davila said. “I called to Bobby, he was just sitting there waiting. I sprinted through. . . . there couldn’t have been a better pass.”

Irvine goalkeeper Mike Gartlan, formerly of Crespi, played the ball to the right side of the net, where Davila had more room to shoot. But Davila--in midair--was able to direct it with his head into the corner to Gartlan’s left.

And so ended a 10-month rehabilitation period that began with Davila’s leg encased in a cast from hip to toe. Three months later, he had the last remnants of a smaller cast removed, but his leg was a shadow of its former self. “It was all skin and bone,” said Davila.

Immediately, he began daily therapy sessions, but it wasn’t until May that he could walk without a limp. A summer trip to Europe was put on the back burner in favor of attempting to regain the conditioning and strength needed to rejoin the team.

“I stayed and played soccer every day all summer,” Davila said. “And now I’m glad I did. This is the greatest feeling. The first goal in Division I. I was so nervous for this match. I didn’t think I’d be that nervous.”

Davila’s goal came with a CSUN man advantage. Thirty seconds before halftime, Anteaters’ forward Anthony Russomanno was issued a red card, giving CSUN a man advantage the rest of the game. Russomanno was given the ejection for violent conduct. After being fouled by Northridge’s Paul Bay, Russomanno forcefully knocked Bay to the ground.

A traffic accident knocked out lights midway through the first half, causing a 14-minute delay.