CSUN Rallies to Tie Washington in Two Overtimes

In regulation play and double overtime, Washington’s soccer team appeared to have Cal State Northridge beaten Wednesday night.

But Steve Linhart and Danny Daniels, Matador forwards who recently had been sidelined because of injuries, scored to help CSUN tie the 19th-ranked Huskies, 3-3, before 542 at North Campus Stadium.

With his back to the net and 3 minutes 21 seconds remaining in the second overtime, Daniels took a pass from Armando Valdivia, turned, and shot blindly from 25 yards out to tie the score for the final time. Regular-season games do not proceed beyond two overtimes.

“I knew where I was and I didn’t have time to look or to think,” said Daniels of his first career goal.

After missing the first 3 1/2 matches of the season with a hyperextended Achilles’ tendon, Daniels entered the match against Washington just before halftime.

“I was thinking I got to get on the field and do something good,” Daniels said. “Those two weeks out were the longest I’ve ever been hurt.”

The sophomore from the island of Cyprus also figured in the CSUN goal that tied the score, 2-2, with 2:11 left in regulation.

Just as he was attempting to shoot from close range, Daniels was tackled by Husky defender James Dunn and the Matadors were awarded a penalty kick.

Linhart, a junior from Thousand Oaks High, scored with a boot to the right corner. Washington keeper Rolf Norton got a hand on it when he dived, but barely slowed the ball on its way into the net.

It was Linhart’s second goal of the game in only his first start. He had been used as a reserve because his knee was weak following surgery June 30.

“I didn’t get into top form until two weeks ago,” said Linhart, who played for CSUN as a freshman in 1987 but missed the ’88 season as a redshirt and last season to concentrate on his studies.

Washington (3-0-1) scored 12 minutes into overtime on a goal by Shannon Murray. Daniels appeared to clear the rebound off Chad Crithfield’s corner kick, but it deflected off a CSUN player and landed near Murray.

CSUN trailed, 1-0, at halftime but tied the score less than four minutes into the second half. Bobby Reyes’ corner kick started the play. The perfectly targeted crossing pass soared over a bottleneck of players in front of the net and was headed by Gus Cardenas. He laid the ball at the feet of Linhart, who booted it into the net.

Matador midfielder Terry Davila suffered a concussion. He already had 21 stitches in his forehead following a collision last weekend.

CSUN captain Ed Burns limped off the field with a left knee injury in the first half.