SAN DIEGO COLLEGE NOTEBOOK : Toreros’ Victory Came Against Tough Foe

The University of San Diego’s 4-2 victory Sunday over Portland in the first round of the NCAA soccer tournament was impressive. After all, it was USD’s first postseason competition since becoming an NCAA Division I team in 1979.

Furthermore, it came against Kasey Keller, the United States’ backup goalie in last summer’s World Cup in Italy.

Keller, who had a West Coast Conference-leading 10 shutouts this season, had allowed only 11 goals in 17 games heading into the final game of the regular season Nov. 4 at USD. The Toreros won that one, too, 2-0. They were the only two goals allowed by Portland in five conference games.

“(USD) shot the ball the hardest of any team I’ve ever played against,” Keller said.

Having won, USD will not complain now, but it was a bit upset beforehand about having to play the match in Portland.

USD was seeded fourth in the West Region and Portland fifth, but the match was in Portland because the Pilots were able to guarantee the NCAA a sellout (read: money) at their new multi-million dollar facility. USD, which plays in the 4,000-seat Torero Stadium, could not.

Attendance at Sunday’s game: 2,452 (read: 1,048 no shows).

Portland did cover its guarantee to the NCAA, but with ticket prices being $6 and $4, the school lost out on about $5,000.

The Toreros play at UCLA Sunday at 1 p.m. USD tied the Bruins, 3-3, earlier this season in San Diego.

Overheard: A patron at a local restaurant, reading a story on John Madden in a national magazine, said: “I didn’t know John Madden used to be the defensive coordinator at San Diego State.”

Said the patron sitting across from her: “I didn’t know San Diego State ever had a defense.”

And another thing!: Mike Hipp, assistant athletic director at UC San Diego, was a student at SDSU when Madden was on SDSU’s campus from 1964 to 1966. Hipp recalled that one season Madden conducted a popular one-hour film session every Tuesday morning.

Hipp said the sessions were complete with arms waving, a chalkboard demonstration and plenty of “Pops”, “Booms” and other Maddenisms.

“It was not unlike what (Madden) does today,” Hipp said. “He was good. In fact, it became so popular, guys started cutting class just to go see him.”

Point Loma Nazarene came close to sweeping postseason coaching honors this year in NAIA District 3. Jim Crakes (cross-country) and Mike Farrand (men’s soccer) were named coaches of the year in their sports. And although second-place voting is not released by the district, Barbara Wnek had to be given much consideration in women’s volleyball. PLNC finished 22-8 (best in the district) after going 14-9 and 11-20 the past two seasons.

The PLNC men’s cross-country team, champions of the District 3 for the second year in a row, is competing in the NAIA national meet Saturday in Kenosha, Wis.

Brad Soucie, who helped El Cajon’s Christian Heritage College win the National Christian College Athletic Assn. championship last year, is playing for Athletes in Action this season.

After AIA’s game Thursday at UCLA, Soucie proposed marriage to Kendra Nichols over the public address system in Pauley Pavilion. Nichols came out of the stands to accept.

Last add AIA: Zack Jones, a former San Diego State standout in his fifth year with AIA, is joined this year by another former Aztec, center Mitch McMullen.

Howard Wright, a 6-foot-8 former Patrick Henry and Stanford star who played for AIA last season, was with the Atlanta Hawks until Jon Koncak was activated Tuesday. Wright was put on waivers.

A revamped Bulgarian national team will take on the USD women’s team in the Toreras’ first exhibition basketball game Monday at USD. According to Andrea Osborne, who handles the itinerary for such teams for International Sports Tours, Bulgaria underwent significant changes when six members of the team defected during last summer’s Goodwill Games in Seattle.