Loss to UNLV Will Stay on Titans’ Record : Soccer: Big West commissioner enforces rule instituted this season, thus ending Fullerton’s hopes of making NCAA tournament.

Cal State Fullerton’s hopes to make the NCAA men’s soccer tournament were dashed Tuesday when Big West Conference Commissioner Jim Haney upheld Nevada Las Vegas’ 4-3 victory over the Titans last week.

The game, played last Thursday, had been stopped because of a brawl that broke out with 18 seconds remaining.

Fullerton Coach Al Mistri had hoped that an NCAA rule, which states that if a referee terminates a game before time runs out it is ruled a no-contest, would wipe the loss off the Titans’ record and keep them in contention with Fresno State for the conference title.

But Haney, citing an NCAA suspended-game regulation that was instituted this season, awarded the victory to UNLV. Fullerton (10-8, 6-3 conference) remains two games behind leader Fresno State with one conference game left.

Under the new rule, if a game is interrupted and can’t be resumed, the referee can file a report to the governing sports committee, in this case the conference office, which would decide the status of the game.

“Based on the fact there was so little time left in the match, we declared the game over,” said Haney, who received reports from both schools and the game referee.

Haney added that declaring the game a no-contest was an option, but after conferring with the NCAA’s secretary rules editor for soccer, Seattle Pacific Coach Cliff McCrath, that should be considered only if the game was stopped in the first half or early in the second.

The new rule was added to prevent teams from starting late-game fights and forcing a referee to terminate a match, and possibly avoid a loss.

“Sharing the information I had with Cliff McCrath, it would appear that the suspended-game rule applied rather than the other one,” Haney said.

Mistri said he was not aware of the suspended-game rule.

Haney added that disciplinary action would be determined in the next two days for those who participated in the fight, in which both benches emptied but no one was seriously injured.