SPORTSCOPE : Toros Hit Road for Soccer Playoffs

The Cal State Dominguez Hills women’s soccer team will make its second appearance in the past three years in the NCAA Division II playoffs when it visits Mercyhurst of Pennsylvania in a first-round match Saturday afternoon in Erie.

The Toros, ranked No. 6 in Division II with a 15-4-1 overall record, will be matched against a Mercyhurst squad that is ranked No. 4 and is 15-3-1.

In the other opening-round match, Adelphi of New York plays host to Keene State of New Hampshire. Top-seeded Sonoma State and Barry University of Florida have drawn byes in the six-team tournament.

The winners will advance to the Final Four tournament next week at an undetermined location. Dominguez Hills is one of four schools that is being considered as the host site.

In the team’s last appearance in the tournament in 1989, the Toros finished third out of four teams. The tournament was expanded to six teams this season.

Despite having to travel to Pennsylvania to face the Lakers, as well as having to endure temperatures that are expected to fall into the 20s and 30s, Dominguez Hills Coach Marine Cano is optimistic about his team’s chances.

“I think we’re playing some of the best soccer in the nation right now,” Cano says. “If we’re on our game, we can play with and beat anybody.”

The coach simply is relieved to be participating in the playoffs; the Toros have been passed up by the NCAA in the past.

“When you look at our strength of schedule and the teams we’ve beaten, I think there is no question that we deserve to be in the tournament,” Cano said. “But if (you are) not ranked No. 1 in your region, it’s not automatic that you go. In 1986, we were 15-1-2 and didn’t go. So even though we deserve to be there, nothing was certain.”

Cano probably wasn’t certain that his team would receive a playoff berth until it defeated Division III power UC San Diego, 2-0, in its final regular-season match last week. San Diego, defending national champion in its division, is ranked No. 3 in Division III and entered the match at 13-0-2.

But Dominguez Hills won behind goals by freshman forward Staci Blough and junior midfielder Anna Rubin. Goalkeeper Briana O’Dowd also posted her third shutout of the week; the team had defeated Westmont, 4-0, and Chapman, 1-0, earlier in the week.

In the process, the sophomore reduced her goals-against average to 0.44. The single-season record at Dominguez Hills is 0.38 by Lynor Johnson in 1987.

The Toros have also demonstrated that they can succeed without their leading scorer, junior forward Amy Rubin, who finished third in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. with 16 goals and four assists for 36 points. Rubin has played less than 40 minutes in the team’s past five games because of a leg injury, but she is expected to be ready to face the Lakers.

Other scoring leaders for the Toros are Blough with 30 points and Anna Rubin--Amy’s sister--with 23.

The Loyola Marymount women’s volleyball team will try to snap a four-game losing streak when it plays host to St. Mary’s in a West Coast Conference match at 7 tonight in Gersten Pavilion.

The Lions will play their final home match of the season against the University of San Francisco at 7 p.m. Saturday at the same site.

When Loyola meets St. Mary’s, the Lions will also be hoping to climb back to the .500 mark in conference play. The Lions have slipped to fifth place in the conference with a 5-6 record and are 13-12 overall.

The losing skid started with home-and-home losses to Pepperdine Oct. 19 and 26 and continued with a pair of road setbacks against Gonzaga and Portland last week.

Loyola is hoping to find relief against St. Mary’s and San Francisco, which are tied for last place in the conference at 1-7. St. Mary’s is 8-16 overall and San Francisco 5-14.

In the first meetings between the teams this season, Loyola lost to St. Mary’s in five games Oct. 10 in Moraga before defeating San Francisco in five games the following day.

The Lions have been sparked by junior outside hitter Joli Eberhart, who leads the team with an average of 3.8 kills a game and is second in digs at 4.0. Another standout on the front line is sophomore outside hitter Deanna Doolittle, who leads the team in digs with a 4.1 average and is second in kills at 3.6.

Two other top players for Loyola have been freshman setter Robin Ortgiesen, who is ranked eighth in the nation in assists with an average of 12.6, and senior middle blocker Stacy Trapp, who leads the team in blocks.

After this week’s matches, the Lions wrap up their regular season on the road against the University of San Diego next Friday and Cal State Northridge on Nov. 19.

With one game remaining in its season, the Cal State Dominguez Hills men’s soccer team still has a chance to finish with a .500 record, but it does not figure to be easy.

That’s because the Toros will play their finale against defending NCAA Division I champion UCLA at 8 tonight at El Camino College.

Dominguez Hills, which is unranked in Division II at 8-9-1, will meet a UCLA squad that is ranked 13th in Division I at 15-3-0.

If last year’s match is any indication, it could be a long night for the Toros. UCLA won that one 5-1.

But the Toros have been in top form in recent weeks, including a 2-0 win over Cal State Bakersfield in the team’s California Collegiate Athletic Assn. final last week in Carson. Dominguez Hills finished fourth in the CCAA with a mark of 5-4-1 and 11 points, one point behind third-place Bakersfield.

The Toros have been led on offense by junior forward Gerardo Yepez, who has 14 goals and five assists for 33 points. His goal and point totals are the fourth highest single-season totals in school history.

Another leader for Dominguez Hills is sophomore goalkeeper Erick Miseroy, who has a 1.77 goals-against average.

The Cal State Dominguez Hills women’s volleyball team will compete in Arizona for three nonconference matches tonight and Saturday.

The Toros will meet Southern Colorado at 5 and Western New Mexico at 7:30 tonight at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix. Dominguez Hills will take on Grand Canyon, ranked No. 17 in the NCAA Division II, at 5 p.m. Saturday.

Dominguez Hills, 14-18 overall, has been led by sophomore outside hitter Gale Derricott. Two other top outside hitters for the Toros are junior Heather Perini and senior Melissa Lynch.

After the matches in Arizona, Dominguez Hills will visit Cal State Los Angeles for a California Collegiate Athletic Assn. match at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. Dominguez Hills is 2-6 in conference play and Cal State L.A. is 1-7.

The girls indoor volleyball club of the Manhattan Beach Recreation Department will hold tryouts for ages 14 and older Saturday and Sunday at Mira Costa High gym, 701 Peck Ave.

Tryouts will be from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday and 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday. Participants must attend both sessions.

Information: Charlotte Marshall at (310) 545-5621, ext. 331.

All ages will participate in the seventh annual Jet to Jetty 5-K/10-K Run and 5-K Walk at 8 a.m. Nov. 23 at Dockweiler Beach in Playa del Rey.

The cost is $13 for entries received by Nov. 16 and $16 after that date. There is also registration at the event starting at 6:30 a.m.

Registration is at the west entrance of the Airport Marina Counseling Service, 6228 W. Manchester Ave., Westchester.

Proceeds will go toward the Service’s mental health programs.

Information: (310) 670-1410.