San Bernardino Double Tough With Two Uribes

After playing NCAA Division I soccer at San Jose State the last two seasons, forward Hector Uribe decided to join his brother’s team.

So, before his senior year, Uribe transferred to Division II Cal State San Bernardino, where his younger brother, Rolando, is developing into a star.

The impact on San Bernardino is evident. The team is 15-3-2 and ranked No. 7 heading into the first round of the Division II playoffs against Cal Poly San Luis Obispo at 1 p.m. Saturday at San Bernardino.

Rolando, a sophomore, leads the Coyotes in scoring with 37 points, and Hector is second with 19 points.

“Rolando is more of a finesse player who has a knack for finding the ball, and Hector is different because he relies on his speed and quickness,” Coach Carlos Juarez said. “But having them both is something to watch because they’re quite charismatic and fun to watch.”

It is the second stop at San Bernardino for Hector, who played at the school as a freshman in 1987 before transferring to San Jose State. But it is the first time that they have played on the same team for an entire season, and that is something they say they will never forget.

“It’s just a thrill to play with your brother, especially with both of us at forward,” Rolando said. “I wouldn’t have dreamed of it happening. But now that it has, I’ve cherished every moment because I know it won’t happen for very long.”

Added Hector: “It’s not every day that you get a chance to play with your brother and to play in the town you grew up in. Playing for Carlos has made it even better.”

Even with the obvious benefits in returning to San Bernardino, Hector says the move was difficult at first.

“I think there were more adjustments from my part because I was coming into a new system and I had to learn how to adjust to it,” he said. “But my brother was already familiar with things.”

But Hector acknowledges it has been a lot easier having his brother on the same team.

“We’ve been relying on each other for a long time and he’s done a lot for me,” he said. “We really respect each other, and on the soccer field it is no different.”

Since Cal State Dominguez Hills first started fielding athletic teams in 1968, the school has never won a national title.

The Toros might have their best opportunity when they play host to the NCAA Division II women’s soccer championships Saturday and Sunday in Carson, although they will first have to clear two large hurdles.

Dominguez Hills, which was ranked No. 6 in Division II and defeated fourth-ranked Mercyhurst of Pennsylvania in the first round of the playoffs in Erie last week, will meet second-ranked Barry of Florida in its opening match of the Division II final four tournament at 1 p.m. Saturday. The Toros are 16-4-1 and Barry is 11-2-1.

A victory for the Toros could set up a title match against top-ranked Sonoma State in the championship game at 1 p.m. Sunday. Sonoma State, the defending Division II champion, defeated Dominguez Hills by a 1-0 score earlier in the season.

Sonoma State (16-1-2) will face fifth-ranked Adelphi of New York (14-3-1) in the Final Four opener at 11 a.m. Saturday.

Dominguez Hills, which beat Mercyhurst, 2-1, in overtime last week, has been led by junior forward Amy Rubin with 38 points and freshman forward Staci Blough with 32 points.

Redlands football playoff chances have taken a giant step forward in the span of about one week.

While the Bulldogs defeated Colorado College, 40-0, to improve to 7-1 last week, two teams that were ranked ahead of Redlands suffered losses. Beloit was defeated by Iowa rival Coe and the University of San Diego was upset by Azusa Pacific.

That has moved Redlands into a three-way tie with Coe and Central of Iowa for No. 4 in the NCAA Division III West Region poll with one game remaining in the regular season. St. John’s of Minnesota is ranked No. 1, Simpson of Iowa is No. 2 and Wisconsin-La Crosse No. 3.

Despite the good news, Redlands still must defeat Cal Lutheran in its regular-season finale Saturday afternoon and hope that it is among four teams selected to the playoffs by a regional committee. The national pairings for the playoffs will be announced Sunday.

The Bulldogs have looked like a playoff team over the past six games, having outscored their opponents, 266-31, and averaged 498 yards a game in total offense.

Claremont-Mudd water polo team has reached an impressive milestone with its 100th consecutive Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory.

The Stags accomplished the feat with a 5-4 victory over Pomona-Pitzer in the final of the conference tournament Sunday at Pomona-Pitzer although it took a goal by Chris Powell with 2:10 remaining to secure the victory.

It also wrapped up the 10th consecutive SCIAC title for the Stags, who are 17-12 going into the Western Water Polo Assn. Championships, which are Friday through Saturday at Chaminade of Hawaii. The last conference loss for Claremont was in its final match of the 1981 season.

College Division Notes

The Cal Lutheran women’s soccer team saw its season end with a 2-0 loss to defending national champion UC San Diego in the NCAA Division III West Region final Sunday in La Jolla. Cal Lutheran, which finished 17-4, had advanced to the final with a 3-0 victory over Kalamazoo of Michigan the previous day. . . . With three goals against Kalamazoo, sophomore forward Rachel Wackerman finished the season with a school-record 36 goals. She also has 66 in her career, moving her into 10th on the all-time NCAA list for all divisions. . . . The Cal Lutheran men’s soccer team also lost to UC San Diego, 3-2, in the first round of the Division III Far West Region playoffs. The Kingsmen, who tied with Claremont-Mudd-Scripps for the SCIAC title, finished at 14-5-1.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo men’s tennis Coach Kevin Platt, who led the Mustangs to an NCAA Division II national title in 1990, has been named women’s coach at the University of Arkansas. Platt coached the men’s and women’s teams at San Luis Obispo last season and both squads reached the Division II nationals. At Arkansas, Platt will join former Mustang coach Lance Harter, who left in 1990 to become track and field coach of the Razorbacks.

Junior running back Cassidy O’Sullivan is fourth on Cal Lutheran’s all-time single-season list with 854 yards rushing and Cal Lutheran has won three in a row going into the Saturday afternoon game against Redlands at Thousand Oaks. Cal State San Bernardino’s Jackie Powers was chosen CCAA women’s soccer player of the year.