Dominguez Hills Earns Title Shot : Soccer: Toros limit Lady Bucs to one shot to advance to NCAA Division II title game.

The Cal State Dominguez Hills women’s soccer team had everything going for it in Saturday’s NCAA Division II semifinal.

The Toros, seeking the school’s first NCAA championship, played at home in front of a supportive crowd of 650 with their top scorer, Amy Rubin, returning after missing five games because of a knee injury.

The Toros responded by playing 90 minutes of seemingly flawless defense in a 3-0 victory over Barry University of Florida. The victory earned Dominguez Hills a spot on today’s 1 p.m. final against Sonoma State. Sonoma (17-1-2) beat Adelphi State (14-4-2) of New York, 1-0, in Saturday’s other semifinal.

The Toros (17-4-1) lost to Sonoma, 1-0 in overtime, on Oct. 26.

“We lost to them in overtime up there and we weren’t fully loaded so it’s going to be a different game,” Dominguez Hills Coach Marine Cano said. “I don’t think we’re going to worry much about them. They have to worry about us. We’re going to go after them.”

Barry, a Division II soccer powerhouse that has been to five consecutive Final Fours, entered the semifinal with three of the nation’s top scorers. But the Lady Bucs (11-3-1) never had a chance against the Toro defense.

Barry had only one shot on goal, late in the second half. Dominguez Hills, which had 15 shots, kept the ball in Barry territory throughout most of the match.

“I knew we’d give them trouble,” Cano said. “I knew we would go after them and get all over them.”

Dominguez Hills’ first goal came in the sixth minute after Gloria Zupancich’s corner kick bounced off several Barry defenders to Toro midfilder Jennifer Grasso, who easily converted from the right side.

Rubin, the nation’s leading scorer, scored Dominguez Hills’ second goal in the 47th minute. Midfielders Jennifer Womack and Beth McAninch were credited with assists.

“I was sore during the game, but I was really hungry to play,” said Rubin, who played with a heavily taped right knee. “We thought it would be a little closer than 3-0, but we were pumped up. We were really looking forward to this.”

Grasso scored an unassisted goal in the 84th minute, again converting from the right side.

“We all expected to play well because we were anxious,” Grasso said. “We were real fired up for this.”

Barry Coach Mike Covone said his team played poorly.

“We didn’t play well and they deserved to win,” he said. “They came after us and took a little steam off of us, but the bottom line is we didn’t play well and when you don’t play well you don’t win championships.”

Dominguez Hills had never played Barry before Saturday. Today will be the Toros’ first appearance in an NCAA final. In 1989, Dominguez Hills lost to Keene State in the semifinals, the year Barry won the title.

“In 1989 we had a good team, but this whole thing was new to us,” Cano said. “It was my first Final Four. Now we have the support of playing here at home, in front of fans, the school president, instructors and family. You gotta be motivated.”