UCSD Turns Trick, Wins NCAA Title

One of UCSD’s few remaining uninjured forwards showed up at Wednesday’s practice in a leg cast, and Coach Derek Armstrong saw his team’s chances of winning the NCAA Division III men’s soccer championship disintegrate.

Not so fast. Like forward Chris Romey, who showed up in the cast, UCSD relied on a false facade in Sunday’s title game and squeaked by Trenton (N.J.) State, 1-0, for its second national championship in four years.

The lone goal came from senior Chris Hanssen on a play that “hasn’t worked all year,” he said.

What made it work this time was that UCSD added a little deception to it.

Maybe Mike Alberts, who did the deceiving, was inspired by Romey, who used a pair of crutches to hobble to Wednesday’s practice. The cast around his right leg was real, but the injury wasn’t.

It was Romey’s idea of a joke on Armstrong, who already was scrambling to patch up a battered lineup.

“Sometimes Chris is in his own little world,” Alberts of about Romey’s sense of humor.

Nonetheless, Romey provided everyone with a good laugh at the coach’s expense.

“Derek got really disoriented,” Hanssen said. “He gets that way when he gets mad. He starts walking around aimlessly, blurting out (expletives), and everybody tries to get out of his way. Nobody wants to be in front of him and take the brunt of it when he blows up.

“I thought he was going to pop. He was so mad. But right before he had his heart attack, Romey started walking.”

“He lost it,” Romey said trying to hide a broad smirk. “Derek really lost it.”

The practical joke proved to be the right elixir for a team that spent the previous two weekends openly bickering during games. Things weren’t right for a squad that earned 11 shutouts during the season. Uncharacteristically, it had allowed seven goals in its first three playoff games.

It was a different team this past weekend. Sunday’s shutout was the second in as many days for the Triton defense, which blanked No. 1-ranked Ohio Wesleyan in Saturday’s semifinal. Furthermore, it was the first time in its past 31 games that Trenton had been held scoreless.

But goalie Mike Madden’s shutout wouldn’t have mattered had UCSD failed to score--and it wasn’t getting many opportunities.

But one presented itself in the 55th minute. Trenton’s Scott Bernstiel was called for a dangerous play after kicking Alberts in the chest. That gave UCSD a direct free kick some 40 yards from the goal.

Alberts used eye contract with Brian Bradbury, who takes UCSD’s free kicks, to call a set play the Tritons refer to as “Fred” in which Alberts takes off running toward the end line and Bradbury sends a pass his way.

Trouble is Alberts usually draws several defenders to him, which was the case when “Fred” was called in the first half and a Trenton player peeled off the wall to mark Alberts.

So instead of taking off running, which would have clued in Trenton, Alberts made like he was going to obstruct Trenton’s four-man wall. But as Bradbury struck the ball, Alberts turned and chased it down, dribbled it to the end line, then sent a cross through the goal box.

Hanssen was waiting for it.

“Derek kept telling us all week that they like to put all their defenders on the line and if we get a shot to just knock it and hopefully it will ricochet in off one of their players,” Hanssen said. “I was just trying to hit it as hard as I could.”

Sure enough, the ball caromed off a defender before heading into the net, and Hanssen, who as a freshman scored a goal in the 3-0 victory over Rochester Institute that gave UCSD its first Division III title, finished his collegiate career in much the same way he began it.