COLLEGES : Coach Says the Bruins Are Far From Goals

UCLA soccer Coach Sigi Schmid is not impressed with the Bruins’ 4-0 start.

Although the fourth-ranked Bruins defeated No. 20 Notre Dame and No. 5 Indiana by 1-0 scores in a season-opening tournament at Bloomington, Ind., Duke was named tournament champion after scoring more goals in its two victories.

UCLA has since defeated Cal State Dominguez Hills, 2-0, and outmanned Cal State San Bernardino, 5-0, but the lack of offense has Schmid worried.

The Bruins have been led by junior goalkeeper Brad Friedel and junior midfielder Joe-Max Moore, who leads the team with three goals and two assists.

Injuries have slowed several players, including Moore, who has a sore leg. Junior midfielder Jorge Salcedo has been out because of a stress fracture in a foot and is not expected back until early October. Freshman forward Robert LaBelle is recovering from a broken leg.

Schmid said the team is in transition.

“With more new players than players returning, the team has not yet found its stride,” he said. “Offensively, it will come together soon.”

The Bruins will have to be at the top of their game on Sunday when they play host to the University of San Francisco on the North Soccer Field at 2 p.m.

“USF will be a tough one,” Schmid said. “It will be a key match for this time on our schedule.”

The 17th-ranked Dons (3-1-0), who are coached by Stephen Negoesco, are led in scoring by reserve junior forward Greg Vandenberg, who has seven goals in only eight shots.

“I’ve seen hot players, but I can’t remember anybody doing what Vandenberg did,” said Negoesco, who has coached for 31 seasons. “I just hope he keeps it up.”

The Bruins will be hoping otherwise.

Pepperdine women’s volleyball Coach Nina Matthies always wants to play a tough nonleague schedule, and she will get her way in 1992.

The 20th-ranked Waves (2-4) will travel to the four-team Brigham Young-Mizuno Classic, where they will play Idaho State on Friday and ninth-ranked Texas and No. 7 Brigham Young on Saturday.

“We wouldn’t improve too much as a team if we played weak opponents,” Matthies said. “Playing good teams will help us get better.”

On Tuesday the Waves play host to Cal State Long Beach at 7 p.m. The third-ranked 49ers have five of six starters returning from last year’s NCAA finalist team.

“(Pepperdine is) well-coached, they’re physical, they’re a good-sized team,” 49er Coach Brian Gimmillaro said. “Nina always gets them prepared.”

In Saturday’s Texas-Arlington cross-country invitational, Southern Methodist sophomore Ben Mesfen won the men’s division in 20 minutes 10 seconds for his first collegiate victory. SMU junior Danny Jordan was sixth in 20:27.

Mesfen and Jordan were California distance running standouts at Venice High.

“Between our returning athletes and our freshmen, we could surprise some people this year,” Mustang Coach Dave Wollman said. “The men’s team has two excellent runners in Ben Mesfen and Danny Jordan.”

The Pepperdine men’s and women’s cross-country teams will play host to archrival Loyola Marymount in a dual meet on Saturday.

Wave Coach Dick Kampmann, who coached track and cross-country for 26 years at University High and won a phenomenal 89 league titles in various divisions, is in his third year with Pepperdine’s non-scholarship program.

“I’m excited about the running talent on both our teams,” Kampmann said. “Collectively, most of the team members do not have tremendous running experience, but the enthusiasm and willingness to compete and learn is outstanding.”

The 5-K women’s race starts at 9:30 a.m. and the 4 1/2-mile men’s race will begin at 10:15 a.m.

The UCLA men’s and women’s cross-country teams will open the season Saturday at the UC Irvine invitational. The women’s 5-K race will be at 8:30 a.m. and the men’s 8-K competition starts at 9:30 a.m.

The UCLA water polo team will compete against four of the nation’s top seven teams in the 21-team UC Irvine tournament Friday through Sunday.

The eighth-ranked Bruins, led by second-year Coach Guy Baker, meet No. 3 UC Irvine on Friday at 7 a.m. at Heritage Park. UCLA will then play two matches at Corona del Mar High, playing No. 7 Cal State Long Beach at 10:30 a.m. and No. 6 UC Santa Barbara at 4:10 p.m.

UCLA meets Pepperdine on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. at Heritage Park. Games from that point on are determined by team records in the tournament.

UCLA opened its season Saturday with a 7-6 victory against fifth-ranked Pepperdine. Sophomore Scott Turner scored the go-ahead goal in the first overtime period. Junior Kevin Dillenbeck had 12 saves.