Toreros End Losing Streak Against St. Mary’s

The University of San Diego men’s soccer team withstood a furious and physical second-half charge by St. Mary’s and beat the Gaels, 3-2, for the first time in four years Friday night at USD’s Torero Stadium.

With the victory, the 14th-ranked Toreros improved to 8-3 and 1-0 in the West Coast Conference. St. Mary’s fell to 4-5, 0-1.

Toby Taitano, a Valhalla High graduate, put USD up, 1-0, scoring off a pass from freshman Guillermo Jara at the 10-minute mark. Kevin Legg (Poway High) and Doug Barry extended the Toreros’ lead to 3-0 with first-half goals off assists from Barry and Jara, respectively.

For Jara, the West Coast scoring leader, his two assists gave him eight and 24 points on the season.

Nathan White and Scott Mosman brought the Gaels to within one, at 3-2, but goalie Scott Garlick and the Torero defense held them off from there.

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UC San Diego and Cal Lutheran played to a 1-1 tie in La Jolla with each team scoring in the first half. The Tritons’ Brian Bradbury opened the scoring by heading in Jarret Stevenson’s corner kick 30 minutes into the contest.

Keir Cochran tied it by tipping in a left crossing pass from Willie Ruiz with 2:41 remaining in the half. After a scoreless second half and two 15-minute overtime periods, UCSD left with a 6-4-2 mark and Cal Lutheran 7-3-2.

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

The University of San Diego fell to 0-19 against Pepperdine, losing Friday at the USD Sports Center, 15-4, 13-15, 15-11, 15-13, in a West Coast Conference match. The loss snapped a three-match winning streak by the Toreros (11-7, 2-1), who play host to Loyola Marymount tonight at 7:30.

Jennifer Wrightson led USD with 21 kills and Jennifer Lofftus added 12. Shannon Mutch recorded 49 of the Toreros’ 50 assists.

Blair Noonan, a San Pasqual graduate, led the Waves (5-11, 1-2) with 23 kills and 22 digs, and Barbara Stross added 22 kills.

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San Diego State dropped its Western Athletic Conference record to 0-2 with a five-game loss to visiting Colorado State at Peterson Gym. SDSU (13-4) fell to the Rams, 8-15, 15-9, 15-10, 6-15, 15-8. Kill leader for the Aztecs was Gracie Schutt, with 21. Teammates Kori Ermigarat and Jennifer Miller added 13 each. Colorado State improved to 13-2, 3-0.

WOMEN’S SOCCER

At the Puma Classic, Leanna Jay scored one goal and assisted on another as host San Diego State upset No. 18 Cal, 4-1. Jay assisted Stacey Hoshimiya for SDSU’s first goal at 23:17 and then scored the Aztecs’ second goal at 28:56.

Shawn Viloria and Heidi Walters added a goal apiece for SDSU (4-4-1). Cal is 4-5-1.

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Cal Lutheran handed UC San Diego its second loss, 2-0, at UCSD. Jill Gallegos and Rachel Wickerman scored for the Kingsmen (10-3). UCSD fell to 5-2-1.

MEN’S TENNIS

All five University of San Diego players were eliminated from the ITCA West Coast Fall Intercollegiate Championships at the Warner Tennis Club in Thousand Oaks. The Toreros qualified more players than any school for the 16-player main draw, but four were eliminated after the first round.

Only Philippe Hofmann, a 6-3, 4-6, 6-0 victor over Charles Auffray of Pepperdine, advanced to the second round, where he was ousted by UCLA’s Sebastian Le Blanc, 6-1, 4-6, 6-3.

Frederik Axsater, Mark Huarte, J.J. Shobar and Ignacio Martinez will join Hofmann in consolation rounds today.

WATER POLO

UC San Diego crushed Loyola Marymount, 16-3, in a nonconference game at UCSD’s Canyonview Pool. For the Tritons (15-2), Gary Seelhorst scored five goals, Mike Nalu contributed three and Rick Romero added another two. Loyola Marymount dropped to 4-11.

DUATHLON

The defending men’s and women’s series champions will be on hand when the Coors Light Duathlon stops in San Diego Sunday.

Series winners Michael Tobin of Boise, Idaho, and Liz Downing of Vancouver, Wash., will compete in the event, made up of a five-kilometer run, a 30-kilometer bike race and another 5K run, beginning at 7:30 a.m. in the Sabre Springs Business Park in Poway.

Approximately 1,500 participants are expected for the San Diego event, which will award $4,400 in prize money to the top five men and women finishers.

Professional duathletes competing in the 10th stop of the 12-event tour include New Zealand’s Matthew Brick and Japan’s Masahiko Takahashi. On the women’s side, cycling champion Lisa Marie Goldsmith of Boulder, Colo., Maddy Tormoen of Albuquerque, N.M., and triathlete Michelle Jones of Australia should give Downing a good race.

FOOTBALL

The Old Mission Beach Athletic Club has purchased 100 tickets from SDSU to be distributed to selected Boys’ and Girls’ clubs in San Diego for the Oct. 17 game against Texas El Paso. Another 100 tickets will be given away for the Nov. 21 game against Fresno State. Clubs from Clairemont, Linda Vista and Encanto and the William J. Oaks Club will receive tickets.

AUTO RACING

Cajon Speedway ends its 32nd season tonight at Gillespie Field when the track hosts the second round of the Southern California Sportsman Series.

Qualifying rounds begin at 6 p.m., with the 100-lap main event of the Winston Racing Series scheduled to start at 7:15. Other events include a six-car, six-lap trophy dash and a 25-lap B main event. The 18 fastest qualifiers advance to the 100-lap main event.

Local veterans John Borneman of Ramona and Ed Hale of El Cajon will compete for the $10,600 purse. The main event winner will earn $1,500.

ROAD RACING

Two of Mexico’s top distance runners, German Silva and Alejandro Cruz, have committed to run in the Arturo Barrios Invitational 10K on Oct. 18 in Chula Vista.

Silva, who trains in Boulder, Colo., was sixth in the 10,000 meters in the Olympics in Barcelona, behind world record holder Arturo Barrios. Silva’s time was 28.20 seconds.

Cruz won the Great Race in Pittsburgh late in September. His best time in the 10,000 is 27.52.