COLLEGE DIVISION NOTEBOOK : Soccer Is Fun Again for Dimassis

This time last season, Stasi Dimassis was preparing to quit playing college soccer even though she had a year of eligibility remaining at Chapman University.

Soccer had ceased to be much fun for Dimassis, who was in the midst of her second lackluster season after reconstructive knee surgery.

“You start wondering, ‘Is someone behind me who is going to wipe my knee out?’ ” Dimassis said. “Then you start to wonder whether it really is worth it, especially when there’s no future in soccer.”

But Dimassis reversed her decision to quit because she discovered she might be able to continue playing after college. She plans to go to Europe in January and try to join a team in one of the women’s professional leagues on the Continent. The pay is minimal--little more than living expenses--but Dimassis doesn’t mind.

“It would fulfill a dream to just play in Europe,” Dimassis said. “To actually play in a place where you’re respected for playing soccer--I think it would be really fun.”

Dimassis is certainly having a better time this year at Chapman. She scored four goals in the Panthers’ opener--a 6-0 victory over Whittier--and has 13 goals in 12 matches, making her the second-leading scorer in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. With 53 goals in four seasons, Dimassis holds the school’s career scoring record. She also holds the single-season record of 22, accomplished her freshman year.

Without scoring a goal, the Panthers (6-5-1, 0-3-1 in the CCAA) had two of their most impressive matches last week, tying Cal Poly Pomona, then-ranked No. 19 in NCAA Division II, 0-0, Wednesday and losing to No. 1-ranked Cal State Dominguez Hills, 1-0, Saturday.

Dominguez Hills defeated the Panthers, 6-0, this season, but Saturday the Panthers had a chance to tie the score with about one minute remaining. A shot by Cindy LeClair, a freshman from Katella High, hit the side of the net.

Chapman goalkeeper Tessa Christenson, a sophomore from Snohomish, Wash., stopped 18 shots against Dominguez Hills and eight against Pomona, but Chapman Coach Gregg Murphy said Christenson’s saves were tougher against Pomona.

“After the Cal Poly game, she couldn’t stop breathing hard, she was so anxiety stricken,” Murphy said. “She had two great games.”

Tania Grasselli, a middle blocker for the Christ College Irvine women’s volleyball team, has been named NAIA District 3 and Golden State Athletic Conference player of the week after helping the resurgent Eagles to three consecutive victories.

Grasselli had 13 kills in a 15-10, 15-9, 15-2 victory over Southern California College Saturday, the Eagles’ fifth victory in their past seven matches. She had 34 kills and 18 digs in the three victories--the other two coming against The Master’s College and Chaminade.

Grasselli, a former Woodbridge High and Golden West College player, is one of five new starters, and Coach Mary Holl said it took the first part of the season for the team to come together.

“At the beginning of the season, we were making a lot of unforced errors,” Holl said. “Now we’ve started to play better under pressure and we’re hoping we can keep that trend going at least for a while.”

The Eagles (6-12, 1-5 in conference) will definitely need the trend to continue for any chance at qualifying for District 3 playoffs. This week they have conference road matches against Azusa Pacific Friday and Fresno Pacific, ranked No. 17 in the nation, Saturday.

Hoops o’ the Irish: Frantz Reyes, who graduated from Chapman last spring, will play professional basketball in Ireland.

Reyes, a Cypress High School graduate whose Chapman career was interrupted by a knee injury in 1991, left for Ireland Friday without knowing many details of his assignment. He said he expects to be the only American on a Dublin club team called St. Vincent’s, but beyond that he was in the dark.

“I’ve never even seen a picture of Ireland except for one of those soap commercials for Irish Spring,” Reyes said.