COLLEGE ROUNDUP : McDonnell’s Shot Gives Titans a Lift

The Cal State Fullerton soccer team squandered several close-range scoring opportunities against San Diego State Thursday night, so with time winding down in a scoreless game, Titan junior defenseman Paul McDonnell decided to dial long distance.

It turned out to be a collect call. McDonnell’s perfectly placed 27-yard shot with 15 minutes 17 seconds remaining sailed over Aztec goalie Shannon Storey and into the net to give Fullerton a 1-0 victory before 1,014 in the Titan Sports Complex.

The Titans, ranked 20th this week by Soccer America, improved to 12-4, 6-0 in conference, and clinched a tie for the Mountain Pacific Soccer Federation Pacific Division title.

Fullerton can clinch the division championship and a berth in the four-team MPSL playoffs Sunday by defeating or tying seventh-ranked UCLA, 5-1 in conference. The Titans will be without defenseman Demian Brown, who must serve a one-game suspension after receiving his fifth yellow (warning) card of the season Thursday night.

If New Mexico (5-1) defeats Nevada Las Vegas tonight and UCLA beats Fullerton, creating a three-way tie for first, the two playoff representatives could be determined by goal differential or a coin flip.

“UCLA is always tough and they have really good players, but they’re in a must-win situation, too,” McDonnell said. “They’ll be just as nervous as us. Hopefully we can match up well against them.”

The Aztecs (6-7-1, 2-4) weren’t much of a match for Fullerton, despite the score. San Diego State had no shots on goal and was never able to mount an organized offensive attack. Perhaps it was for a lack of trying.

“I believe they were trying for a tie, which is a good technique,” Fullerton Coach Al Mistri said. “They were trying to frustrate us. With everyone pushing forward, we were vulnerable to the counterattack. It took a remarkable shot for us to win.”

Fullerton’s attack appeared a little out of sync without sophomore forward Ricky Rodriguez, who sat out because of a knee injury. The Titans’ timing was off a bit on certain plays, and they had trouble getting into a good offensive rhythm.

They had several scoring opportunities--Fullerton finished with 17 shots on goal--but were turned away often by a stingy Aztec back line and Storey, the team’s goalie.

Until McDonnell’s shot.

McDonnell freed himself from two defenders near the middle of the field and was drifting toward his right about 35 yards from the goal.

Storey moved to his left but was slightly screened when McDonnell launched his shot from 27 yards out. Storey appeared to freeze momentarily after the shot, and by the time he saw it, it was too late to deflect the ball over the crossbar.

In another Mountain Pacific Soccer Federation match:

UCLA 4, UC Irvine 1--Dave Weidner scored a first-half goal to give host UC Irvine (7-10, 1-5) a 1-0 halftime lead. Sean Henderson scored two second-half goals for the Bruins (12-2-2, 5-1).

In nonconference men’s soccer:

Christ College Irvine 5, Pacific Christian 1--Chris Kannenberg scored two goals and had three assists for Christ College Irvine (3-15-1).

In the Riviera All-American Tennis Championships:

Phebus wins twice--Keri Phebus, a UCLA freshman and former Corona del Mar High standout, won two matches at the Riviera Tennis Club in Pacific Palisades.

Phebus, who is unseeded in the tournament, defeated Nicole Storto of San Diego State, 6-1, 6-3, in the first round, and No. 3-seeded Heather Willens of Stanford, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, in the second.