Fine-Tuning Puts Matadors Closer to Goal

Coach Marwan Ass’ad said the Cal State Northridge soccer team is “one step away from being very consistent.”

Actually, maybe a couple of small steps. Ass’ad continues to tinker with the lineup, this week moving Ron Lou from right fullback to the middle on defense and switching Matt Davis from the left side to replace Lou.

Ross Linhart is the missing piece of the defensive puzzle. He missed Tuesday’s match against Loyola Marymount because of a pulled hamstring.

Ass’ad said Linhart might be ready to play Friday against the University of San Diego. If not, the coach said, “He can take another 10 or 15 days off”--until Northridge (5-3) meets Cal State Fullerton in its Mountain Pacific Sports Federation opener Oct. 8.

“We need Ross against Fullerton and every match after that,” Ass’ad said.

San Diego, which has won five in a row since losing to Fresno State in its opener, last season finished second in the nation.

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Keith West, who scored five goals in three matches last week, sat out the Loyola Marymount match because Ass’ad said he was “bruised up.”

“He’s a football player who thinks he’s a soccer player,” Ass’ad said.

Actually, West really was a football player. He was an standout wide receiver for Glendale College last year.

West’s replacement at forward, freshman Raja Hawa, had a first-half assist against the Lions, but then sprained his ankle and missed the entire second half.

West is expected to play against San Diego on Friday, and the Matadors need his presence to discourage opponents from double-teaming Armando Valdivia.

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Edvin Babayova became the first lineman since 1990 to be honored as Northridge offensive player of the week, but the junior from Van Nuys High didn’t realize until after the Matadors’ 23-9 loss to Northern Arizona that he played superbly.

“I didn’t feel like I was doing well because we weren’t moving the ball,” Babayova said. “I realized later that I made a few good plays, some traps. I remember knocking some guys down, but when you are 0-3 it doesn’t mean anything. When you are not moving the ball, it’s frustrating.”

Still, Babayova is thrilled with the award because he is aware that linemen rarely are recognized.

“We don’t get much recognition unless we do something wrong, that’s the cliche,” he said. “It’s nice to be noticed.”

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Sophomore Lori Miller led the Northridge women for the second week in a row with a 26th-place finish at the Aztec Invitational.

Although Miller ran 18 minutes 26 seconds, Strametz said her time would have been 30-35 seconds faster had the runners not been misdirected at one point. The mistake added 200-250 meters to the 5,000-meter distance.

“She would have been only the second Northridge runner to break 18:00 on that course since I’ve been here,” Strametz said. “She’s running like gangbusters.”

Darcy Arreola, the 1991 Division I champion in the 1,500 meters for Northridge, timed 17:27.6 at the Aztec Meet in 1990.

THE MASTER’S

Women Near Record

The women’s volleyball team is off to its best start in school history--by a big margin.

Master’s needs only four more victories to equal a school single-season record. The Lady Mustangs enter their nonconference match at Cal State Dominguez tonight with a record of 17-5. The existing school record of 21 victories, set in 1990, seems certain to fall because Master’s has 19 matches remaining. “We have more talent than we’ve had in the past,” Coach Dean Conk said. “Sometimes you work hard and you get lucky.”

Master’s lineup includes four freshmen--middle blockers Heidi Elliott and Janelle Mason and outside hitters Wendy Jones and Roberta Downey.

CAL LUTHERAN

Martin Gets a Grip

Linebacker Lance Martin’s return to his hometown has been a boon for the Kingsmen.

Martin, a Thousand Oaks High graduate who transferred from Northern Arizona to Cal Lutheran after last season, led the Kingsmen in tackles in both games this season.

The 6-foot, 217-pound junior has 33 tackles and two tackles for losses.

Fellow linebackers Cory Undlin (26 tackles) and Chris Peltonen (24) are close behind.

JUNIOR COLLEGES

Shocking Loss Lingers

Days after their shocking last-second loss to Desert on Saturday, Moorpark football players were still discussing the play that beat them, giving Coach Jim Bittner and his assistants difficulty in preparing the team for the next game.

“The hardest thing for me in practice has been getting the kids to stop talking about it,” Bittner said. “I’ve told them we have to put it behind us and get ready for Santa Monica.”

The Raiders (0-1) lost, 23-19, when Desert quarterback David Harris threw a desperation pass that ricocheted off the intended receiver and several Moorpark defenders into the hands of wide receiver James Guillermo for a 75-yard scoring play as time ran out.

Most of the fans on the Moorpark side sat in disbelief as the entire Roadrunner team celebrated in the end zone. Bittner, in his 16th season, can’t remember a more dramatic ending.

“Nothing quite that bizarre,” he said. “It was just a fluke.”

Around the Campuses. . .

* Antelope Valley cornerback Tony Upshaw is among the state leaders in interceptions with three in two games.

* Former Crespi High running back Torie Lee enjoyed a solid debut at Moorpark, gaining 85 yards in six carries against Desert. Lee had runs of 21 and 41 yards.

* Aimee Stone, who last week had 37 kills, 34 digs and seven service aces to earn All-Shamrock Invitational honors in a tournament at Notre Dame, has reached double figures in kills in CSUN’s last seven matches. Stone, a junior from Thousand Oaks, leads the Matadors with 166 kills, 148 digs and 28 aces.

* Since the end of fall camp, more than a dozen walk-ons and several players with limited scholarship aid have quit the CSUN football team, reducing the roster from 80 players to 56. Coach Bob Burt said the attrition rate is similar to previous seasons.

Staff writers Fernando Dominguez, Mike Hiserman, Theresa Smith Munoz and John Ortega contributed to this notebook.