Matadors Finally Get Bruins Right Where They Want Them

With a bitter taste in his mouth and a trace of venom in his voice, Cal State Northridge soccer Coach Marwan Ass’ad talked of the importance of tonight’s match at 7 against third-ranked UCLA at North Campus Stadium.

“It’s our biggest home game in four years of Division I because they never want to play us at home,” Ass’ad said.

“The only reason they’re coming here is because it’s a (Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) match. (UCLA Coach) Sigi (Schmid) knows if he came here the last three years, we would get a lot of fans and make money for scholarships, but he doesn’t want what’s best for soccer. He wants to keep the ones next to him down.”

Ass’ad said he has tried to schedule a home match against UCLA since the Matadors jumped to Division I in 1991. Northridge lost at UCLA, 3-1, last season in the inaugural season of MPSF play.

“They didn’t even want to play us in league,” Ass’ad said. “It’s sick. It hurts. And I still feel bitter about it. They shouldn’t help us become great, but they shouldn’t hold us back either.”

Schmid did not agree with Ass’ad. “It wasn’t a situation where we didn’t want to play Northridge,” he said. “In order to make the playoffs, we scheduled (traditional powers) Fresno State, Santa Clara and Cal. We tried never to duck anybody, but you can’t play everyone.”

Ass’ad said Northridge was the UCLA of Division II in the mid- and late-1980s, finishing second in the nation in 1987 and 1988.

“We for a while set the standard in Division II in the 1980s,” he said. “Teams envied us, they wanted to beat us. It was the biggest game for the other team wherever he went. UCLA has been like that for the last 10 years in Division I. All these years, I’ve been trying to become as good as UCLA, because they’re the best.”

UCLA won national titles in 1985 and 1990. Northridge (7-6, 1-1 in MPSF play) has not beaten the Bruins (11-1, 3-0) in four meetings.

Matador Notes

Northridge senior defender Todd Biefeld has several ties to UCLA. His brother, Eric, played for the Bruins from 1983-86 and earned All-Far West honors as a senior. Eric also played on the U.S. national team. Their sister, Joy Fawcett, is coach of the UCLA women’s team.