Soccer Team Looks Ahead, Not Behind

At one point this season, the Cal State Fullerton men’s soccer team dropped like an anchor, falling from third in the national polls to completely out of the rankings.

That was shortly after the Titans lost to Loyola Marymount--they accidentally played only 10 men, instead of 11, through most of the second half.

Well, Coach Al Mistri is happy to report happier days. After sweating out an at-large NCAA tournament berth--which Mistri said he did not think the Titans would get--the Titans are preparing now to play at Fresno State on Sunday in the tournament’s first round.

It is their first playoff appearance since 1986, and Mistri sees three keys to defeating Fresno State.

“First of all, our guys have to overcome playing away from home,” Mistri said. “At Fresno State, for the playoffs, I think there will be 4,000 or 5,000 people there. It will not be a friendly environment.

“No. 2, clearly, is to contain their striker, Mark Foster.

“Lastly, the trademark of our season is that we seem to generate a copious amount of chances but we don’t convert them. If we can finish what we start, I think we will have a good chance.”

All this and Mistri didn’t even mention the Bulldogs’ Sterling Westcott, player of the year in the Mountain Division of the Mountain Pacific Soccer Federation.

Fullerton (13-6) defeated Fresno State (12-4-3), 1-0, on Sept. 12.

“It was an extremely difficult game,” Mistri said. “It was the first time we were playing some of our fullbacks. Damian Brown had some difficulty with fitness at the time.”

Perhaps the best thing going into the NCAA playoffs is that the Titans haven’t played a game since Oct. 31.

“What has been difficult for us has been playing on Friday and Sunday,” Mistri said. “I believe we are not as well equipped as far as depth is concerned, and that’s what cost us some games midway through the season.”

Still, there was more to it than simply a lack of depth. Strength of schedule, for one; Fullerton has played six of the 31 other teams in the NCAA tournament.

“The most demanding schedule in all of the NCAA,” Mistri said. “There is the notion out there that we were hot and we were cold at times. But look at our schedule.”

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If you’re wondering about the Titan men’s basketball team, which has only two returning players from last year, you’re not alone. This could be the first basketball team in history that wears “Hello, My Name Is . . . “ stickers on their uniforms this season.

“We’re coming together pretty strong,” said senior guard Greg Vernon, one of the two returning players. “It was rough at first. There were a lot of new faces.

“It’s a shock. Sometimes I’m out there looking for guys who were on the team last year and they’re not there.”

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And now, a bounce pass over to the women’s basketball practice:

“I’m real impressed with our returnees,” Coach Debbie Ayres said. “That year of experience under our belt is going to pay off.”

Among others, Ayres says Shayla Bradshaw and Shefonda Colbert, members of last year’s Big West Conference all-freshman team, had good off-seasons and are playing well.

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Ayres expects to add Genia Miller, a former All-American at Fullerton, to the coaching staff this week. Miller is the all-time Fullerton scoring leader (2,415 points) and holds Big West Conference records in field goals made (914), field goals attempted (1,598) and blocked-shots average (3.63 per game). She also holds several other school records, including points per game (20.5).

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The Titan men’s and women’s cross-country teams are in Oregon on Saturday for the NCAA regional championships.

“The men’s race is going to be super competitive,” Coach John Elders said. “Four of the top 20 teams in the country are in our region--Portland, Washington, Stanford and Oregon, plus Washington State beat Stanford and Oregon at the Pac-10 meet.”

Mike Tansley can qualify for the NCAA national championships if he finishes among the top three from teams that do not qualify.

“I think he has a real good shot,” Elders said.

The women will be hurt by the absence of Heather Killeen, still out with a strained hip flexor.