Bean Brings Scoring to Pacific Christian

Like all great soccer scorers, Ryan Bean is a marked man, and he has the bruises to prove it.

Bean, a sophomore forward for Pacific Christian, has scored 25 goals this season. That success has brought on swarms of defenders, but Bean said he tries to ignore them.

“I don’t care if they are hitting me--I’m used to it,” Bean said. “If the ball is played through, I can take two or three guys but more than that I sometimes have a problem.”

Not that anyone notices. Bean has scored a goal in all but one of the Royals’ games this season and in six he has scored three or more.

Last season, he scored 33 goals in 20 games and led Pacific Christian to its first spot in the National Christian College Athlete Assn. national tournament. Pacific Christian finished third in Division II as Bean scored four goals in three games and was named a first-team All-American selection.

“He’s a great dribbler and he’s very, very, very quick,” PCC Coach Rich Davis said. “He can score from anywhere on the field.”

Bean, who scored 30 goals as a senior at Kennedy High, could have played elsewhere. He has trained with former Salsa Coach Rildo Menezes and had offers to play club soccer in Mexico. Davis says he has NCAA Division I talent.

Bean was introduced to Pacific Christian through his church, and his Christianity played a big part in his decision to attend the small school across Nutwood Avenue from Cal State Fullerton.

“I didn’t really think of any other school,” he said. “I figured if I was going to go on to a higher level it would be later, if I decide to keep working at it.”

Bean, who is working on a degree in youth ministries, said hopes to eventually play professional indoor soccer.

Meanwhile, he is giving opponents fits. Monday he broke his school record by scoring five goals in a 8-2 victory over La Verne. He could have had six, but he hit the crossbar on a penalty kick.

“If I get the ball at the 50-yard line and I have to go through however many guys, I have to create something from nothing,” Bean said. “Defenders only have to destroy. It’s much harder to create than it is to destroy.”

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More than Bean: Bolstered by a strong recruiting class, the Royals (7-2-1) are off to their best start in school history. Davis has brought in 10 freshmen, including three from Kennedy, and a transfer from Golden West College, midfielder Joey Bahash.

Bahash is the team’s second leading scorer with three goals and eight assists. Andrew Mehr and James Oates, both from Kennedy, and returners Jeff Lunz, a second-team All-American, and Tony Barber anchor the defense. Goalkeeper Greg Gunderson was an honorable mention All-American. Derek Bean, Ryan’s younger brother, is the backup goalie.

PCC plays host to Simpson College at 3:30 p.m. Friday at Chapman Park in Fullerton.

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Panther power: Midway through its first season as an official NCAA Division III program, Chapman is doing exceedingly well. The five team sports--women’s volleyball, men’ soccer, women’s soccer, football and water polo--all have winning records.

--The volleyball team, ranked second in the west region, is 15-4. Tuesday, Occidental ended the Panthers’ eight-match winning streak with a victory in five games.

--The men’s soccer team, which upset Division I UC Santa Barbara, 6-4, Friday, is 6-3-1.

--The women’s soccer team is 7-3 after beating Pomona-Pitzer, 2-0, in overtime Tuesday.

--The water polo team, ranked No. 20 in the nation, is 7-3 and has a key tournament at Claremont-Mudd Saturday.

--The football team is 2-0-1 with a game at 1 p.m. Saturday at Azusa Pacific.

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Football notes: Chapman quarterback Todd Gragnano celebrated his 23rd birthday by leading the Panthers on a last-minute drive to salvage a tie with Redlands on Saturday. Playing with an injured finger on his passing hand, Gragnano completed three consecutive passes to move the ball from their 38 to the Redlands six. Two plays later, Oscar Ford tipped Gragnano’s pass and Dave Poltl caught it and scored. After a two-point conversion, the Panthers had a 14-14 tie.

“That was Dave Poltl with the greatest birthday present ever,” Gragnano said after the game.

Jacob Galasso, who started at tailback against Redlands but was forced to play quarterback for three series when starter Curtis Robinson and Gragnano were injured, has been taking some more snaps in practice this week.

Robinson, who was scratched in the eye while being pulled down by his facemask against Redlands, practiced in non-contact drills Tuesday and was awaiting a doctor’s clearance so he could participate in contact drills Wednesday.

Notes

After drawing a sellout crowd of 4,194 for its first home football game Sept. 24, Chapman has adjusted its pre-sale ticket policy. About 500 general admission tickets will be available to the public for each game, depending on on-campus demand. The Panthers have three more home games: Oct. 22 vs. Menlo, Oct. 29 vs. La Verne and Nov. 5 vs. Pomona-Pitzer. . . . The Southern California College men’s cross-country team moved into the national NAIA rankings this week. The Vanguards are ranked No. 14. Azusa Pacific is ranked No. 3 and Westmont No. 11.