Loss All but Ruins Chapman’s Playoff Chances

When the Chapman football team lost to Occidental Saturday, it probably lost any chance of qualifying for the NCAA Division III playoffs.

Four teams are picked from the western region--one usually, but not always, from California. La Verne (5-0) and Occidental (5-0) are thought to be the only teams from the state still in the running. Chapman is 3-1-1.

“I’ve never seen a team with a tie and a loss make the playoffs,” Chapman Coach Ken Visser said.

In the aftermath of the 30-20 loss, Visser said he shouldn’t have started quarterback Curtis Robinson. Still bothered by a separated shoulder he suffered in the season opener, Robinson wasn’t able to take many snaps in practice the week before the Occidental game.

Visser said Robinson’s rustiness was part of the reason the quarterback struggled against Occidental. He was sacked four times and completed only three of 12 passes for 42 yards with one interception.

On one tackle, Robinson’s shoulder was re-injured. He tried to keep playing, but in the fourth quarter was replaced by Todd Gragnano.

Gragnano, who is hindered by an injured finger on his throwing hand and didn’t practice much either, was sacked three times and threw two incomplete passes on two Panther possessions.

“It’s just hard to play against a good defense without a quarterback,” Visser said.

This week, Visser is taking measures to fix the situation. Jacob Galasso, a freshman from Trabuco Hills who started the season as a tailback, has been taking most of the snaps in practice and probably will start Saturday against visiting Menlo.

Visser is hoping 10 days’ rest for Robinson will help him recover to play Oct. 29 against La Verne.

“We are just going to have to let Jacob step in there and build a game plan around him because we’re not sure what else is going on,” Visser said.

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The Chapman women’s soccer team still is in the running for a playoff spot. The Panthers (11-3) have won six in a row and outscored their opponents 27-4 in that span.

“Traditionally, it’s the teams that are playing consistently in October that warrant a look by the selection committee, and that’s what we are right now,” Chapman Coach Gregg Murphy said.

Murphy said the Panthers are one of four teams being considered for a bid in the west--UC San Diego, Cal Lutheran and Occidental are the others. Chapman has five games remaining, including one against UC San Diego on Oct. 30, the day playoff teams are selected.

Chapman is being led by Cindy LeClair (16 goals, 15 assists), Amy Feniello (15 goals, seven assists) and Carey Wright (five goals, seven assists), but Murphy says the secret to the team’s success is its togetherness.

“They’ve just got a really great team concept going,” Murphy said. “They are a very close-knit group and they work extremely hard for one another.”

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The Chapman men’s team, which lost to The Master’s, ranked 12th nationally in the NAIA, 2-0, Wednesday, also still has a shot at making the playoffs.

The Panthers (8-4-3) are ranked No. 5 in the western region. Four will make the playoffs, but Chapman has tied two teams ahead of it in the poll, Claremont and UC San Diego.

“I think it’s tough to count us out when we have done that,” Murphy said.

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Volleyball showdowns: The Southern California College women’s volleyball team, which dropped out of the NAIA national poll this week after losing to Cal Baptist, has an opportunity to improve its stock Friday and Saturday.

The Vanguards (16-6, 5-4 in the Golden State Athletic Conference) play host to seventh-ranked Azusa Pacific (17-6, 7-2) Friday and No. 12 Fresno Pacific (16-6, 6-3) Saturday.

Azusa is in first place and Fresno Pacific is tied for second in the conference. SCC is fourth.

Concordia (11-11, 2-7) plays host to Fresno Friday and Azusa Saturday.

Notes

The disputed men’s soccer game between Chapman and Southern California College last week might be continued or replayed at the end of the season, Chapman Athletic Director Dave Currey said. The game was suspended with the score tied, 2-2, in the 81st minute when the referee left during a dispute over a red card. In his report, the referee said SCC Coach Dave McLeish was uncooperative. Currey said he and SCC Athletic Director Ron Prettyman are discussing how to settle the matter. . . . Shanea Bishop had a standout weekend for the Chapman women’s volleyball team at the Colorado College tournament. Bishop had 56 kills in four matches as the Panthers won three of four. Chapman lost to Hastings College, then beat Concordia Nebraska, Mills College and Colorado College.