Consecutive Losses Give Mistri Something to Think About

The normally sunny disposition of Cal State Fullerton soccer Coach Al Mistri was much more subdued after he returned from a weekend trip to Nevada Las Vegas and New Mexico.

His men’s team lost twice in Mountain Pacific Soccer Federation games, marking the first time Fullerton has stumbled twice in a row this season.

The Titans were beaten by UNLV, 2-1, in overtime Friday, then they lost to New Mexico, 4-1, Sunday, leaving the team 8-6 for the season and 2-3 in the conference.

It was a jolt to Fullerton’s hopes for a third consecutive at-large bid to the NCAA playoffs.

“There’s no doubt that our backs have been pushed all the way against the wall now,” Mistri said.

Fullerton has been among the nation’s elite teams in each of the last two seasons, reaching the NCAA final four two years ago and advancing to the quarterfinals last season before losing by a goal to Indiana on the Hoosiers’ home field.

But in each of those seasons, the Titans have made a strong late-season run to gain a berth in the playoffs. And it looks as if they’ll face that same challenge again.

The Titans were 8-5-1 at roughly the same stage last season, then lost at UCLA, 2-1. But Fullerton came back to win four games and tie one in its last five, including a 3-2 regular-season victory against then top-ranked Indiana.

Even in 1993, the Titans struggled at times in the first half of the season and were 10-5 with four games to play. However, Fullerton won three of those games, including a 2-1 victory over UCLA, then won three in a row in the playoffs before losing to South Carolina, 1-0, in the semifinals.

That’s why the remaining six games of the season are critical, beginning with Friday’s 7 p.m. match at Titan Stadium against a UCLA team regarded as one of the nation’s best. The Bruins are ranked second behind Virginia in the latest Soccer America poll.

Mistri believes as many as five of the Titans’ six remaining opponents have a chance to make the 32-team playoff field. “It’s going to be a tall order this time,” said Mistri. “But it’s possible that we can still do it . . . but it’s a tough position we’d rather not be in.”

Then Mistri added with optimism: “I know one thing for sure. We still haven’t played our best soccer yet this season.”

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Mistri was disappointed his team wasn’t in better shape physically last weekend.

“I don’t want to make any excuses for what happened, but at least five of our regulars weren’t what they normally are because of some flu and illness,” Mistri said. “Even with that, it was a very close game with Las Vegas, and we ended up losing it by a goal in overtime.

“It was a tough loss on us physically and mentally, and then we had to fly to New Mexico and play Sunday, and the altitude there didn’t help, especially with so many of our players not being healthy anyway.”

Even if everyone is at full strength, the Titans figure to have a difficult time with UCLA. The Bruins are 12-1 and unbeaten in Mountain Pacific Federation play. They defeated UNLV, 7-l, and New Mexico, 5-0, earlier this month, and their only loss was to Duke, 4-3, in overtime, early in the season.

UCLA has held 10 opponents scoreless and its goals-against average is 0.44 compared to Fullerton’s 1.94.

“I still think things can fall into place for us the way they have for the last two years,” Mistri said. “But we just have to play well and be patient.”

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The Titan women’s soccer team is assured of its best season in the three years of the program’s existence. Fullerton was 2-14-2 in 1993 and 6-9-3 last season.

The women won two of three games in a six-day stretch to go 9-3 for the year. They defeated UC Santa Barbara, 3-0, and Texas Christian, 5-0, before losing to New Mexico, 3-0, Sunday.

Freshman Dolores Browning continues to inspire the team in her first college season with 14 goals and two assists for 30 points. Junior Amber Dickey has 11 goals and 23 points.

The Titan women also remain in the running for an at-large playoff spot with seven games remaining.

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The NCAA will present its woman of the year award Sunday in Kansas City with the Titans’ Heather Killeen one of the 10 finalists.

Killeen has completed her cross-country eligibility but still has one season left in track in an illustrious college career.

Killeen became the first to win Big West Conference titles in the 3,000, 5,000 and 10,000 meters in the same year last spring. She also was the school’s first cross-country All-American last fall.

Selected as the university’s most outstanding senior this year, Killeen has been on the dean’s list eight of nine semesters.