CSUN Aims for Soccer Playoff Berth

Cal State Northridge needs a victory or a tie tonight against UC Santa Barbara to secure second place in the Pacific Division of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation and lock up a berth in the conference’s four-team soccer playoff tournament Nov. 10-11.

The Matadors are 7-6-2 overall, 3-2-1 in conference play. Santa Barbara is 7-7, 3-3. Game time is 7 p.m.

Northridge is led by Keith West, a former Kennedy High and Glendale College football and soccer star, who leads Division I players in the NCAA West region with 36 points. West, a senior, has 15 goals and six assists.

Miscellany

The task force chosen to explore how Cal State Northridge can meet the requirements of the Big Sky Conference will hold a public forum Nov. 8 to reveal its preliminary recommendations and open the matter for debate. The time and place are yet to be determined.

The Big Sky is requiring that Northridge add women’s golf and men’s tennis, increase its football scholarships from 20 to near 63, and renovate its football and basketball facilities within three years.

Football

Cal State Northridge linebacker Marcus Tomlin returned to the Matadors on Thursday after missing two practices because of what Coach Dave Baldwin described as “personal family problems.”

Northridge coaches were puzzled by Tomlin’s absence because he did not contact them until late Wednesday evening.

Baldwin said Tomlin will play the rest of the season.

Tennis

Shera Weigler of Bell Canyon, who plays No. 1 singles at Calabasas High, and Violette Ahn of Los Angeles are seeded No. 1 in the girls’ 18-and-under division in the Southern California Junior Doubles Championships.

The tournament starts Saturday and concludes next weekend at Los Caballeros Sports Village in Fountain Valley. Darian Chappell of Camarillo and Jonni Seymour of Bakersfield are seeded second in girls’ 16s. Zafar Fisher and Erin Carroll of Ventura are seeded No. 6 in boys’ 16s. Michael Marquez and Dusty Kemick of Ventura are seeded fourth, and Nicholas Weiss of Tarzana and Anthony Conggon of Bakersfield are fifth in boys’ 14s.

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Contributing: Jeff Fletcher, Dana Haddad, Mike Hiserman.