Breaks Not Going Junge’s Way on the Soccer Field

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo will be without its top goalkeeper, junior Brenton Junge, when the Mustangs host UC Irvine Sunday in a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation men’s soccer game.

The 6-4 Junge, a former three-sport standout at Trabuco Hills High, has had a series of unfortunate breaks in his college career. Two weeks ago, in a 2-1 victory over New Mexico, Junge broke his right leg when he leaped for a ball and landed off-balance as he hit the ground.

It’s the same leg Junge broke 11 games into the 1999 season. Surgery was required both times. Junge is expected to recover in time to play next season.

Without Junge, Cal Poly was hammered by Denver, 8-0, last week. It was the worst loss since the Mustangs moved to Division I in 1994.

Junge was a four-year letter winner in football, basketball and soccer and graduated from Trabuco Hills in 1997. He went on to redshirt in his first season at Cal Poly. Last year, before his first leg injury, Junge was a starter who helped the Mustangs to victories over Irvine and Cal State Fullerton.

FOOTBALL

After several tryouts with NFL teams and a stint with Tampa Bay’s Amsterdam team in NFL Europe, former Chapman kicker Matt George found a job last summer with the New England Seawolves of the Arena Football League. He played in 13 regular-season and one playoff game and finished sixth in the league in scoring among kickers with 116 points. He was 77 for 84 in point-after-touchdowns and 13 for 31 in field goals. He even got in on six tackles, five of them solos.

“It was the most fun I have ever had playing organized football,” George said.

George was right in the thick of the first franchise victory by the L.A. Avengers, a 50-46 victory at New England. He kicked a 22-yard field goal with 1:31 left in the game to give New England a 46-43 lead.

* Former Huntington Beach lineman Brendan Rosen returned to workouts last week with the San Diego State football team. Rosen, a redshirt who had back surgery a year ago, could be ready to play for the injury-riddled Aztecs in about a month.

* Former Marina High running back Ray Mietkiewicz, a 1999 all-county first-team selection, is redshirting at Texas El Paso and contemplating surgery to strengthen his wrist, which he broke in the second Marina game last season. Mietkiewicz, missed only one game with the injury but wore a cast for most of the remainder of the school year.

NOTABLE

Jill Pearson, formerly of El Modena High, is a junior who already holds the career assist record for the women’s soccer team at Fresno State (19). In 14 games this season she has scored 12 goals, tops on the team. That brings her career goal total to 37.

* Texas distance runner Heather Cuthbertson has been named to the starting nine for this weekend’s Texas A&M; cross-country invitational. Cuthbertson, a 1998 Marina graduate, transferred from Louisiana State and sat out last season. The Longhorns are ranked No. 7 in the NCAA South Central Regional Coaches Cross-Country Poll. Arkansas is No. 1 and Texas A&M; is second.

* Former El Dorado High aquatics director Michael Ashe has been appointed interim women’s water polo coach at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. He is in his second season as the men’s water polo coach and plans to continue in that capacity. Ashe was selected the Southern Section Division II coach of the year in 1996 when he led El Dorado to a section title.

* Michigan senior middle blocker Joanna Fielder, formerly of Newport Harbor High, got off to a good start last week against defending national women’s volleyball champion Penn State. She had seven kills in the first game, a 17-15 win, but the Nittany Lions rallied for a five-game victory. It was the second five-game loss in the Big 10 for the Wolverines. Fielder is hitting .278 with 156 kills and 31 block assists.

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