Krauss Switches Sides in Battle of Sexes

After 29 years coaching men’s water polo, Bill Krauss of Valley College has gone to the other side.

Krauss is guiding the women’s team in its fourth season of competition.

“It was time to make a switch,” Krauss said. “I was getting too much into a rut.”

So Krauss swapped teams with Wonmeen Jun, who coached the women the last three years, and is enjoying the change. As much, that is, as anyone who teaches biology and coaches the men’s and women’s swimming teams has time to enjoy anything.

“The women have responded to me, to the instruction,” Krauss said. “They have a good attitude and are willing to listen. I have a team that’s improving.”

The Monarchs were 6-3 before hosting Citrus on Wednesday in the Western State Conference opener.

Sophomore driver Julie Olson, a former All-Southern Section player at Burroughs High, leads the Monarchs with 35 goals and sophomore driver Shelly Stiles, from Crescenta Valley, has 26 goals. Krauss said two-meter player Byanka Delgadillo, a freshman from Santa Monica, is making an impact.

“It’s an emerging sport and the women haven’t played as much as the guys,” Krauss said.

Antelope Valley: The second-year women’s soccer team, coming off a 5-0 loss at first-place Victor Valley in a Foothill Conference game on Tuesday, is no doubt happy to play at home against Rio Hondo on Friday. The Marauders have outscored opponents, 24-0, in its three games at the Lancaster National Soccer Center.

Cal Lutheran: The Kingsmen (0-2) play their home opener in football Saturday against Chapman. Cal Lutheran dropped its Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opener to Redlands, 38-31, on Saturday night. Chris Czernek threw his first touchdown passes of the season, connecting for fourth-quarter scores with Chris Dingman and Justin Magruder.

The Master’s: The Mustangs, 4-0 at home this season, proved they can win on the road with a 1-0 men’s soccer victory Tuesday at Cal State Hayward.

Good thing, considering Master’s (9-3) plays its next five games on the road before returning home Oct. 21 against U.S. International University.

Senior Rusty Brooke leads Master’s with five goals and four assists. Junior goalie Eric Pattison recorded his career-high fourth shutout in a 1-0 victory last weekend against Biola.

Master’s women (2-5) have lost four in a row, despite 11 goals by sophomore Sarah Riojas, who had a school-record 18 goals last season.

Moorpark: Football fans who attended the home opener on Saturday, a 21-15 victory over Pierce, found the accommodations more comfortable. Moorpark installed 4,000 stadium seats financed by Project Millennium, a fund-raiser that also provided funds for an all-weather track.

Cal State Northridge: Scoring is picking up for the men’s soccer team, despite a 2-1 loss Tuesday at San Diego State. Freshman Nick Pince’s second-half goal was the first for Northridge (4-4) on the road this season. The scoreless stretch of more than 3 1/2 games is the team’s longest drought away from North Campus Stadium.

Through eight games, Northridge has scored only six goals, with newcomers making the most impact. Pince, a freshman from San Diego Mt. Carmel High, has accounted for two.

Junior Steve Raynor, a transfer from Pasadena College, and freshmen Tony Ortega from Birmingham and Charles Mitchell from Escondido San Pasqual, each have one assist.

Goalkeeper Christian Perez has a 0.96 goals-against average through seven games and leads the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation with 44 saves.

Melissa Cleal, a sophomore from El Camino Real, has spurred the Northridge women’s team to three victories in four games. Cleal had two goals and an assist last week, scoring against Northern Arizona and Hawaii. Cleal leads Northridge with three goals, seven points and 11 shots on goal.

Freshman Kris von Krog from Thousand Oaks had game-winning goals in consecutive games against UC Irvine and Hawaii. She ranks second with four points.

The Matador women will share the bill Oct. 5 with the football team at Weber State. Northridge opens its final season in the Big Sky Conference with an afternoon game against the Wildcats. The football game that night will be be televised by Fox Sports West.

Ventura: Several members of the 1965 team that won the WSC football title are holding a reunion this weekend. The Pirates was 8-1 that year, losing to Santa Ana, 18-16, in the Orange Show Bowl. The team included end Karl Henke, who played with the Super Bowl champion New York Jets in 1969; quarterback Chuck Williams, who played at Stanford and receiver Ken Duncan, who played in the NFL. The former Pirates will attend Ventura’s home game against Moorpark on Saturday night.

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Staff writers Fernando Dominguez and Vince Kowalick contributed to this report.