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Men's Soccer: 2009 NCAA West Region Notes
11/12/2009 3:46:27 PM
The 2009 CCAA Champions begin defense of their NCAA Title on Friday
CARSON -- The defending national champion Cal State Dominguez Hills Toros men’s soccer team makes its 11th-consecutive trip to the NCAA regional under head coach Joe Flanagan.
Tournament Bound: Below is information on 7th-ranked Cal State L.A., 21st-ranked Sonoma State and Cal State San Bernardino, the three other teams that qualified for the West Region tournament, their overall records, CSUDH’s record against them, and a series capsule.
No. 1 Seed Cal State L.A. (17-3-1, 0-1-1)
No. 2 Seed CS Dominguez Hills (16-5-1)
No. 3 Seed Sonoma State (14-4-4, 2-0)
No. 4 Seed CS San B’dino (15-5-1, 1-2)
Against #7 Cal State L.A.: The Toros loss and tied the two regular season contests against the host Golden Eagles, who at one point were ranked #1 in the nation by the NSCAA. Andrew Marinez scored the lone goal for the Toros, while keeper Markus Dickerson’s 0.90 GAA wasn’t enough to keep CSUDH from going winless in the two meetings.
Against #21 Sonoma State: CSUDH won both meetings against their arch-rivals from the north, including last Sunday’s win that gave the Toros their 9th overall and 7th CCAA Tournament championship, and third in the last four years. The Toros employed a balanced attack against the Seawolves, with five different players notching goals in the two wins. Brian Alvarez tallied a pair of assists, with Kevin Gallaugher giving the Toros the win with a PK score in the CCAA title game.
About CS San Bernardino: The Coyotes took both meetings during the regular season, but CSUDH won when it counted after taking a 2-1 win in the semifinals of the CCAA Conference Tournament, with Andrew Marinez and Greg Piechota notching the only two goals given up by the Coyotes all year to the Toros after a pair of 1-0 losses to CSUSB in regular season play.
That Was Then ...: The Toros claimed their second NCAA title last year, the program’s second in the past 8 seasons. With reigning NSCAA Player of the Year Kevin Gallaugher returning for his senior season and leading a contingent of 13 players with a national title under their belts, head coach Joe Flanagan has been focused from day one on not letting the team rest on its past laurels. “We’re going to focus on 2009,” he said at the beginning of the season. “We’ve tried to build a title contender, and have tried to live in the now.”
CSUDH Against the Nation’s Best: The Toros went 4-1-1 against ranked teams heading into this weekend’s regional, including two shutout victories in their final two games of the regular season.
After tying No. 5 Cal State L.A. at home and dropping a 1-0 decision at 3rd-ranked CSULA in late September, the defending national champions rebounded with a huge 2-0 road win over No. 7 Sonoma State on October 9, and an identical 2-0 win over No. 22 Seattle Pacific exactly two weeks later. The Toros continued their winning streak with two victories in the CCAA Tournament over No. 22 CS San Bernardino and No. 15 Sonoma State.
In those contests, a quartet of Toros each scored 2 goal, while Brian Alvarez notched 3 assists. Freshman Markus Dickerson flourished when it counted most, posting a 0.79 GAA and 22 saves in the six games. The Toros also out-shot their opponents 64-25 after the break en route to notching 6 of their 10 goals.
Toros Against the West’s Best: The Toros went 3-3-1 against the 2009 NCAA Far West Region qualifiers, going 0-3-1 in their first four games in the regular season before capturing a 2-0 decision against Sonoma State on October 9, and winning both CCAA Tournament games en route to the CCAA Title.
In the seven games, Andrew Marinez and Greg Piechota tallied 2 goals apiece, with Brian Alvarez notching 2 assists. Keeper Markus Dickerson saw all 661:42 minute in net, boasting a 0.95 GAA and 29 saves.
Toros in the NCAA Playoffs: After claiming its first men’s soccer NCAA Championship in 2000 and its second in 2008, the Toros are 10-5-2 all-time in NCAA postseason play.
CSUDH posted three wins in 2001 before falling in the championship game, but went gone 2-4-2 over the next six seasons, including a 1-0-1 record in 2007 year that saw CSUDH defeat Grand Canyon and tie Sonoma State in one of the all-time great matches, only to fall in a shootout. Then in 2008, the Toros reeled off five-consecutive wins in which they outscored their opponents 15-3 to claim the program’s second title in eight years.
Back Where It Belongs: It took a one-year hiatus in which the Toros claimed the 2008 NCAA Championship, but with two wins in the CCAA Tournament, the CCAA trophy is back where it belongs, deep in the heart of Carson.
In the 12 years of tournament play, the Toros have won 7 titles including 2009’s, having made the final game 10 times en route to a 17-4-1 overall mark.
Toros Place Five on All-CCAA Teams: Senior defender Kevin Gallaugher earned his second-consecutive CCAA Defensive MVP honor and third-straight 1st-team All-CCAA nod, and was joined by Andrew Marinez on the 1st-team to lead a total of a total of five Toros named to All-CCAA teams.
Freshman keeper Markus Dickerson claimed CCAA Newcomer of the Year and 2nd-team honors, with Marco Pulido also earning 2nd-team and Alex Munoz 3rd-team accolades.
CCAA Players of the Week: Freshman keeper Markus Dickerson and senior striker Brian Alvarez both garnered Wilson/CCAA Player of the Week honors during the 2009 season, looking to add more hardware in this year’s NCAA postseason.
Dickerson earned his first ever POW honor the week of October 5-11 after leading CSUDH to a pair of road wins over then-No. 7 Sonoma State and Humboldt State, boasting a 0.50 GAA with just one goal allowed in 180 minutes played, while Alvarez earned his first-ever POW honor the following week after scoring three goals in two wins over UC San Diego and Cal State East Bay.
The Last Hurrah: This marks the final postseason for eight Toro seniors in Brian Alvarez, Kent Hayashi, Kevin Gallaugher, Scott Mariano, Andrew Marinez, Marco Pulido, Hiram Rangel and John Sherman, who between them have seen action in 454 games in Cardinal & Gold.
Additionally the octet has played a huge role in three CCAA titles, one NCAA West crowns, and 13 years of NCAA playoff experience under their collective belts.
“Trick” or Treat: Sophomore Greg Piechota gave the Toros an extra special treat on the day before Halloween, scoring the first hat trick of his career in the 3-0 win at Cal State East Bay in the second-to-last CCAA regular game of the season. All three scores came within the first 15 minutes, while the defense locked down the Pioneers in the shutout win. Piechota came within a goal of tying the CSUDH single-game record for goals at 4, set by current head coach Joe Flanagan in September 1987.
Toros Among the CCAA’s Statistical Best: Here’s how CSUDH fared with the rest of the CCAA after the regular season: GWG - Andrew Marinez (T5th, 3); Goals - Andrew Marinez (9th, 7); Points - Andrew Marinez (9th, 19); Assists - Andrew Marinez (T10th, 5); GAA - Markus Dickerson (0.75, 1st); Shutouts - Markus Dickerson (1st, 9.0); Save % - Markus Dickerson - (T2nd, .833); Saves - Markus Dickerson (T5th, 75); Saves PG - Markus Dickerson (9th, 3.75).
CSUDH in the Nation: Through games played as of October 25, here’s where the Toros rank both individually as as a team amongst the nation’s best: GAA - Markus Dickerson (25th); Save % - Markus Dickerson (30th); Team GAA - 26th; Save % - 33rd; Shutout % - 34th, Winning % - 43rd; Scoring - 62nd.
Home Sweet Home: The Toros took big advantage of playing in Carson, winning 8 of 10 matches played at Toro Stadium. In those wins, CSUDH outscored its opponents 23-6, including 5 of the victories by shutout. Additionally, the Toros’ win streak at home during the regular season now is at 7 after a 1-0 loss to CS San Bernardino on September 11.
In these 10 contests, Andrew Marinez and Brian Alvarez have tallied respective 5 and 4 goals, with Marinez leading a quintet of Toros with 3 assists in that span.
The Road Less Traveled: CSUDH claimed a slightly better than average 6-4 mark away from the friendly confines of Toro Stadium, outscoring their opponents 16-10. In those games, Greg Piechota accounted for 4 goals, including a hat trick at Cal State East Bay on October 30, with Andrew Marinez leading a trio of Toros with 2 goals apiece.
Freshman keeper Markus Dickerson boasted a 0.98 GAA with 10 goals allowed and 4 shutouts posted in the 10 games.
There’s No “I” in Team: Here’s a look at how the Toros fare as a team on the offensive end in the CCAA after the regular season: Points - 3rd; Goals - T2nd; Assists - 4th. And on defense: Shutouts - 1st; Goals Allowed - T2nd; GAA - 3rd; Saves - 10th.
And This is Now....: Here’s how this year’s CCAA Championship squad stacks up with last year’s NCAA Championship team thus far: Goals (2009 - 44 / 2008 - 57); Goals scored average (1.95 / 2.00 per game), Shots On Goal (183 / 154), Corner kicks (153 / 137), Penalty Kicks (6-6 / 2-2), Goals Against Average (0.84 / 0.73), Saves (80 / 50), Minutes in Goal (2031:18 / 1847:22).
Home Grown: Four Toros from the immediate area making significant contributions to this year’s squad are junior midfielder and freshmen striker Diego Turoldo and Andre Turoldo (Torrance/North HS), senior striker John Sherman (Torrance/Narbonne HS) , junior defender Chris Lopez (Torrance/North HS). Also, Scott Mariano (Artesia/Gahr HS - pictured) and Marco Pulido (South Gate/South Gate HS) are two other returners who are within 15 minutes from Carson.
Making His “Mark”: Redshirt freshman Markus Dickerson has had little trouble filling the shoes of NCAA champions Miguel Benitez and Justin Commins. In his first year, the Beaumont native has started all 20 games played in the regular season, boasting a league leading 0.75 GAA and 9 shutouts.
Dickerson’s play earned him the CCAA Newcomer of the Year award, along with 2nd-team league honors.
Streaks: The defending national champs had a rough start in defense of its 2008 NCAA title going 2-2-1 over its first 5 games, but has since enjoyed a 3-game win streak in late September and a current 10-game win streak heading into the NCAA regional.
Coincidentally, the 2008 Toros ended the regular season a six-game unbeaten streak and increased it to eight after the CCAA Tournament before running off five wins to claim the 2008 NCAA Title.
Alexander the Great: Junior Alex Munoz was a late addition to the Toros squad, but has made his presence felt almost immediately. Seeing limited action in his first four contests, the Corona native has started the last 13 games, tallying 2 goals and 4 assists in his first season in Cardinal and Gold, with both scores accounting for game-winners at No. 7 SSU (Oct. 9) and vs. UCSD at CSUDH’s Homecoming (Oct. 16) en route to earning 3rd-team All-CCAA honors.
The Toros Are...: 2-0-1 when scoring one goal, 7-1 when scoring 2 goals, 4-0 when scoring 3 goals and 3-0 when scoring 4 goals. Conversely, they are 9-0 when allowing no goals, 5-3-1 when allowing 1 goal, 2-1 when allowing 2 goals, and 0-1 when allowing 3 or more goals.
Advantage - CSUDH: Much of the Toros success this year has been based on gaining advantages over their opponents on both ends of the pitch, as CSUDH has tallied an edge in all but one category: Goals (CSUDH-44/Opponents-19), Goals Scored Avg (1.95 / 0.84), Shot % (.099 / .093), SOG (183 / 99), SOG% (.412 / .482), Shots/Game (20.2 / 9.3), Corner Kicks (153 / 90), PKs (6-6 / 1-1).
The Flanagan File: Head coach Joe Flanagan is no stranger to the Toros’ soccer program. Not only did he enjoy a stellar career in a Toro uniform during which he established the career record for goals with 38, he coached the Toros to their only two NCAA National Championships in 2008 and in 2000, when CSUDH defeated Barry University, 2-1, in a classic 4-overtime thriller.
Additionally, Flanagan has claimed CCAA conference Coach of the Year honors four times (the last in 2005), and the National Coach of the Year in the two title years. Entering this season, Flanagan sat as the 4th-winning active coach in the NCAA II level and enters the regional sporting a 242-83-24 record, good for a .728 winning percentage.
The Flanagan File II: In his illustrious coaching career in Carson, Flanagan has reached the playoffs 11-consecutive seasons including 2009, winning 7 CCAA Crowns, 4 NCAA Far West Titles, and 1 NCAA National Championship in his 15 years as head coach, also boasting 3 seasons with at least 20 wins, 2 with 18 victories and 3 with 17.
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