Nov. 10, 2009
SAN DIEGO, Calif. - The University of San Diego men's soccer team climbed to No. 14 in the polls this week after a 0-0 tie, their first of the season, to the Portland Pilots on Friday night and a 1-0 overtime goal off of a penalty kick against Gonzaga on Sunday afternoon. The Toreros remain in first place in the standings with 25 points.
San Diego holds an overall record of 12-4-1. The last time USD had a 12 win season was 2003 when they were 12-4-4. The Toreros are 8-1-1 in the WCC tying their best conference mark from 2008. USD has a conference home record of 4-1-1 and 4-0-0 on the road. The Toreros are 5-0-0 on the road overall and look to extend that win streak in the final weekend of the regular season in the Bay Area.
Rewind
The Toreros hosted the University of Portland Pilots last weekend and the Gonzaga University Bulldogs. The Toreros finished the weekend 1-0-1. On Friday, USD took the Pilots into double overtime ending in a scoreless tie. San Diego recorded a season high of 21 shots against the Pilots but was unable to find the net. On Sunday, it looked like San Diego and Gonzaga would be headed for overtime again after ending regulation in a 0-0 tie. The Toreros won the toss and kicked off attacking right away. Ryan Peterman took possession of the ball and dribbled down the near side cutting into the penalty box where he was fouled hard drawing the penalty kick. JT Howlan took the penalty kick scoring in the 91st minute giving USD the 1-0 win.
WCC Standings
The tie and the win this weekend gives San Diego 25 points in the West Coast Conference standings, a five point lead over second place Saint Mary's who is 6-2-2 in the WCC. Portland is in third place with 13 points and 3-4-4 in the conference tied with Loyola Marymount who is 4-5-1. Santa Clara is in fifth place with 11 points at 3-5-2 in the standings. Gonzaga is 3-7-1 with 10 points tied with San Francisco who is 3-6-1 in WCC play.
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Climbing the polls...
San Diego has climbed in most of the polls this week. The Toreros jumped to No. 14 in the nation this week in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll, up two spots from No. 16 last week. Teams USD has faced this season that are in the NSCAA poll include UCLA who are ranked No. 10 for the second straight week and Saint Mary's who received votes but not enough to enter the Top 25.
San Diego and UCLA tied again the NSCAA Far West regional poll. UC Santa Barbara still holds first place in the regional poll. Two other teams in the WCC were voted into the regional poll, Saint Mary's in fifth place and Loyola Marymount in 10th place.
In the Soccer Times poll this week, San Diego jumped one spot to 18th place from 19th place last week. The Bruins held onto 7th place for the second straight week. Other opponents that San Diego faced this season include WCC foe Saint Mary's and Dartmouth.
The College Soccer News poll gave the Toreros a small bump this week to No. 21 from No. 22 a week ago. The only other opponent USD has faced this season in the poll is UCLA who holds onto 5th place for the second straight week.
Rounding out the national polls is the Soccer America poll. The Toreros fell to No. 24 this week from 19th a week ago. UCLA dropped from 7th place after being No. 6 a week ago. Dartmouth was the only other opponent USD faced that received votes.
Preview
The Toreros wrap up their 2009 conference campaign this weekend in the Bay Area. They will face the No. 2 team in the WCC standings Saint Mary's on Friday, November 13 at 2:00 p.m. followed by Santa Clara on Sunday, November 15 at 12:00 p.m. USD picked up a 2-0 win against Saint Mary's and a 3-2 win over Santa Clara last month at home.
A Look At Saint Mary's
Saint Mary's is currently in second place in the WCC standings with a 10-3-4 overall record and a 6-2-2 conference mark giving them 20 points. Saint Mary's played a single match last weekend facing the San Francisco Dons with a 1-1 result. Junior midfielder Dylan Leslie leads the team with three goals and eight assists for 14 points. He has 14 shots and two game-winning goals.
A Look At Santa Clara
Santa Clara is in fifth place in the WCC standings with a 5-9-4 overall record and a 3-5-2 WCC mark giving them 11 points. Santa Clara played San Francisco in a single game last weekend winning 1-0 over the Dons. Freshman forward Erik Hurtado leads the team with five goals and two assists with sixteen shots on goal and two game-winning goals.
The Toreros are ready for the Gaels and the Dons this weekend starting with Saint Mary's on Friday, November 13 at 2:00 p.m. followed by Santa Clara on Sunday, November 15 at 12:00 p.m.
