Matadors Fell Just One Goal Short in Season of Achievements : CSUN SOCCER: ’85 RETROSPECTIVE

“If we don’t go further than we did last season,” said Cal Sate Northridge soccer coach Marwan Ass’ad at the beginning of this season, “as far as accomplishment is concerned, we’ll be underachievers.

“Our goal is the national championship and we have the talent to get there. This year I know we’re going to be two to four times better than last year.”

Some might have thought that Ass’ad was just rattling off some wishful thinking at the start of the college soccer season in September. The Matadors, loaded with talent, didn’t go further than they did last year; they lost in the second round of the NCAA Division II tournament like it did last season. CSUN also didn’t better last season’s 18-3-2 record; it finished the 1985 season 17-4-1.

The Matadors, however, were hardly underachievers.

Making it to the second round was no small accomplishment. They had to win their second straight California Collegiate Athletic Assn. title to get there. Losing, 3-2, to Seattle-Pacific was no reason to break out the tar and feathers--the two-time NCAA champions have one of the most successful soccer programs in collegiate history.

On the other hand, CSUN has one of the most successful college athletic programs in the country. Its softball and women’s volleyball teams are perennial conference champions and national contenders, as are the track and swimming teams. So Ass’ad can’t be criticized for his season-opening optimism.

Soccer isn’t the most popular sport in the Valley, yet CSUN consistently drew more than 1,000 fans to its game--a statistic that would please any of the area’s college football teams.

Ass’ad, ever the marketing entrepreneur, recruited from the Valley. Only four of his 20 players are from outside the area. If you have a roster filled with Valley boys, Ass’ad reasoned, the stands would fill with Valley fans. “We are the Valley’s team,” Ass’ad was fond of saying.

Although the Matadors didn’t make it to their ultimate goal, you would have never known by watching and listening to the more than 2,000 fans who stood to honor the team after its season finale. The CSUN fans had a season of reasons to cheer.

Some peaks and valleys of the 1985 season:

The Matadors began the season by posting four straight shutouts.

CSUN suffered its first loss of the season to Division I power Nevada Las Vegas, 4-0.

While winning their first four conferences games, the Matadors shut out Cal State Bakersfield, 10-0.

On Oct. 5, Cal State Dominguez Hills took the Matadors into overtime at CSUN. Frank Cubillos and John Tronson scored a goal each in extended play and the Matadors remained undefeated in conference.

On Oct. 11, the Matadors were ranked No. 4 in the NCAA Division II.

Oct. 16, CSUN was upset, 1-0, by Chapman College, and dropped to No. 5 in the polls.

CSUN lost its second conference game, to Dominguez, Oct. 23.

CSUN beat Chapman, 2-0, at North Campus Stadium on two goals by Cubillos to win the CCAA title. Ten days later, the Matadors learned that they would play Chapman in the first round of the NCAA tournament. CSUN avenged the earlier loss by beating the Panthers, 3-0. Rodney Batt scored two goals.

CSUN places Phil Heaver, Thor Lee, Mike McAndrew and Cubillos on the all-CCAA team. Ass’ad was named coach of the year, Tronson the player of the year.

CSUN, down 2-0 in the second half, rallied to tie Seattle-Pacific in the second round before losing, 3-2.

Underachievers? No.

Next season? All but one player, senior Scott Murray, will return to the team.

“I’m disappointed for our fans,” said a teary-eyed Ass’ad, following the loss to Seattle-Pacific. “We owe a lot to our fans. They support us like they don’t support anybody else. Nobody supports soccer like our fans. We knew that we would host every game in the playoffs and, well, we’ll be back. We’ll be back.”