USD Men's Soccer 1995

USD SOCCER NOTEBOOK STORY LINES THAT WILL SHAPE THE 1995 SEASON... Jara closes in on all-time scoring record As a freshman, he scored 51 points and was named the nation's top frosh player. Three years later, striker Guillermo Jara finds himself 20 points behind USD's all-time leading scorer, Bo Kaemerle, who amassed 131 points over four seasons (1983-86). Jara needs 14 goals to surpass Kaemerle in USO career goals and just 7 assists to pass school– record holder Toby Taitano (1990-93). Competition fierce in the nets With the loss of fifth-year senior Tom Tate, Coach Seamus McFadden will hand over goalkeeping duties to a talented, yet inexperi– enced group. Sophomore Joe Panian appeared in five games as understudy last season. Junior Carlos Castellanos brings size (6'2", 195 lb.) and athleticism. Sophomore class off to strong start Last year, the Toreros received stellar efforts from freshmen Mike Deery, Keith Finnegan, Lafe Vittitoe, Jamie Munro and redshirt Tim Durkin. Munro, singled out as the team's best defen– sive midfielder by McFadden, earned second team AII-WCC honors in 1994. Finnegan, a rug– ged midfielder, and Durkin, earned WCC hon– orable mention status. Deery assisted on five game-winning goals last season while Vittitoe became a valuable reserve, scoring six goals off the bench and finishing third in team scoring. Sporting Green Counting Irish natives Coach McFadden and assistant coach Harry Tweedie, five USO per– sonnel have European ties. Deery (Northern Ire– land) and Finnegan played on Irish National Jun– ior teams. Promising midfielder Leighton O'Brien, who sat out last season due to injuries, was born in Dublin.

Local talent shines USO invited six San Diego County players to camp this season with the expectation that the majority will contribute immediately. Goalkeeper Joe Panian recorded the second highest number of shutouts in national prep his– tory at San Diego High. Carlsbad High alumnus Lafe Vittitoe was named Offensive MVP at the USO/MetLife Challenge last fall. Torrey Pines graduate Jamie Munro started in 14 of 17 games as a freshman. Defender Jimmy Wang, out of Mission Bay High, received WCC Honorable Mention last season. Sophomore redshirt Jon Schoenherr (Hill– top High), and newcomers David Gibbs (Clairemont HS) and Fermin Zubiaur will vye for playing time. Home field to be a familiar site San Diego opens the 1995 campaign with five straight home games in Torero Stadium (due in part to the MetLife and Diadora tourneys) be– fore playing its first road game three weeks into the season. After a stint of four road contests, the Toreros play six of their final nine games at home. WCC and the Far West Poll There are two important aspects of the USO sea– son: How the Toreros fare in the West Coast Con– ference race and where they stand in the Far West Region rankings. The WCC race offers a means for automatic qualification into the NCAA tournament. At-large bids into the NCAA generally go to the top four teams seeded in the Far West Region poll con– ducted by the ISAA (available by calling 510- 528-500 on Tuesdays). McFadden's perseverance pays off When he first began the USO soccer program, McFadden recruited kids out of the domitories. Now in his second decade, McFadden lead USO to the NCAA finals in 1992 and has guided teams into the NCAAs four of the past five seasons.