Concern wanes, optimisim gains as m soccer ends season

Wednesday, May 1, 1996

Top recruiting class will contribute tremendously to thin
remaining rosterBy Mark Shapiro

Daily Bruin Staff

After a disappointing end to last season’s championship run, the
UCLA men’s soccer team entered the off-season with two key
concerns.

One, to restructure a lineup that was decimated by graduation
and two, corral a top-notch recruiting class. As spring practice
winds down this week, those tasks have been performed and the
benefits appear ready to be reaped in the coming fall.

Of last year’s starting 11, only a handful are returning, with
the forward position being the hardest hit by graduation. Of the
five players who spent significant time playing in attacking
quarters last season, only freshmen Seth George and Tom Poltl, who
platooned much of last season, are returning. This spring, however,
it was their turn to shine as they were out of the shadow of their
more prolific linemates of last year.

George stepped up to lead the team in scoring during its spring
campaign, in which the team went 4-2-2, and Poltl, who has been
sharing time with the under-20 National Team, blossomed as a potent
force in the offensive third of the field.

"George had a good spring and his work rate also became more
consistent," UCLA head coach Sigi Schmid said. "Poltl made some
good advances ­ he’s a lot more consistent and has made good
strides. He has become a more consistent dangerous player and more
active."

On defense, the Bruins were again hit hard by graduation, losing
two of four starting defenders as well as their starting
goalkeeper.

The biggest step made in filling this gap has been the smooth
adjustment of Caleb Meyer to defender. His transition from
midfielder to defense has shored up a spot vacated by the departed
Greg Vanney. The spring wasn’t quite as satisfying for Meyer’s
counterpart, Kevin Coye, who battled injuries and struggled to get
on track.

With the loss of All-American and Olympic team goalkeeper Chris
Snitko, the goalkeeper job is up for grabs between Matt Reis and
Kevin Hartman, who backed up Snitko last year and tallied four
consecutive shutouts.

"Matt played well this spring and the gap that was there has
pretty much disappeared," Schmid said. "Hartman was ahead of Reis
at the end of last year so that could put him a little bit ahead,
but right now it’s too close to call."

The midfield was the only area that was not hammered by
graduation, but instead injury has stepped up to claim a victim.
Philip Martin, who had a tremendous post-season last year coming
out of an attacking midfield position, will quite possibly sit this
year out because of recurring back trouble.

"It was so hard for him to play with (his back) last year,"
Schmid said. "It’s been feeling better, but when he gets out and
knocks it around, it’s still the same."

With the loss of so many players, the pressure was on the
recruiting department to bring in a rich crop of freshman. To say
they were successful is to understate what could be the best
recruiting class in some time.

"It’s one of the top recruiting classes we’ve had," Schmid said.
"It’s got good depth and makes us a lot deeper as a team. We’ve got
some players coming in who complement what we have and technically
we’ve really improved ourselves."

The incoming bumper crop is headlined by High School Player of
the Year Sasha Victorine from Sacramento, who is expected to make
an immediate impact on the midfield and the team as a whole.

"He is somebody who can play for us in the midfield and gives us
some height," Schmid said. "He’s a good header of the ball and he
is the kind of player who makes other players better. He gets
people to play for him."

AUDREY LEE

Tom Poltl

… High School Player of the Year Sasha Victorine … is
expected to make an immediate impact on the midfield and the team
as a whole.