Just Briefly
The Loyola Marymount men's soccer team, ranked 10th in the Far West by the National Soccer Coaches' Association of America, heads into West Coast Conference play this weekend riding the momentum of three wins in its past four games. All of those victories came in overtime, including a 1-0 triumph at UC Santa Barbara on Sept. 26 in which sophomore Arturo Torres scored the "golden goal" in the 118th minute. That score was the 23rd of Torres' young career, tying him for the LMU career record. Three days later the Lions rallied from a two-goal deficit in the first half to defeat UC Irvine 3-2 in OT at Sullivan Field. Sophomore Andres Murriagui had two goals against the Anteaters, including the game-winner at the 96:20 mark. However the Lions' magic ran out on Sunday, Oct. 1 at Fresno State as they again fell behind early but could not complete the comeback in a 3-1 loss to the Bulldogs. Murriagui tallied the lone LMU goal in the second half. At 7-4-0, Loyola Marymount is off to its best start since 1980 and is just one victory shy of 1999's entire win total.

Up Next
The Lions commence conference play at the University of San Francisco on Friday, Oct. 6 at 7:00 p.m. They will then head across the Bay to battle WCC foe Saint Mary's on Sunday, Oct. 8 in a 2:00 p.m. contest.

Cardiac Kids
Sudden death has meant sudden victory for the Lions, who are a perfect 5-0 in overtime games this season. LMU recently made its fans' hair turn grey with three OT contests in an eight-day span. On Sept. 23 junior Claudio Basaez stuck a dagger through San Diego State's collective heart by scoring with less than 10 minutes to play in the second sudden-death period. Then last Tuesday LMU and UC Santa Barbara played 118 minutes of scoreless soccer before Arturo Torres netted the game winner with less than two minutes remaining in the second OT period. The third overtime nail-biter occured last Friday when Andres Murriagui scored at the 96:20 mark to cap a three-goal rally against UC Irvine. LMU also recorded consecutive OT wins against Loyola Chicago (Sept. 3) and UNLV (Sept. 8), getting "golden goals" from freshman Michael Erush and junior Nick Resich, respectively. The Lions have obviously learned their lesson from 1999, when they posted an 0-2-3 record in overtime contests.

One Record Down, Two to Go for Torres
Having already shattered single season LMU scoring records during his sensational rookie season in 1999, forward Arturo Torres has begun his assault on the school's career record books as a sophomore. Against UCSB Torres recorded his 23rd career goal in just his 27th collegiate game, tying him for the highwater mark set by Jorge Rodriguez, who played for the Lions from 1993 to 1996. Next on the hit list are the LMU all-time records for points (61) and assists (15), both held by Rodriguez. Torres, a native of Wilmington, Calif., currently has 55 points and nine assists for his career. His seven goals and 19 points this season place him second in the WCC in both categories.

Protecting the Pride
Senior Jerad Bailey has been the busiest goalkeeper in the country this season, leading all Division I players with 74 saves. That equates to 7.4 saves per game, third best nationally. While Bailey has faced a ton of shots he hasn't let many through, boasting a goals against average of 1.23 - nearly a full goal lower than his 1999 mark. Just 11 games into the 2000 campaign the Redlands, Calif., native has already matched his previous career high for shutouts in a single season with four. Bailey has blanked a school-record 14 opponents in his LMU career. The Lion defense as a whole has stepped up this year, allowing just 14 goals. Loyola Marymount is particularly stingy in the second half of games, surrendering just two scores and 65 shots.

LMU Head Coach
Paul Krumpe enters his third season at the helm of the LMU men's soccer program. In 1999 he guided the Lions to their best overall record (8-8-3) in nearly twenty years and earned WCC Coach of the Year honors. A 1986 graduate of UCLA, Krumpe came to LMU after spending three seasons as an assistant with the Bruins. During those seasons, he helped lead UCLA to a record of 56-9-1, three NCAA regional appearances, three Mountain Pacific Sports Federation titles and a national championship in 1997. As a player for UCLA, Krumpe was a four year starter (1982-85), co-captain of the 1985 NCAA Championship team and a two-time All-Far West Region selection. He also has extensive international experience, playing in over 40 games with Team USA including the 1988 Summer Olympics.

Don Data
San Francisco owns a 5-5-2 record heading into WCC play, with three shutout wins and a tough double-overtime loss to Fresno State in its past four contests. The Dons feature a balanced scoring attack with no individual player tallying more than two goals. A victory over USF would be the first ever for the Lions, who are 0-12-1 against their conference rival. San Francisco won last year's meeting 2-1 at Sullivan Field.

Gael Gossip
Despite its 3-6-0 record, Saint Mary's gave top-ranked UCLA a scare last Sunday, holding a 2-1 second half lead on the Bruins' home turf before eventually falling 3-2. Freshman Alex Monsalve did not score against UCLA, but currently leads the team with four goals and nine points. SMC will seek revenge against Loyola Marymount, which won the last showdown between the two schools by a 5-0 margin last season in Los Angeles. However Saint Mary's is 11-3-0 all-time against the Lions.