Nov. 5, 2002
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Just Briefly
The Loyola Marymount University men's soccer team recorded its 13th win of the season with 1-0 overtime victory over the University of San Francisco last Saturday night. Junior Kevin Novak scored the lone goal of the game in the first overtime period, he leads all Lions with eight goals on the year. LMU's win in the Bay Area was a program first as the Lions had never before beaten the Dons in Negoesco Stadium. The win put LMU into a three-way tie for first place in the West Coast Conference.
Up Next
The 13th-ranked Lions are nearing the end of the 2002 regular season. LMU is hosting the Gonzaga Bulldogs in its final home game of the regular season. The Lions and the Bulldogs will square off at 1 p.m. on Sunday, November 10. Being the last home game, LMU will honor its eight seniors during "Senior Day" festivities prior to the game kicking off.
Kovar And Kim Named Academic All-District
Loyola Marymount seniors Eric Kim and Jeff Kovar were announced today to the 2002 Verizon Academic All-District VIII team. Kim has played in 17 games and started in 14. He is currently tied for second on the squad with five assists and is majoring in business with a computer science minor. Kovar has started all 17 games for the Lions, has tallied one goal and one assist. Both Kim and Kovar have helped anchor a defense that is currently ranked 12th in the nation with a team goals against average of 0.73. Both will be placed on the national Academic All-America ballot to be voted on next week.
On The Road Again
Going on the road doesn't seem to fade the 13th-ranked Lions. Their 5-1-0 record when playing in hostile territory gives them West Coast Conference bragging rights for the best road record in the conference. LMU hopes to continue their success when playing away from home next week when they look for their first ever win at Buck Shaw Stadium in Santa Clara. The Lions recently broke the streak of bad karma at San Francisco's Negoesco Stadium with 1-0 win.
Novak Nets Another One - Earns National Recognition
Junior Kevin Novak has knack for being in the right place at the right time. Novak scored his eighth goal of the year in dramatic overtime fashion to give the Lions their first ever win (1-0) at San Francisco's Negoesco Stadium last Saturday. His late game heroics earned him a spot on College Soccer News' National Team of the Week. He is the fourth Lion to garner National Team of the Week honors this season. The midfielder currently leads the squad in goals, assists (6) and points (22).
Torres Keeps Collecting Accolades
Senior All-America candidate Arturo Torres is showing that a good thing only gets better with age. And he once again added to his list of accolades. Torres scored two of the Lions' three goals in the win over San Diego on Oct. 13 to earn WCC co-Player of the Week honors. Trailing 1-0, Torres tied the game at the 21:44 mark of the first half. Playing most of the second half with a split-open chin thanks to a hard fought contest, Torres would give the Lions the 2-1 lead at the 55:12 mark with a beautiful header. The forward and Wilmington, CA, native, currently ranks in a tie for eighth on the West Coast Conference all-time goals chart with 45 and ninth on the all-time points list with 109 career points. Torres is one of two active players among the WCC's top-10 goal scorers and is two goals away from breaking into the top-5. He already owns the LMU records for career goals (45), points (109) and assists (19).
Novak Named LMU Athlete Of The Month
Junior midfielder Kevin Novak and the LMU men's soccer team have had a memorable start to their 2002 season. Novak put on a quite a show in the last weekend of September, recording consecutive multi-goal games against Sacramento State and San Jose State. The Huntington Beach native scored two goals against the Sac. State Hornets on Friday and then repeated the performance with two goals against the SJSU Spartans on Sunday. He netted six goals in the month and has seven goals to date, which ties him for sixth in the single-season record book. He also added in one assist giving him a team-high 13 points through September.
Kovar's Defense Un"Friend"ly
Senior defender Jeff Kovar has been making a case for himself as a candidate for the West Coast Conference Defender of the Year. Kovar's leadership in the backfield is a big reason for the Lions current No. 13 national ranking. Against UC Santa Barbara he had the daunting task of stopping one of the nation's top scorers in Rob Friend, and he did just that. Kovar man-marked Friend the entire game and limited him to just three shots. Friend had previously scored against his last 12 opponents, the fourth longest streak in NCAA history. Novak and the Lions' defense were at it against the San Diego Toreros (10/13/02), holding one of the WCC's all-time leading scorers in Ryan Coiner to just one goal.
Defense Among Best In The Nation
The Lions defense has been one of the stingiest in the nation this season. They have allowed just 13 goals all season, giving the team a goals against average of .73. That mark is enhanced by seven shutouts on the season, including four by junior Adam Sthay. The Lions have been shutting out opponents left and right all season, including then-ranked No. 3 UCLA (2-0) and then-ranked No.25 UC Santa Barbara (1-0), who had the highest scoring offense in the nation with an average over three goals per game. The Lions 0.73 GAA is ranked 12th in the nation. Also ranked 15th in the nation is junior Adam Sthay, who has a GAA of 0.69.
Lions In The Rankings
The Lions gained their highest national ranking (7th) last week in the NSCAA/adidas Division I Men's Top Poll. LMU jumped into the rankings at No. 20 in the NSCAA/adidas Division I Men's Top 25 poll the week of Sept. 9. After falling out of the NSCAA/adidas rankings only once during the year, the Lions are in this week at No.22. LMU is also in the top-15 of all the other major polls. They are ranked 13th by Soccer America, 13th by the Soccer Times and 11th by the College Soccer News.
Raising The Bar
The Lions started the season with an undefeated record of 11-0-2. It was the best ever start for a Lion soccer team in program history. No LMU men's soccer team has never started the first 13 games without a loss. The Lions have set a new program record for single-season wins (13 and counting) with two games remaining in the 2002 regular season. The previous mark of 10 wins was set by Head Coach Paul Krumpe's 2000 squad which ended the year with a 10-7-1 overall record and a 2-3-1 West Coast Conference mark.
LMU Head Coach
Paul Krumpe is in his fifth season at the helm of the LMU men's soccer program as he led the Lions to their first-ever invitation to the College Cup. As the 1999 WCC Coach of the Year, Krumpe led the team to their most successful season in program history, establishing a new LMU men's soccer record for wins in a season (10-7-1). 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.
Bulldogs' Bites
Gonzaga comes to Sullivan Field with a 4-8-1 overall record and a 2-1-1 mark in West Coast Conference contests. The Bulldogs are coming off a thrilling 3-2 double overtime win at San Diego. GU is led by Kari Arnason and Scott Yuska who have each tallied three goals and seven points. Last year Gonzaga defeated LMU 4-1 in a rainy contest in Spokane, Wash. The Lions will be looking for their first win in four years against the Bulldogs who own an 8-1-1 advantage in the all-time series. LMU's only win against GU came in 2-1 victory in 1997.
