In briefs: Silver lining visible for young Bulldogs
Einar Thorarinsson has been here before.
So Gonzaga University’s 16th-year head men’s soccer coach was not about to panic following last Wednesday’s season-opening 4-0 road loss to UC Irvine.
Thorarinsson played eight freshmen against the Anteaters, who were ranked No. 20 at the time. And just like he did on two other similar occasions when he was dealing with an extraordinary number of young, untested players, he found something to like.
“Obviously, when you lose 4-0, it’s hard to say you had a successful outing,” admitted Thorarinsson, who has 14 first-year freshmen on his roster. “But there was really no one thing that absolutely broke down.
“We had some minor things here and there, but nothing major. So overall, I was happy with the young guys – very happy.”
Among the freshmen who most impressed Thorarinsson was midfielder Nick Hamer, a former standout and all-stater from Mead, who took one of GU’s three shots against Irvine and turned in a solid all-around effort.
“It didn’t take him long to adapt,” Thorarinsson said of Hamer. “He looked comfortable out there and showed he belongs.”
Thorarinsson also liked what he saw from several other newcomers, including defenders Josh Phillips, Greg Carter and Andrew Owenson. But he stressed that it will take time for all of them to figure things out at the NCAA Division I level.
“It’s important that our guys not look ahead too much and just deal with the next day, and then the next day,” he explained. “We need to keep it simple and small for right now and try to grow each day.”
That’s the same approach Thorarinsson took back in 2004 when he was last faced with youthful issues like he has today.
And one of the freshmen on the Bulldogs roster that year was George Josten, who went on to become one of the most honored players in the school’s history, scoring 34 goals to tie World Cup team member Brian Ching for third on GU’s career list before being selected by the Columbus Crew in the second round of the Major League Soccer draft.
“I’m crossing my fingers, hoping that, maybe, there’s a player in this group of freshmen that will emerge, of that same caliber,” Thorarinsson said.
Quick start for Smart
It has become obvious already this year that Idaho’s Chelsea Small’s uncanny ability to find shots on the soccer field was not lost over the summer.
Small, a sophomore forward, who was named the Western Athletic Conference’s freshman of the year after leading the league with a single-season school record 101 shots, has already taken 25 – 20 more than anyone else on the team – in just five matches for the Vandals (3-2) this fall. Four of those have found their way into the net. That gives the former prep standout at Torrey Pines (Calif.) High School eight early season points.
Throw-ins
Idaho’s Liz Boyden, a junior goalkeeper who prepped at Ferris High School, has been named the WAC’s defensive player of the week. … When Washington State freshman Micaela Castain scored three goals in Sunday’s 4-1 nonconference win over Weber State, she became only the second freshman – the other being Kim Lynass in 1990 – to accomplish such a feat. … Three of Washington State’s four losses have come against teams that were ranked 12th or better, nationally. … Whitworth’s men have not allowed a goal in their first two matches, beating Augsburg 2-0 to open the season on Sunday and blanking UC Santa Cruz on Monday. Sophomore Kyle Novak was credited with one save in blanking Augsburg, while junior Brian Sherpe turned away five shots in the win over the Banana Slugs.