Sports Editor
Peter Hockaday
peterhockaday@dailyemerald.com
Tuesday, Octber 8,2002
-Oregon Daily Emerald
Sports
Best bet
MLB Playoffs:
Anaheim at Minnesota
5:20 p.m., FOX
UW searches for answers
i ne Huskies are soul-searching
after Kyle Boiler and California snap
a 19-game skid in Seattle
Pac 10 Notes
Adam Jude
Senior Sports Reporter
It’s a biological mystery, but somehow
the Dawgs of Seattle have shrunk into lit
tle puppies, with ears slumped and tails
hidden between their legs.
Two streaks ended Saturday at
Husky Stadium when California
mauled Washington, 34-27. With the
win, the Golden Bears (4-2 overall, 1-1
Pacific-10 Conference) snapped a 19
game losing streak to the Huskies, dat
ing back to 1976, and ended UW’s 17
game home winning streak.
“I would have never imagined in my
wildest dreams that we could lose to Cal
while I was at the UW,” Washington guard
Elliott Zajac told The Seatde Times.
Washington (3-2,0-1), which has been
under scrutiny for its lack of running ef
fort, netted just 42 rush yards against
Cal. Starting tailback Rich Alexis was
benched after a second quarter fumble.
“We’re going to have to really do some
soul-searching about what we are doing
here and how we are doing it," UW head
■RnnnssnRi
coach Kick Neuheisel said after the game.
“We have to get back to being a funda
mentally sound football team that can do
things that represent a good football
team. I don't know why we struggle so.”
Washington’s Cody Pickett set a school
record with 35 completions, but Gal’s
Kyle Boiler stole the spotlight. Despite at
tempting just 24 passes, Boiler was
named Pacific-10 Conference Player of
the Week for his five-touchdown, 266
yard performance.
“I can honestly say that was the best
football game I’ve ever played, in high
school, college or anything,” said Boiler,
who had no interceptions Saturday.
Cougars are ‘for real’
While Gal was making history in Seat
tle, Washington State and USG had an
exciting finish on the other side of the
state in Pullman.
Thanks to a missed extra point by USG
kicker Ryan Killeen, the No. 12 Cougars
(5-1, 2-0) were able to tie the game and
force an overtime with 1:50 left on a wob
bly 35-yard field goal by Drew Dunning.
In the extra session, Dunning again out
dueled Killeen as the Cougar booted an
other 35-yarder to seal the 30-27 victory.
Washington State tallied 516 total
yards against USG’s top-rated defense.
“I didn't think there was any way we
were going to get 500 yards of offense on
Mark McCambridge Emerald
Player-coach Matt Tassos and the Oregon men's soccer team face a season of high expectations.
this team,” said Washington State head
coach Mike Price, who won his first game
against USG in Pullman. "If we can beat
this team, we're for real.”
Beaver bouncers
Quick, jump while you still can — if
you haven’t done so already.
Two weeks ago, Oregon State was 4-0,
and had what seemed to be one of the con
ference’s best quarterbacks, a blistering de
fense and a ton of national attention.
But after the Beavers lost their sec
ond straight game Saturday to open
conference play, everyone is jumping
off the bandwagon.
“We just weren't consistent today,”
Oregon State quarterback Derek Ander
son said after a 43-35 loss to UCLA. “We
were fighting our way back every time we
got the ball. There is not a lot to be happy
about today.”
Going deep
Six Pac-10 quarterbacks are ranked
in the nation’s top 25 in passing effi
ciency. And guess who’s at the top of
those the list?
Gesser? Pickett? Paus?
Nope, nope, nope. Arizona State’s An
drew Walter — a sophomore — is second
in the country in pass efficiency at 169.5.
Turn to Pac-10, page 6
Jim Bates Seattle Times (KRT)
Washington tailback Rich Alexis was benched in the second quarter
of the Huskies' 34-27 loss to California on Satu rday in Seattle.
Kicked off
The men’s club soccer team will use their
poor showing in 2001 as a spark for 2002
Scott Archer
Freelance Sports Reporter
Ask any men’s club soccer player to explain a
disappointing 2001 season, and he’ll probably
say two things.
Last season was disheartening.
Expectations for 2002 are high.
It’s no surprise the 2002 men’s club soccer
players gave those two examples when asked
about how the team would fare in the upcoming
fall season.
The Ducks had high expectations, goals and
dreams coming into the 2001 season. In 2000,
the team came in second place in the national
tournament, held every year during the last
week of November.
With anticipation high and expectations
even higher, the team came up remarkably
short in 2001.
The Ducks got second again. Second to last.
“We did well in league but not good at nation
als,” said senior Matt Tassos, who is the player
coach for the team. “Our focus wasn’t there. This
year we have that focus and work ethic.”
Tassos said the Ducks will need to return to their
good play from two years ago in order to be suc
cessful in 2002. That means throwing out all the
sports rhetoric and proving it on the field.
“It looks like we have a pretty good team,
and I hope we do well,” senior midfielder Ryan
Rose said.
How well remains to be seen. Because the squad
was one game away from claiming the 2000 na
tional championship, hype and hope will surround
this year’s team.
“Our goal is to more than better last year,” sen
ior forward Kenny Otley said. “We have a lot of po
tential that we didn’t utilize last year. This year we
will play as a team, not as individuals.”
Injuries were one reason the Ducks didn’t play
up to their potential last season.
“We had one player that was shot in the leg four
weeks before nationals,” said Tassos, referring to a
shooting near Hilyard Street Market in the spring
in which one soccer player was injured.
Tassos will be coach and player for the second
year in a row, bringing experience that should
eventually become an asset to the team.
“It’s different," Otley said, referring to playing for
his peer. “I’m not jealous of Matt’s job.”
Problems have arisen in the past with plaver
coaches in the
Club Sports pro
gram. Otlev said
players skip
mandatory prac
tices, expect to get
playing time on
game day or don’t
take their peer
coach seriously.
“It’s different
trying to coach
and play,’ Tassos said. “You want to concentrate
on your own game but also the team’s game. ‘What
needs to be better?’ It’s hard to do one thing, let
alone two.”
But Tassos seems to be more than up to the job.
“I think (the coaching) is handled well,” Rose
said. “I’ve seen it cause problems other places, but
not here.”
And with that, the coaching situation is an after
thought for the team. The Ducks have more im
portant things to focus on — like winning.
“Definitely win league (title) and win nationals,
those are two realistic expectations,” Tassos said.
Dreams have now turned into expectations
for the team. The 2002 national club tourna
ment, held Nov. 21-23 in Bakersfield, Calif., will
tell the Ducks whether those expectations will
become reality.
Three home games are scheduled for Oct. 20,
Oct. 27 and Nov. 3. All games will be held at the
turf field, with kickoff for all three scheduled for
1 p.m.
Scott Archer is a freelance writer
for the Emerald.