From the Bench... Sept. 22, 2003– Fullerton, Calif.
Coach Al Mistri:
"We've played seven games now, six of them against playoff teams
from last season and perennial national powers, and we've had as many
as seven freshmen on the field at a time, so I guess we have had a reasonable
result (3-3-1 record). We've also played 50 per cent of our games with
some key personnel out due to injuries -- you saw what Brent Whitfield's
presence meant Friday night -- and we hope to have them all back for conference
play which begins in one more week.
" It's about 40 / 60 that Omar Bywaters will make this trip after
his concussion against UCLA.
"We are looking forward to the weekend and our final preparations
for the Big West Conference. This is our last weekend of national competition.
Florida International is another playoff team and is scoring a lot of
goals. The fact that Florida Atlantic just tied them tells you about their
caliber as well.
"The Big West is proving to be very, very difficult. UC Santa Barbara
and Cal State Northridge still are undefeated. Cal Poly lost to San Diego,
1-0, on a penalty kick. UC Riverside just tied Northridge. And UC Irvine's
2-5 record is very deceptive and now they have a trip to Cal and Stanford
which may not be too pleasant.
"After this trip, we will have nine games under our belt and, hopefully,
everyone healthy and encouraged about the conference race."
