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Wednesday, May 1, 1996

Top recruiting class will contribute tremendously to thin remaining rosterBy Mark Shapiro

Daily Bruin Staff

After a disappointing end to last season's championship run, the UCLA men's soccer team entered the off-season with two key concerns.

One, to restructure a lineup that was decimated by graduation and two, corral a top-notch recruiting class. As spring practice winds down this week, those tasks have been performed and the benefits appear ready to be reaped in the coming fall.

Of last year's starting 11, only a handful are returning, with the forward position being the hardest hit by graduation. Of the five players who spent significant time playing in attacking quarters last season, only freshmen Seth George and Tom Poltl, who platooned much of last season, are returning. This spring, however, it was their turn to shine as they were out of the shadow of their more prolific linemates of last year.

George stepped up to lead the team in scoring during its spring campaign, in which the team went 4-2-2, and Poltl, who has been sharing time with the under-20 National Team, blossomed as a potent force in the offensive third of the field.

"George had a good spring and his work rate also became more consistent," UCLA head coach Sigi Schmid said. "Poltl made some good advances ­ he's a lot more consistent and has made good strides. He has become a more consistent dangerous player and more active."

On defense, the Bruins were again hit hard by graduation, losing two of four starting defenders as well as their starting goalkeeper.

The biggest step made in filling this gap has been the smooth adjustment of Caleb Meyer to defender. His transition from midfielder to defense has shored up a spot vacated by the departed Greg Vanney. The spring wasn't quite as satisfying for Meyer's counterpart, Kevin Coye, who battled injuries and struggled to get on track.

With the loss of All-American and Olympic team goalkeeper Chris Snitko, the goalkeeper job is up for grabs between Matt Reis and Kevin Hartman, who backed up Snitko last year and tallied four consecutive shutouts.

"Matt played well this spring and the gap that was there has pretty much disappeared," Schmid said. "Hartman was ahead of Reis at the end of last year so that could put him a little bit ahead, but right now it's too close to call."

The midfield was the only area that was not hammered by graduation, but instead injury has stepped up to claim a victim. Philip Martin, who had a tremendous post-season last year coming out of an attacking midfield position, will quite possibly sit this year out because of recurring back trouble.

"It was so hard for him to play with (his back) last year," Schmid said. "It's been feeling better, but when he gets out and knocks it around, it's still the same."

With the loss of so many players, the pressure was on the recruiting department to bring in a rich crop of freshman. To say they were successful is to understate what could be the best recruiting class in some time.

"It's one of the top recruiting classes we've had," Schmid said. "It's got good depth and makes us a lot deeper as a team. We've got some players coming in who complement what we have and technically we've really improved ourselves."

The incoming bumper crop is headlined by High School Player of the Year Sasha Victorine from Sacramento, who is expected to make an immediate impact on the midfield and the team as a whole.

"He is somebody who can play for us in the midfield and gives us some height," Schmid said. "He's a good header of the ball and he is the kind of player who makes other players better. He gets people to play for him."

AUDREY LEE

Tom Poltl

... High School Player of the Year Sasha Victorine ... is expected to make an immediate impact on the midfield and the team as a whole.