Gators geared for fantastic finish

Struggling for just the right words to describe the play of the SF State men's soccer team to date, Joe Hunter arrived at an intriguing euphemism.

"I guess you could say we've been inconsistently exciting," the coach said with a laugh. "Yeah, that actually sums it up pretty good."

In other words, 1995 has been campaign consistent only in its inconsistency for the young Gators. But at the same time, SF State (6-10 overall, 5-5 in the NCAC) is still in prime position to post its best Northern California Athletic Conference finish in 15 years by sweeping its last four games to assure at least a share of third place.

After a demoralizing 5-2 loss to Sonoma State earlier this month -- the Gators self-destructed after taking an early 2-0 lead -- the team collectively rallied itself for the remaining six games on the schedule.

"It's such a long season that people tend to lose focus," said senior sweeper Ron Shackleford. "So, we decided to sort of make our last six games into a mini-season and finish this thing out right."

Shackleford said the majority of the squad believed the Gators could sweep through those six contests unblemished. Things started off well, with a convincing 2-0 whitewash of visiting Humboldt State -- last year's NCAC champion -- but then Chico State came to town Sunday to play spoiler, snatching a close 2-1 victory at the Gators' expense.

"It was a great game," said Shackleford. "Somehow it just got away."

But a third of the way through their "mini-season," the Gators have not faltered in the confidence department. Three of the four remaining teams SF State will face fell victim to the Gators the first time around, and the toughest challenge figures to be the season finale at UC Davis Nov. 4.

"The past four games we've been on fire," said junior midfielder Matt Bolton. "Everyone knows we'll go 4-0. There's no doubt in anyone's mind. That's the bottom line."

Wednesday the squad set off to make good on those promises, traveling to Turlock -- a place Hunter refers to as "a morgue" and Shackleford deems "a hell-hole" -- to take on Stanislaus State. SF State outlasted the Warriors 3-2 in late September.

Once past that hurdle (results were not available at press time), the Gators host Cal State Hayward and the College of Notre Dame before closing it out at Davis..

"We're kind of right where we want to be," said Hunter. "The guys are eager and ready to go. We know what to expect from these teams. It will be interesting to see how we respond."

[ Golden Gater Online October 26, 1995 ]

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