Monday, September 22, 1997 In control under pressure, Victorine
carves role as leader PROFILE: After injury last season,
second-year star looks to sharpen skills
By Vytas Mazeika
Daily Bruin Staff
UCLA midfielder Sasha Victorine did not waste any time making
his mark on the soccer team.
With five minutes left in his first game as a Bruin, Victorine
told defenseman Tahj Jakins not to join the offense in a corner
kick. Victorine explained that with so little time left and UCLA
holding onto a 1-0 lead against St. Louis, the team would be better
off with Jakins back in defense.
The reason Victorine’s action came as a surprise was not because
it was his first game. It was because Jakins was the team’s senior
captain for the 1996 season and eventually became the No. 1 Major
League Soccer pick. For Victorine to confront Jakins on the field
provided UCLA head coach Sigi Schmid with a preview of what
Victorine can accomplish in his Bruin career.
"All good teams have a hierarchy," Schmid explained. "Certainly
where you are – are you a senior, are you a junior, are you a
sophomore? – weighs into that hierarchy. But on the same token,
leadership is not something that you are taught. Some individuals
have the capabilities and the willingness, which is a big aspect of
it, to take on the responsibility of leadership."
Victorine is one of those players willing to take on the role of
leader. He believes that when you are one of the best players on
the field it is necessary for you to ask for the ball. It is rare
to find that quality in a player. It is even rarer when a player
feels that one of his weak points last season was the very thing he
garnered praise for. Perhaps, however, that is what a player does
if he’s looking to improve.
"I think I need to get the ball more at times when we were at
high pressure," Victorine said. "When the other team is down our
throat, I think I need to get the ball and settle our team down and
get the control back of the game. That is what I am looking to do
more this year. Not just lead verbally, but to lead on the
field."
Victorine is also quick to point out the difference between
being a leader on and off the field. His reasoning follows Schmid’s
hierarchy theory.
"On the field is different than off the field," Victorine said.
"I let other guys lead the team off the field. They are the seniors
and they should be the guys leading the team. But when it comes
onto the field … I feel it’s a part of my game."
Although Victorine’s first season started with great promise, it
quickly took a turn for the worse. Against Indiana, the third match
of the season, Victorine separated his shoulder. For the rest of
the season Victorine courageously played when he physically could.
He would practice day in and day out, but he was just not
physically capable of playing at 100 percent.
Nevertheless, Victorine kept playing. He took a fall in practice
and was forced to sit out a couple days. Eventually his shoulder
required surgery. Now that he is healthy, Victorine can look back
at the end of the season and realize that all of that pain has led
to certain improvements in his game.
"I think my game sense is a lot better," Victorine explained. "I
think I am a little bit more composed on the ball, too, and out on
the field. I probably play a little bit better under pressure than
before. … I think overall my play has improved a lot."
And Schmid does not expect Victorine to stop improving. UCLA has
a long tradition of players who want the ball in pressure
situations.
Schmid believes that with hard work and dedication, Victorine
will refine and polish the qualities that made him stand out as a
freshman, so that those qualities will become prominent when he is
a leader as a senior.
Schmid believes Victorine has the potential to match several
former Bruins who eventually played with the national team.
"I think (Victorine) is comparable to Dale Ervine, who certainly
wanted the ball when he played," Schmid said. "He actually played
better under pressure than without pressure. Joe-Max Moore is
somebody who definitely wanted the ball, wanted the pressure. Sam
George is another one who even as a defensive midfielder wanted the
ball with the game on the line. And Sasha (Victorine) really
belongs in those footsteps. Those guys are really hard to
find."
In fact, they are so hard to find that every school wants them
on their soccer team. Victorine was recruited by over 25 Division I
universities. He chose UCLA because of its excellent coaching and
great academic tradition, and also the weather.
Most importantly, Victorine has an uncanny ability to control
the game on the field. A leader can control the pace of the game
and make the other team run after the ball. In NCAA soccer, few
players are capable of such a feat. Victorine is one of them.
"The thing that people forget when they look at college soccer
is – as you compare it to the rest of the world – is that you are
looking at a mix of under-19s and, say, very young pros," Schmid
said. "Some famous players have told me a long time ago you don’t
become a player who can control tempo … until you become 24 or 25
– as a minimum.
"I think Sasha comes as close to (a player who can control the
tempo) as any college player that is in the game right now," Schmid
said. "I think he can slow a game down and change the rhythm of a
game. And he can be patient and wait for the opportunities."
With so much talent, and so many schools after him, there comes
both hype and expectations. Victorine has lived up to some of the
hype and his physical abilities have never been questioned, but he
still feels he has more to prove. Ultimately he must learn to play
quickly and efficiently while being patient. Great expectations for
a 19-year-old – but he feels ready.
"I am pretty hard on myself as it is," Victorine said. "It’s
tough to live up to those expectations, but everyone has got to do
it. It is just something for me to look towards and to say, ‘If I
don’t get here it is not a good year.’ I have to reach that status
to be considered good."
Good is not enough for him. Someone like Victorine would not
allow himself to play at a lower level. How else can he become a
leader? THE PLAYERS SASHA VICTORINEMen’s soccerSophomore6’2", 165
poundsMidfielder Victorine hopes to follow up his stellar freshman
season that earned the midfielder first-team All-Mountain Pacific
Sports Federation homors. He spent the summer gaining international
experience playing with the United States Under-20 National Team.
Despite playing most of the season with a shoulder injury,
Victorine tied for second on the team for goals scored (6) and
third in points (14).