Tuesday, October 8, 1996
M. SOCCER:
Freshman shines in starting role despite hurt shoulderBy Mark
Shapiro
Daily Bruin Staff
Recruiting wars are nothing new for the brain trust of the UCLA
men’s soccer team. Every year, like clockwork, they plant
themselves right in the thick of the chase for the best young
talent in the nation.
In 1994, head coach Sigi Schmid and company corralled Gatorade
Player of the Year Justin Selander. In 1995 it was attackers Seth
George and Tom Poltl, and most recent to the flock is midfielder
Sasha Victorine.
This wasn’t your grandparents’ recruiting war, no sir, because
schools like Clemson and Maryland were after Victorine full-bore.
The University of Washington had him run down the tunnel with the
football team before a home game against Notre Dame in what would
be a vain attempt to entice him to play for the Huskies.
So what is it that could make the finest coaches in the nation
pull out every trick in the book to reel in a gangly 6-foot-2-inch
midfielder?
"He’s a commanding presence on the field, he makes a point of
every game putting his stamp on it," UCLA assistant coach Paul
Krumpe said. "He’s a natural leader and he can tie in all of the
players around him, and he brings a sense of composure to the
team."
It’s a bit scary, but there’s more to be said.
"To me, he just had a great understanding of the game and he
knew what needed to be done whether that was to push forward, make
a tackle, or organize other people," Schmid said. "He just seemed
to have an innate feel for what to do in a game."
Schmid, the man who secured the likes of Cobi Jones, Ante Razov
and Paul Caliguiri, knows a bit about talent and where to find it.
It turned out that Victorine wanted to play under Schmid’s tutelage
just as much as Schmid wanted to work with him, and so the decision
was made.
The UCLA program has always been one that is not shy about
tossing freshmen headfirst into game action. Just last year, Poltl
and George played in all 22 games. Perhaps the biggest difference
in Victorine’s case is that he has accepted a role that goes beyond
the usual on-field contributions.
"That’s kind of a rare thing to do with a freshman," Krumpe
said. "We see him as definitely one of our team leaders and we’re
planning on depending on him a lot this year and the next three
years."
There is no shame in transition time for a freshman struggling
to find his place. However, Victorine arrived in Westwood with
pundits declaring him the cornerstone of the top recruiting class
in the nation. But he had been through that mill before when he
spent last year as a member of the U.S. Under-20 National Team.
"The Under-20 team prepared me more in terms of confidence and
leadership, playing with the best day in and day out," Victorine
said. "Once your game gets better, then you start seeing things and
your game starts clicking. If you can play against them, you know
that you can play against anyone."
There was more that Victorine was able to bring to the table
after his trials with the Under-20 team  the ability to
quickly find a niche in the pecking order of an established
team.
"When you first get in there, no one really knows you,"
Victorine said. "The first day, you’re all nervous, but by the end
of the first camp, you start playing better."
Of all of the qualities that he brought to the table, this may
be the most valuable, because it allowed him to quickly settle in
and immediately make his presence felt.
A starting role came, and shortly after he had become an
unofficial ringleader of the band of freshman filling in the
lineup.
It was hard to remember that the guy was still a freshman, but
unspoken rules kept him in check.
"No matter how much leadership you possess, you’re still viewed
as a freshman," Schmid said. "There’s only so far that you can go
with it, but he’s gone pretty far. Everything he’s done has been
what he’s felt comfortable doing on his own."
At the start of the season, Victorine had successfully
fulfilling one of the criteria that had attracted the coaching
staff to him: he had established himself as a team leader on and
off the field. It was task No. 2 that would satisfy the
expectations concerning his ability: he had to perform on the
field.
Eight minutes and two goals into his first game, those questions
were answered, and now, 10 games into the season, Victorine is
playing to rave reviews. Although his offensive output has tailed
off from his defensive midfielder position, it is his unparalleled
vision of the field and ability to see a play develop that have
made him into a dangerous force.
"He sits back enough to see everything that goes on in front of
him," Krumpe said. "We’re a much different team without Sasha on
the field. He organizes us tremendously in the middle of the field
and he does a great job of covering when we have backs going
forward."
Because of this organizational talent, Victorine has been kept
back in a more defensive role from which he can push the ball
forward and control play. What he can’t do is be an unfettered
attacker, for his offensive role has been limited to the occasional
run forward into a gap.
"He’s been held out of the offense a little bit, but we need to
get him forward a little bit more," Schmid said. "He has a sense
for seeing where gaps are, he didn’t have to be told. You don’t
have to tell him things a lot of the time."
The prospect of playing more of an offensive role is something
that Victorine relishes.
"I want to go forward more and help the attack," Victorine said.
"Right now, I feel a little limited going forward and I need to
pick my times."
Victorine has also been slowed by a separated shoulder that he
suffered in the second game of the season. Though he has played
through the injury, there is a certain tentativeness that wasn’t
there before, be it on a run through traffic or sliding in for a
tackle. Regardless, he has made an impact as a freshman that has
left him in quite heady company with names like Joe-Max Moore and
Dale Irvine.
"Everyone’s best year was not their first year, so we’re
definitely going to see better things from him," Schmid said. "The
difference is, none of the others have had to deal with a
significant injury like he has."
PATRICK LAM/Daily Bruin
Freshman Sasha Victorine has excelled from his midfielder
position, where his organizational instincts and field vision help
protect the goal posts.UCLA Sports Info
Sasha Victorine