Natural Fit

By Jack Ferdon

Call him the Tommy Lasorda of Santa Clara.

If the portly baseball manager, who's spent a lifetime with his organization, bled Dodger blue, then surely first-year men's soccer coach Cameron Rast has Bronco maroon flowing through his veins.

His Santa Clara career began as an undergraduate in 1988. By his sophomore year, Rast had established himself as a star defender on the pitch, garnering the first of two All-American selections and leading the Broncos to a share of the national title. He also partook in that mellow good life known to all Santa Clara students, going to see bands at Lord John's (the now defunct bar across the street from the Hut) and having barbecues at his house on Fremont Street.

After his senior year, in which Santa Clara placed second in the nation, Rast took a brief sabbatical. He captained the U.S. Olympic team in Barcelona and played on a few other clubs before returning to Santa Clara as an assistant coach under Mitch Murray in 1995.

"My intent was always to be a coach," said Rast. "I was always fascinated by the way a coach can affect what happens on the field during a game. And I had a great experience as an undergrad at Santa Clara. So when I got the chance to coach here, it was a natural fit for me."

Now Rast will have to fit just as smoothly into the job held by Mitch Murray for the past 11 years before he stepped down last spring. During Murray's tenure, Santa Clara won five WCC titles and went to eight NCAA tournaments. That leaves Rast with Shaq-sized shoes that need immediate filling, but he is as game as they come.

"We're a fairly young team (there are only three seniors and four juniors on the entire roster) but we definitely have the talent to make the NCAA tourney. And while right now we're not considered a contender for the national championship, I think we can improve enough during the season to get to that point," said Rast.

His main task has been to revamp an offense that averaged just one goal per game last year. The early returns would seem to indicate that Rast has done so brilliantly, as Santa Clara has netted 18 goals in its first five games while streaking to a 4-1 record.

"Mitch's philosophy was to play a very organized defense, and it worked," said Rast. "But I want us to create more space so we can score more goals and be bolder in our attacking."

Perhaps the biggest change implemented by Rast has been the addition of a third forward to the front line. In the Bronco's last game, a 3-2 victory over Cal-State Fullerton, Santa Clara forwards senior Jamil Walker, sophomore Will Weatherly and freshman phenom Kelechi Igwe combined to pepper the CSF goalkeeper with 11 shots.

Rast also offers a different coaching style than Murray, whose old-school, Lombardi-like authoritarianism is miles away from the new skipper's buddy-buddy, John Gruden-like approach.

"Cam is a more hands-on type of coach. I think he is very demanding and knows how to get all he can out of his players. He is more approachable than Mitch is but at the same time the guys respect him and work just as hard," said sophomore goalie Steve Cronin, who has two shutouts on the season.

"Cam is such a down to earth guy that although he is our head coach he is a guy that is young enough to understand and feel like a teammate," said sophomore defender Ryan Cochrane. "He is very in touch with the game and knows that the game is played much different than it was in the past."

Rast will need to do his best work yet to win Santa Clara's two matches this week. The first, against Cal tonight at Buck Shaw, pits the Broncos against a team that took them to three overtimes in the NCAA tournament last year. The second, at Stanford on Sunday, gives Santa Clara a chance to measure itself against the No. 1 team in the country.

Coach Rast relishes the challenge. "The Stanford game is a great test for our young players. The result will tell us where we stand," he said.

Rast already knows where he stands. It's the same place he's been for the better part of the past 14 years of his life. And he knows his job: to lead the Santa Clara men's soccer program to the same place he took them as a player, the national championship.