Sanford Has Found a Home in Azusa

Chrissy Sanford has had a highly productive and often turbulent college soccer career.

Sanford scored more than 40 goals for Ventura College after sitting out her senior season at Newbury Park High, dissatisfied with the coaching she received and her progress as a player.

After her only season at Ventura, she signed with Arizona and led the Wildcats with 11 goals and 27 points. But the combination of piling losses in the competitive Pacific 10 Conference and a conflict with then-Coach Lisa Fraser resulted in Sanford leaving school and heading for Azusa Pacific.

Azusa Coach Jason Surrell was wary of Sanford’s interest after finding out about her track record.

“Sure, I had heard some of the negative things that were being said,” Surrell said. “I went ahead and took a chance on her.”

Sanford has found a smooth stretch along what has been a bumpy road. She has been a catalyst for one of the National Assn. Of Intercollegiate Athletics’ top programs.

There is no questioning her talent. The senior forward scored 20 goals in helping the Cougars reach the NAIA tournament semifinals last season.

In Azusa’s first four games this season, Sanford had five goals, including the game-winner in double overtime against Long Beach State. Despite the loss of team captain and high-scoring partner Kendra Payne to graduation, Sanford, a Thousand Oaks native, has remained prolific.

Surrell said Sanford has been the ideal player to coach. Sanford said she has played her best soccer at Azusa and added, “It’s a lot better playing for a national title in NAIA than being in last place in the Pac-10.”

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Playing the game: On a bright typical Saturday afternoon, La Verne played host to Cal Lutheran in a Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football opener. Only it wasn’t a normal Saturday.

The Rose Bowl, where UCLA was to play host to Arizona State, stood empty, along with most other Division I or I-AA stadiums across the country. Cal Lutheran and La Verne were two of many small colleges that stuck to their schedules in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

As most professional leagues and Division I universities canceled or postponed events as the week went on, the decision became that much more difficult.

“We gave a lot of thought as to what might be appropriate to continue and what might not be appropriate to continue,” La Verne Athletic Director Jim Paschal said. At the game, a few fans were bedecked in stars and stripes, but there wasn’t the wave of patriotic fervor that had swept through the La Verne campus the previous few days.

Cal Lutheran Coach Scott Squires has a brother, Steve, who is a Navy captain, awaiting orders from Washington. Yet, Squires said, the game had to be played.

“Something like this hits everybody differently,” he said. “Doggone it, we’ve got to grieve and we’ve also got to keep moving on.”

Squires said he understood why many schools canceled their games, but added he firmly believed in showing that life must return to normal.

“President Bush declared our day of mourning on Friday,” he said. “I consider [Saturday] a day of rebirth.”

Cal Lutheran won the game, 18-16.

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Comeback kids: Azusa Pacific’s penchant for comebacks continued Sept. 8, when the Cougars rallied from first-half deficits of 21-0 and 27-17 to defeat Pacific Lutheran (Wash.), then the fourth-ranked team in Division III, 31-27.

The decisive points came early in the fourth quarter on a five-yard touchdown run by Shane Minton. The rally kept Azusa from starting 0-2 for the first time since 1997.

Last year, the Cougars rallied from a 27-0 first-quarter deficit to defeat Cal Lutheran, 54-51.