Monday, Sept. 8, 2003 | 9:30 a.m.
Dean Juipe's column appears Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. His boxing notebook appears Thursday. Reach him at [email protected] or (702) 259-4084.
The second half was about to begin when Barry Barto turned to his assistant coach and remarked on how he intended to spend Sunday evening.
Frank D'Amelio heard what Barto had to say before responding with his own likely destination.
"I'm going to the Stratosphere," he said, allowing Barto to pick up on the wry inference that D'Amelio wasn't so much interested in going in the Stratosphere as he was threatening to find his way to the top of it.
"Uh, oh," Barto deadpanned. "It sounds like a Stratosphere (suicide) watch."
The coaches chuckled for one of the few times all day before returning to the business at hand: righting their UNLV men's soccer team.
But the process may be an extended one, given the Rebels' eventual 3-1 loss to Davidson at Peter Johann Field and unsightly 0-4 record.
Exasperated throughout much of the 90-minute match, Barto and D'Amelio alternately hollered encouragement and criticism toward their young team, which has only three seniors. Winners of 12 of 20 matches a year ago, UNLV has already found the 2003 season may not be one of its best.
"I'm not satisfied with the results or the way we've played either," Barto said. "If we're going to turn things around we'd better do it soon, because the season is so short."
Barto, who is UNLV's senior head coach in terms of service, is in his 22nd year as head coach of the Rebels and has seen seasons both great and mediocre. But his current squad is on course for something less than middling.
In Sunday's contest -- part of a collegiate tripleheader played in sunny but breezy conditions and before a small crowd of about 150 non-NFL fans -- the Rebels spent the first half wearing down the grass on their side of the pitch as Davidson controlled play and held a 1-0 lead. A game-tying goal by Boomer Arbelaez (of Bishop Gorman High School) rejuvenated the UNLV side three minutes into the second half until the Wildcats of the Southern Conference scored twice in the final eight minutes to up their record to 3-1.
Both of the latter goals came after UNLV defensive breakdowns and were part of three uncontested breakaways Davidson enjoyed with the game on the line. The final goal was the equivalent of an "empty netter" in hockey, with the Rebels having all but pulled their goalie in a desperate attempt to tie the score.
"Defense wins games," Barto said afterward, adding that he thought his team missed some good scoring chances when the game was tied.
"That can be a bad thing from the point of frustration," he said. "Then they counter and get an easy goal off us."
Barto believes the Rebels have enough offense to contend in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation and he has 14 letter winners back after losing five to graduation. But scoring has been a problem and when the intensity level was notched up in Sunday's game his team was once again back on its heels.
Is the season salvageable? One would have to think so, especially when Barto says he has had more individual and team meetings this year than ever before.
But if the Rebels don't improve, comments like the one by D'Amelio pertaining to the Stratosphere will have to be taken more seriously.
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