Front (L to R): Ternot MacRenato, Pat Presentin, Eduardo Rangel, Mike Ivanow, Jerry Katzeff, Mike Laurel, Manager Kevin Carey
Back (L to R:) Luis Sagastume, Henry Lopez-Contreras, Al Tsacle, Al Aramendia, Gary Royce, Sandor Hites, George Fernandez, Sam Gerzowski, Lothar Osiander, Coach Steve Negoesco
*Not Pictured: Rudy Dekkers, Istvan Pribilovics
1966 NCAA National Champions
1966 West Coast Intercollegiate Soccer Conference Champions
Head Coach: Steve Negoesco
Overall Record: 12-0-1 WCISC Record: 4-0-0
All-WCISC Team: George Fernandez, Mike Ivanow, Eduardo Rangel
Most Goals: Eduardo Rangel (21) Goalie: Mike Ivanow
USF Hall-of-Famers: Luis Sagastume, Mike Ivanow, Eduardo Rangel, Lothar Osiander, Sandor Hites, Steve Negoesco
The Dons under head coach Steve Negoesco made the NCAA national semifinals for the first time since the tournament started in 1959. Michigan State, Army and Long Island all completed in the soccer Final Four held at Berkeley on a muddy morass.
Negoesco and his Dons met Army in the national semifinals at wet and foggy Memorial Stadium. The field was a mess, forcing many of the West Point booters shot attempts to sail off target. Negoesco and his talented Dons, who played their two previous games in the mud, were better prepared. The Dons dominated in the swamp like conditions, to defeat Army as second half goals by Luis Sagastume and Sandor Hites gave USF the victory. Olympian Mike Ivanow recorded the shutout at goalie.
The following day USF faced Long Island University which had scored a surprising 6-5 win over Michigan State in the semifinals. Led by Hites outstanding effort, the Dons scored a championship game record five goals en route to a 5-2 win over LIU and USF’s first NCAA title. Hites accounted for three of the five goals and was named the tournament’s outstanding player. It was the first of four NCAA crowns under Negoesco, as the Hilltoppers finished the season at 12-0-1.
Quite a bit was written about the Dons International connections as a Sports Illustrated article about the championship game was titled "USF Wins One for the U.N.” referencing the seven Dons players born in Germany, Guatemala, Hungary, Indonesia, Poland and Russia along with their Romanian coach. However, every USF player except for one player from Seattle lived year-round in San Francisco.
The 1966 Dons outscored their opponents 54-13 with five shutouts. Their defense was so dominant that during one 10-game stretch they allowed only five total goals.
Did You Know? The NCAA quarterfinal round game against St. Louis went into four overtimes before USF finally prevailed 2-1. The game was finally settled in the 108th minute when Eduardo Rangel scored on a rebound goal off the St. Louis goalie. The previous game versus San Jose State in the regional playoffs went into two overtimes before USF survived 2-1. Over the span of two consecutive pressure-packed NCAA tournament games, the Dons had played almost 210 minutes of soccer.
They Said It: “At least once a week Coach Negoesco herds his international cast down to the beach to run seven miles in the sand and play a 40-minute game with seagulls for an audience,” Sports Illustrated magazine, 1966. The rugged training at Ocean Beach paid off as USF’s short passing game and fresher legs proved to be the perfect recipe for playing in the mud in wet conditions in the NCAA tournament games.
