Martinez excells at offense

September 21, 1993
Originally published by The Daily Collegian (Fresno State)

Fresno State soccer has made a smash hit this season, especially in the scoreboard department. Because of that, the ’Dogs are 5-1 and off to their best start since 1987, with designs on returning to the postseason.

Along with many other Bulldog names, such as David Kramer and Sterling Wescott, Donovan Martinez has certainly done his part to carry the scoring resurrection for FSU.

Martinez put on an offensive show this past weekend as the Bulldogs crushed Loyola Marymount 7-0 and edged San Francisco 5-4. He compiled his first career hat trick against LMU to raise his 1993 point total to 15 on seven goals and one assist. For each goal, a player receives two points and one point for each assist.

"I am very confident in what I am producing," says Martinez, a 5’8", 165-lb. forward who is in his senior season and is looking to end his FSU career by putting together a solid year. "I was pretty excited (about the hat trick)."

"I feel that in any given game I can score. I think the reason for that is because the team has improved its’ play this year. The team defense and midfield is doing the work to put me in good positions to score. Teamwork is getting us points."

A backup through most of his previous three seasons, Martinez was known as a key contributor off the bench until this year. In 1992, he had 10 points on four goals and two assists, then a career high. The 1991 season saw him struggle to get in a groove due to injuries.

"His job is to score goals, and he knows that," says head coach John Bluem. Against LMU, he was very sharp that night. He pulled a groin muscle in that game, however. He started against San Francisco, but it was obvious he couldn’t cut it, so his playing time was reduced. Hopefully, he can play on it and it won’t hurt him for too long."

Martinez, attributed the team’s start this season to--what else, but teamwork.

"Everybody on this team gets along. We are on the same page. The main goal is to contribute to strive, because we haven’t accomplished anything yet. The good start is a good indicator, but we aren’t satisfied. We’re still lstriving to keep this up, because there won’t be a letdown."

Martinez has an answer to the surprise over the ’Dogs scoring this season. Last year, FSU scored only 29 goals, their lowest in 16 years.

"Because we’re stronger this year. We do our job by stopping people and then setting up our forwards in good situations. When we do that well, we can’t help but put the ball where we need it most--in the back of the net."

Did the teamwork and play that has sparked the Bulldogs play this year exist last season?

Martinez--and coach Bluem--will give an emphatic no.

Martinez says: "We were not on the same page and too many people were trying to be individuals. As a team, we were out of sync. We just weren’t together at any point last year."

He adds: "We were dominating teams, but just weren’t putting them away." He cites a crushing home loss to Air Force in which the ’Dogs had led 2-0 before losing by one goal in the closing seconds, 3-2.

"I couldn’t believe it," he says.

Bluem says: "Goal scoring takes skill. It’s part timing and part mental. How we struggled in ’92 was a mental drought to score goals. We would lose close games despite all but stopping the other team, and after a while it was "Hey, we just can’t score."

"That snowballed, and then it became harder and harder just to get ourselves in a position to score," Bluem adds.

"This year’s team has a tremendous attitude. We are confident that we can score, so we put people away."

Martinez is "very confident" about today’s match with UC Santa Barbara.

He says that while the Bulldogs beat rival San Francisco, he shares a team sentiment that it was not pretty.

FSU took a 5-1 lead in that game before a late USF rally closed it to 5-4.

"We let them back in the game, because we let up. Maybe we thought we had it too good (with the big lead) and we got too cocky," he says.

The Bulldogs ended last year with a 12-5-1 record, but not good enough to get them to the postseason.

"In three of our losses, I felt that we were the better team and deserved to win," Bluem says. "We outplayed people, but couldn’t score. This year, we have a tremendous motivation factor. Our concentration and effort have improved, and we’re not gonna let games slip away.

"This is a team that is determined to go back to the postseason, and I think this is the team that is going to do it. And Martinez will be one of the reasons," says Bluem.