Anteaters aim high yet again

There will inevitably be some anxious moments for UC Irvine men’s soccer coach George Kuntz this season.

But Kuntz, entering his 14th year at UCI on the heels of the program’s most momentous season, will likely face none as scary as those he experienced in the off-season.

“It pretty much gave me a heart attack,” Kuntz said of injuries sustained by preseason All-American midfielder-forward Irving Garcia and junior forward Spencer Thompson.

Garcia, who had seven goals and a team-best nine assists to help the Anteaters go 15-2-6 and earn their first Big West Conference regular season and tournament titles, en route to the round of 16 in their first NCAA Tournament appearance, was felled by a summer ankle injury.

Thompson, who scored eight goals and 22 points as a sophomore, had surgery for a knee problem that, Kuntz said, may have threatened his career.

Both are returning to top form, however, as the Anteaters, ranked No. 14 in the College Soccer News preseason poll, head into tonight’s opener at Santa Clara at 7.

“[Those guys] change everything,” said Kuntz, whose program appears to have changed the perception formerly held by most in the college soccer community. After last season’s breakthrough, the Anteaters have seemingly evolved from a fringe contender with postseason potential, into a force to be reckoned with.

UCI did nothing to hurt its burgeoning reputation when it battled UCLA to a 1-1 deadlock in an road exhibition match Saturday.

Garcia, who emerged as a prolific offensive catalyst late in the season when Kuntz began shifting him from his outside midfield spot to forward, is virtually the center of this storm of expectation. “He has the ability to shoot off the dribble, and to combine with other players extremely well, in an explosive manner,” Kuntz said of the 5-foot-5 dynamo. “He changes the game in split seconds.”

Thompson, whom Kuntz described as a soccer player in a running back’s body, will be counted upon up front, along with fellow junior Amani Walker.

Walker came off the bench most of the time last season (10 starts in 23 appearances), but still produced four goals and five assists to rank No. 4 on the team in scoring.

Matt Murphy had 11 goals and eight assists to lead the team last season on his way to being named third-team All-American. He graduated as the school’s career leader in goals (33) and points (85).

Also departed are Big West Conference Defensive Player of the Year David Sias, play-making midfielder Rafael Macedo and stalwart defender Kyle Schmid.

But Kuntz believes there is enough firepower and enough promise on the back line to help lessen the possibility of any sophomore slump from goalkeeper Andrew Fontein.

Fontein was the MVP Of the Big West Tournament last season, when he went from sixth-string walk-on to the sure-handed anchor who collected five shutouts in 19 starts.

Defensive midfielder Gray Bailey, a junior, was one of two players to start all 23 games last season (Schmid was the other) and Kuntz considers him an unsung standout.

Senior Kevin Santora and junior Corey Attaway also figure to provide experience on the back line, where sophomores Jimmy Turner and Joel Bagby are also projected starters.

Junior Carlos Aguilar and senior J.T. Terrazas, round out the starting midfield, Kuntz said.

Kuntz is also enthusiastic about the potential of freshmen Jonathan Prieto, Zach Olow and Enrique Cardenas, as well as junior Santa Ana Community College transfer Jorge Reyes.

UCI opens its home season Saturday at 7:30 p.m. against Long Island in the UCI College Classic.