UCI just misses

The UC Irvine men’s soccer team felt a different sort of regret

after losing, 2-1, to visiting San Diego Wednesday night. Sure, the

Anteaters had several chances to upset the No. 14 Toreros (8-1-0),

who scored the game-winner with 13 minutes left. But the ‘Eaters

(4-3-1) were also thinking what if because they had so many players

out with injuries.

What if, as in what if Brad Aspey, Jesse Peron and Sebastian

Galmarini had played? What if Anthony Vizcarra played at full

strength? What if the Anteaters played at full strength?

“We put forth a great effort,” UCI Coach George Kuntz said. “We

felt we were the better team. We’re missing at least three starters.

We still feel we can compete with (San Diego).”

The Anteaters certainly put a scare into the Toreros, who led 1-0

at halftime. San Diego scored in the 27th minute, after its star

forward Ryan Coiner put one in the back of the net. The goal came

moments after UCI created a solid scoring threat.

However, the Anteaters drew even with San Diego in the 66th

minute. UCI senior Scott Bowman started the scoring play with a pass

to sophomore David Yemane. Yemane put a nice touch on a pass to Dardo

Acuna, who finished for the goal. Acuna’s goal was from about 10

yards out and the shot sailed over the goalie’s head. Acuna leads the

Anteaters with three goals this season.

San Diego held off Irvine by scoring in the 77th minute. Coiner

assisted on Eric Wunderle’s goal.

“He’s an outstanding player,” Kuntz said of Coiner. “It’s hard to

stop a Coiner.”

San Diego outshot Irvine, 13-6. UCI goalkeeper Cameron Rossi

recorded four saves, including a diving stop in the final minute,

preventing Coiner from scoring his second goal.

* UCI’s new Athletic Director Bob Chichester took in his first

Anteaters sporting event Wednesday night. He and his wife, Phyllis,

will be in town for the week and will try to watch a few more events.

Chichester, who wore a leather UCI jacket and also watched the game

with men’s basketball coach Pat Douglass, will officially start work

with Irvine Oct. 14.

* Despite an 8-7 loss to USC and a close-shave 10-9 win over

Long Beach State, the UCI men’s water polo team retained its No. 2

national ranking by the American Water Polo Coaches Association this

week. Stanford, coached by former Corona del Mar High head man John

Vargas, remains the top-ranked team.

Coach Ted Newland’s Anteaters (5-2) host No. 7 Pepperdine tonight

at 7. Senior two-meter man Jeff Powers, a U.S. National Team member,

leads UCI in scoring with 21 goals in seven games.

* UCI cross country coach Vince O’Boyle said he will red-shirt

Tessa Cendejas, mainly because other runners on his women’s cross

country team have been intensifying their efforts. Cendejas, who

would have been a senior this year, finished eighth in the Big West

Conference meet last year, and was one of the top returners for the

Anteaters. Senior Julie Manson, who finished seventh in the Big West,

figures to be the top runner for the Anteaters. Fellow senior Amanda

Armstrong stepped up with a solid performance last week. Armstrong

finished fifth (18:43.50) over 5,000 meters to help UCI finish fifth

in the UC Riverside Invitational last week.

O’Boyle also said he was impressed with his men’s team after the

Anteaters garnered experience in Riverside.

“I’m excited about them,” O’Boyle said. “That’s the first race

they had with that many people and that high of a caliber. They

handled it well. You’re going to take some lumps along the way to

getting better. If they grow from it, we’ll be OK.”

The UCI cross country teams will compete in the Stanford

University Invitational Saturday.

* Matt Hess, a sophomore forward on the Vanguard University men’s

soccer team, has been named the NAIA Region II Player of the Week. In

addition, Hess earned Golden State Athletic Conference Player of the

Week, and Vanguard’s Lion of the Week for the second straight week.