Garcia propels UCI

IRVINE — It took Irving Garcia, a transfer from Yavapai Community College in Arizona, a good part of the season to bond with his UC Irvine men’s soccer teammates. But there was one fellow Anteater with whom he connected instantly.

“We play the same and we think the same,” Garcia said of UCI senior Rafael “Pollo” Machado, with whom, UCI players kid, have become the Anteaters’ Mexican connection.

Machado delivered a pass to Garcia just beyond the top of the 18-yard box in the 37th minute Wednesday night against visiting UC Davis. Garcia settled the ball, turned and delivered a low driving shot just inside the left post for the difference in the hosts’ 1-0 triumph in the first round of the Big West Conference Tournament.

The win moves the Anteaters (13-1-6), who earned the program’s first conference regular-season crown to collect the No. 1 seed in the inaugural Big West postseason tournament, into the title game against UC Santa Barbara Saturday at 7 p.m. at UCI.

UCSB defeated Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, 4-3, in penalty kicks Wednesday, after the two teams were deadlocked, 2-2, through regulation and two 10-minute overtime periods at Cal Poly.

UCSB (11-5-4) handed UCI its only loss this season, 2-1, at UCI on Oct. 4. UCI beat the No. 20-ranked Gauchos, 3-1, at UCSB on Nov. 1.

“We’re just excited,” said Garcia, who blistered a shot off the left goalpost in the first minute to stir up most of the 834 in attendance. “We have a chance to make history [attempting to become the first UCI squad to play in the NCAA Tournament]. “Playing UC Davis is really hard. We couldn’t relax the whole 90 minutes.”

UCI, ranked No. 1 in the Far West Region and No. 8 nationally in the coaches’ assn. poll, controlled the game in the first half, connecting repeatedly for quality chances, while limiting the No. 15-ranked Aggies (12-4-4) with solid defense.

“We’re playing well, but I was a little disappointed with the second half,” UCI Coach George Kuntz said. “We were getting some chances [in the opening 40 minutes], but it was nothing like the way we were flying around against Northridge. We were buzzing [in Saturday’s 2-1 win].”

Garcia, an All-American and the region player of the year for the national junior college champion last season, has kept the Anteaters offense humming ever since being moved up front from the midfield before the Oct. 15 home contest with Northridge.

The Anteaters have not lost since. They extended their unbeaten streak to nine [which began one game before Garcia’s position change], and have now won five straight.

“He’s an exciting player, who can really control the ball,” Kuntz said of the 5-foot-5, 140-pound dervish nicknamed “Swerving Irving” by the UCI public address announcer. “Plus, he sees the game differently than the rest of us. He has a completely new set of glasses on. He’s always looking to connect beyond the play at hand. It was like they said with Pele, that he played the game five or six passes ahead. In Mexico, there is a saying that you start the play and you finish it. That’s what Irving did tonight.”

Garcia and Kuntz said the Anteaters are intent on finishing what they’ve started this season.

“We just want to keep on playing,” Garcia said. “We’re not focused on this tournament, or the [NCAA] tournament, or even winning or losing. We just want to keep playing better and better. We’re playing our best soccer right now. We’re like brothers.”

Said Kuntz, “Our guys are still hungry. As coaches, we worried about them losing focus after Saturday, but, to their credit, they were focused tonight.”

Senior midfielder Matt Murphy, likely to be the conference Player of the Year after leading UCI with 11 goals and seven assists, added to the offensive flow by consistently serving through balls and crosses to trigger scoring chances.

Sophomore forward Spencer Thompson (eight goals and five assists in 2008) played only briefly in the second half, obviously nursing a sprained ankle sustained Saturday. Kuntz said he believes Thompson should be ready for Santa Barbara.

Freshman goalie Andrew Fontein made two saves to record his fourth shutout of the season, also made possible by the strong play of senior center backs David Sias and Kyle Schmid, as well as defenders Jake Westbrook and Corey Attaway.

BARRY FAULKNER may be reached at (714) 966-4615 or at barry.faulkner@latimes.com.