UCSB has nine returning starters but it was one of the new faces that created the biggest stir in Saturday’s exhibition match against Westmont.
Sam Garza, a sophomore transfer from Denver, had Gaucho fans buzzing over his exciting style play. The forward, in a dazzling display of skill and flair, assisted on the first goal and scored the second in a 3-1 victory before 3,103 at Harder Stadium.
It was the 10th straight win by the Gauchos over the Warriors. Westmont still leads the series 23-21-4.
UCSB's Luis Silva is surrounded by teammates after scoring the Gauchos' first goal on Saturday night against Westmont.
[nggallery id=46]One of the biggest questions for UCSB going into the season was who would fill the vacancy at forward left by the graduation of David Walker.
Garza helped answer that question with his debut performance. On the first goal, he beat two defenders with some nifty moves while dribbling along the left byline before centering the ball on the ground to Luis Silva. Silva hit a one-time shot that beat Westmont goalkeeper Matthew McNab in the 11th minute.
“Garza has the kind of dimensions that can change a game,” said UCSB coach Tim Vom Steeg.
Garza made it 2-0 in the 23rd minute, scoring off a beautiful combination play with Danny Barrera. Silva started the sequence by getting a pass off to Barrera while being double teamed on the sideline. Garza, showing good discipline, timed his run perfectly to avoid being offsides, latched onto the through pass and hit a quick shot under a charging McNab.
In the second half, Garza hit a point-blank shot off the post.
“He’s as good as advertised,” Vom Steeg said of the former U.S. Under-20 player. “He’s been waiting for this. It’s funny. When he made that move on the sideline, (the coaching staff) said we’ve all seen this in practice. We knew it was coming.
“It was as good as it gets.”
Garza said he’s felt right at home since joining the Gauchos.
“Once I got here, in the first practice I felt pretty comfortable with my teammates,” he said. “It didn’t take me long to get used to them. I like playing with Silva, Danny and (Michael) Nonni out there. They’ll find you in space and get the ball back to you. They’re great players and have great vision.”
He also enjoyed playing in front of a good crowd.
“It was great,” he said of his debut. “The fans were awesome, the team was awesome. I thought we played pretty well.”
The Gauchos, ranked sixth in the nation in one preseason poll, created numerous chances to score more, but off-target shooting and some clutch defensive plays by the scrambling Warriors kept the game close on the scoreboard.
UCSB outshot Westmont 29-4.
“I thought offensively we were in good positions and we created some good stuff,” said Vom Steeg.
Westmont coach Dave Wolf said he saw some good things from “the spine of our team” (centerbacks, three midfielders and forward Doug Harrell), but he wasn’t happy how the Gauchos scored their first two goals.
“The big issue for us tonight was a couple of giveaways that got put in the back of our own goal,” he said. “When you give a couple of balls away against them, you’re going to suffer severely, and we did.”
One of the brighter moments for the Warriors came in the second half when freshman Rick McCarthy jumped on a loose ball in the UCSB end of the field and hit a brilliant 25-yard strike that beat backup goalkeeper Eric Reyes in the 65th minute.
“He’s on the team now and not just because of the goal,” said Wolf of his young midfielder from Michigan. “When his chance came, he took it.”
The Westmont goal brought new life to the match.
“Not that you like to give up a goal, but I thought that picked the game up again when they scored. That brought us alive again,” said Vom Steeg.
Nonni, playing as a withdrawn striker, came charging at the Warriors a couple of times before finally scoring in the 76th minute. He took a long ball from the midfield, outran the Westmont defender and tucked his shot away to cap the scoring.
“I think it’s his best position,” Vom Steeg said of Nonni’s new spot on the field.
For Wolf, playing UCSB is always big challenge for his team.
“One night out of the year it’s difficult to watch them play, but I’m going to enjoy it the rest of the year,” he said.
HA! We still lead the series!