The UCSB men’s soccer team will be missing a couple of key components when it opens the 2011 regular season Saturday at 7 p.m. against Seattle University at Meredith Field at Harder Stadium.
They Gauchos will be without senior center midfielder Luis Silva and junior defensive midfielder Machael David, as both are serving suspensions from last year’s NCAA playoff loss at Cal. Silva is out for one game for receiving the controversial red card for his tackle on Servando Carrasco; David is beginning a three-game suspension for making contact with the referee during all the commotion at the conclusion of that match.
Coach Tim Vom Steeg said he’s planning to play Nic Ryan in Silva’s spot, move Fifi Baden from David’s position to the right wing and drop in another defender. He also expects to give UCLA transfer and former Santa Barbara High star Christian Vasquez some playing time in the central midfield.
Vasquez scored a goal in the 6-1 exhibition win over Westmont last Saturday.
“I thought Christian played well against Westmont but I feel like starting the game with Ryan gives us a little bit more in the middle of the park,” Vom Steeg said. “Christian will definitely get minutes. “Ryan basically has been on the field for us for a lot of games. I want to start a group of guys that left the field last year, so it means putting (Sam) Garza on the right, Fifi on the left and Ryan in the middle.”
Vom Steeg also is making adjustments on the backline. He plans to slide Mathew Glodack from centerback to the left fullback spot in place of James Kiffe and insert Juan Gomez to play alongside 6-6 sophomore Peter Schmetz in the middle of the defense. Senior Peter McGlynn will remain at right fullback.
“When we put (McGlynn and Kiffe) both on the field, everything is great in terms of going forward but we kind of leave ourselves little exposed in the back with new centerbacks,” Vom Steeg said. “The centerbacks are still sorting themselves out.”
Schmetz appears to have secured one of the central spots.
“I cannot imagine not having Schmetzer out there,” Vom Steeg said. “He’s too big … he wins everything in the air; he doesn’t jump and he still wins everything.
“The conversation for us has been who plays better next to the Schmetzer,” he added. “He’s not Mr. Mobile; he runs well for a big kid but he needs a complement that can run well. Matt obviously runs well.”
Vom Steeg called Glodack one of the best backs he’s seen at UCSB since Greg Curry, a team captain and starter on the 2006 national championship team who is now an assistant coach for the Gauchos
“He’s very, very good. He can play with his left and right foot, so he can play across the back. If we want to come out with our best defensive look, it’s probalby putting Glodack to the left back spot.”
Gomez is his other option in the middle.
“It’s a long season and we’re still working on combinations,” Vom Steeg said. “Juan gives us more mobility in the back because he runs very well and tracks well.”
He hasn’t given up on McGlynn and Kiffe being on the field together.
“Once we figure out how to cover for each other and how to slide for each other, then we will have much more flexibility with having Kiffe and McGlynn on the field at the same time,” he noted. “But, right off the bat, I want to make sure three of our four backs are defenders first.”
Seattle, in its third year playing in Division 1, is coming off a 5-10-3 season in which it scored only 12 goals.
The Redhawks are coached by Brad Agoos, who is the brother of former U.S. national team player Jeff Agoos.
