‘Eaters make history

NORTHRIDGE — Time was running out on UC Irvine when Carlos Aguilar entered late.

Aguilar was hurting, shin splints and he was under the weather.

The rest of his teammates weren’t feeling much better Saturday.

At stake was the Big West Conference men’s soccer championship at Cal State Northridge.

Seeing his Anteaters struggling to take advantage of numerous scoring opportunities, Coach George Kuntz called on the junior striker in the regular-season finale.

Despite playing with a man advantage, the Anteaters’ offense took a blow when sophomore starter Spencer Thompson came crashing down, injuring his right ankle on a Matadors’ foul that prompted a red card in the 60th minute.

Twelve minutes later, the Matadors tied the match.

What followed is what Kuntz expected.

Aguilar delivered the game-winner with two minutes, 28 seconds left, lifting the Anteaters to a 2-1 victory and their first Big West Conference regular-season title and possibly the school’s first NCAA Division I Tournament berth.

The No. 11-ranked Anteaters (12-1-6, 5-1-4 in conference) went nuts. Aguilar wildly ran away from teammates, leaping toward a section in the visiting stands.

Catching Aguilar were family members. They safely raised him up into the crowd, where Aguilar celebrated and pumped his fists.

The Aguilars made the drive from Palmdale to watch their blood perform. When Aguilar got the chance, he capitalized against the Matadors (8-7-4, 4-3-3).

Striker Irving Garcia fed Aguilar a precise pass after beating defenders deep in the box. Aguilar finished the play after patiently waiting seven yards away in front of the goal.

“I had to go celebrate with them,” Aguilar said of his family members. “My family has been there for me and they came out to see me play. I just wanted to make a goal for them, but not only for them, but for my team, too.

“I’m good under pressure.”

Kuntz was well aware of that before his 14th season at UCI. Because of Aguilar, the Anteaters enter the inaugural four-team Big West Conference Tournament as the top seed. The Anteaters play host to No. 4-seeded UC Davis (12-3-4) Wednesday.

UC Santa Barbara, the No. 2 seed, plays No. 3 Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

What a difference a year makes in conference play.

“Last year at this time, we were in the cellar,” Kuntz said. “We committed ourselves as coaches and as players to turn it around and to turn it around completely the opposite [direction] is gratifying. We did it.”

For completing the task, the Anteaters doused Kuntz with a bucket of water after the match.

Kuntz never saw it coming. He looked very cold and visibly shaken.

Coach can learn a little from Aguilar.

Aguilar has come through in the clutch before, a reason why Kuntz recruited him.

Back at Taft College in 2007, it was Aguilar who scored both goals in a 2-1 overtime victory that gave his team the junior college state championship.

The player with the game-winning assist against the Matadors was another transfer. Garcia came from Yavapai College in Prescott, Ariz., where he was a National Junior College Assn. All-American.

The junior’s footwork was beautiful at the end. He dribbled toward the back line before dishing it off to the right to a wide-open Aguilar.

The Matadors were playing for the win to qualify for the conference tournament and also spoil UCI’s championship hope for the second time in three years in the regular-season finale.

A tie wouldn’t have sufficed with UC Santa Barbara and UC Davis playing to a scoreless tie earlier in the day.

Coach Terry Davila found it hard to believe how easily Garcia penetrated through his Matadors. Garcia is no bull at 5-foot-5, 140 pounds.

“The guy beat four players,” said Davila, whose team was the lone one this season to hold UCI scoreless in a tie on Oct. 15.

“If you had told me, with all the injuries, that we had an opportunity to win the Big West Championship in an elimination game with [UCI] … I’d take it.”

UCI finally took the conference title it lost out on two seasons ago by falling to the Matadors, 1-0. It cost the Anteaters an NCAA Tournament at-large berth as well.

Kuntz isn’t sure what to expect now. Does UCI need to win the conference tournament to get in this year?

“This is the regular-season championship,” Kuntz said. “We still have games to play.”

UCI might have to do so without Thompson, the team’s second-leading scorer with eight goals behind senior midfielder Matt Murphy, who in the 56th minute scored his 11th goal of the season.

Thompson was on crutches when the team formed a circle and starting yelling and jumping up and down in unison. He couldn’t and he fell down.

Aguilar is ready to step in if Kuntz calls his name.

“I should be able to get more playing time now,” said Aguilar, knowing the reward for his first game-winner of the season.

DAVID CARRILLO PEÑALOZA may be reached at (714) 966-4612 or at [email protected].