AHC MEN’S SOCCER 2003: STRONG AND GETTING STRONGER

AHC MEN'S SOCCER 2003: STRONG AND GETTING STRONGER

A time-honored adage in athletics is that winning begets winning and no statement could be more definitive of the Allan Hancock Men's Soccer Program under head coach Al Garcia. Time and place, swift attackers and rugged defensemen have aligned under his guidance to create a Western State Conference dynasty currently at the height of its power.
The Bulldogs enter the 2003 season as back-to-back WSC champions and the program has produced three conference titles in the past four years. Does the term domination apply? Consider that AHC has lost just one time (19-1-3) in its last 24 WSC outings; the Bulldogs have produced three of the past four conference players of the year; and Garcia himself has earned WSC Coach of the Year honors three times since 1999. The winning ways are attracting not only the best soccer players from the fertile prep programs of the Central Coast, they are bringing in highly regarded prospects from throughout the state and beyond.

RETURNEES
For the coming campaign, Garcia returns seven seasoned starters and will add the best recruiting class of his five-year Hancock tenure. Four of those returning starters played on last year's team, which posted a 15-4-4 overall mark and won the WSC with a 10-1-3 record. They include forward Memo Chavez (So., Santa Maria), an All-WSC first team selection who lead the conference in scoring with 19 goals and center-midfielder Michael Zuniga (So., Arroyo Grande), who earned All-WSC second team honors. Midfielder Brent Rogers (So., Paso Robles), who missed much of the season with a serious groin pull will return at full strength with forward Junio Milanese (So., Parma, Italy).
The Bulldogs will also feature three returning starters from the 2001 WSC championship team, which advanced to the state semifinals. Those players include first team All-WSC center defender Forrest Hoefer (So., Atascadero), second team All-WSC midfielder Pancho Banda (So., Arroyo Grande) and second team All-WSC defender Francisco Hernandez (So., Santa Maria).

NEWCOMERS
Goalkeeping was at the top of Garcia's recruiting needs and he has landed a pair of strong and talented freshman to vie for the starting assignment. They include Jeremy Barnes, a 6-3, 200-pound All-CIF and All-San Luis Obispo County honoree from Morro Bay High School and George Hunter, a 6-3, 190-pound All-CIF Central Section pick from Yosemite High School. Both figure to see ample playing time in their inaugural season at Allan Hancock College.
Among the newcomers expected to challenge for immediate playing time is midfielder Brent Mullinex, an All-CIF player from El Dorado High School in Placentia (Orange County), who led his team to a prestigious CIF-Southern Section title. Also on that list are center-defender Mauricio Miranda, who earned All-CIF honors while leading his Santa Maria High team to the semifinal round of the CIF-SS playoffs; All-CIF midfielder Ryan Armstrong, a 2001 Atascadero High School grad who will enter AHC with freshman standing this fall; and midfielder-forward Matt Johnson from Las Vegas.

THE SCHEDULE
Reaching the top is one thing, staying there is another. Although Coach Garcia expects his program to be ranked in the preseason among the top 10 in the state and top 20 in the nation, fending off the challenges of team after team will be tough. In the WSC, Garcia believes that Santa Barbara, College of the Canyons, L.A. Mission, Glendale and Taft have legitimate chances of knocking the Bulldogs off their lofty perch. Naturally, the state competition will be that much tougher, with the likes of perennial powers Santa Rosa, Santa Ana, Fresno and Mount San Antonio vying for the ultimate prize.
The Bulldogs open the 2003 schedule -reduced to 19 matches by a COA budget-reduction measure-at the prestigious eight-team Hartnell Tournament in Salinas (Sept. 29-31). AHC stands as the defending champion, having defeated state runner-up Fresno City College in the tournament championship match last fall, 2-0. A single non-conference home date (Sept. 6) against Ohlone College follows, then the Bulldogs take on the 16-match Western State Conference schedule. Key home dates are Sept. 19 vs. L.A. Mission and back-to-back matches against College of the Canyons and Santa Barbara on Oct. 14 and 17, respectively.