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Garza’s 32-yard bomb lifts Pioneers
Marc Kocel of the University of Denver races Regis defender Ryan Brennan to the ball on Sunday during an exhibition match at Englewood High School.
(Photo by Karen Tanner/ColoradoSoccerNow)
The goalposts sat on the back edge of the end zone Sunday evening at the Englewood High School football field.
Sam Garza was on the 22-yard line. He was facing goal just outside the left hashmarks, and he let a meteor fly off his boot. His professional-quality strike hit the net inside the right post and helped lift the University of Denver to a 6-0 victory in a friendly against Regis University. The game was a fundraiser for both schools.
Garza’s shot traveled 32 yards, no more, no less, and gave the Pioneers a 2-0 lead in the 39th minute. And although DU had scored a little less than 10 minutes earlier, Garza’s cannon shot effectively sent the message that this game was out of reach.
“That bomb at the beginning, that one was a rocket,” Regis coach Tony McCall said. “I think they have a special player in Garza. If you take him out of the mix, I think you’re looking at about a 3-nil, 4-nil game.”
Examining the goals, it may have been a 2-nil game without Garza. The freshman (yes, he’s a freshman) scored two goals on Sunday, assisted on another and initiated the game’s first goal, at the 30-minute mark.
The Rangers had battled with DU through much of the first half, then Garza got control of the ball in the attacking third. He made a few tip-of-the-toe direction changes before dishing off to Matt Kirby on the right wing.
Kirby’s cross seemed to elude everyone in the penalty box, except Marc Kocel, who was perched in the open space at the far side of the goal. Unchallenged, Kocel picked his spot and drove the ball into the back of the net. Kocel’s goal opened the scoring, and Garza’s rocket shot followed.
If that didn’t take the wind out of Regis’ sails, what happened next did.
After the Pioneers scored their goals Sunday, players would shout, “Six seconds, six seconds.” DU coach Bobby Muuss explained the strategy.
“After we score, we want to try to win the ball back in six seconds,” Muuss said. “You know a lot of times you score and you’re still celebrating mentally, and the other team comes down and scores. So we want to try to win the ball back.”
That’s exactly what happened after Garza’s blast. The Pioneers wrested control of the ball almost immediately after the kickoff, and Ryan Garren fed Jarod Stigall for his first goal of the game.
Stigall’s second goal was another example of the six-seconds strategy. His 18-yarder to the top corner came right after the second-half kickoff.
“Even off the kickoff, we want to play as if we just scored there,” Muuss said. “Stigall scored a very good goal from distance. In my opinion, that was special. That was probably about 18 yards out, but it was some good combination cutting back and then hitting it one time.”
Garza found the net again at the hour mark, and Alex DeCosta rounded out the scoring in the 75th minute.
“We learned that DU are very good. They’re a legitimate top 20 Division I team,” said McCall, whose team competes in Division II. “Obviously we were just a little bit outmatched.”
Some of the highlights for Regis included the play of the team’s goalkeepers. Starter Wally Fink shut the Pioneers out for the first 28 minutes before leaving the game. Francisco Martinez was very active at the back, directing traffic and anticipating plays. Martinez, shortly before halftime, traveled way out of his penalty area to cut off a long pass to Garren. Regis’ third goalkeeper, Ben Sabados, had the save of the night, a leaping stab in the 59th minute that just pushed the ball over the crossbar. He also made a nice punch to clear the ensuing corner kick.
“I thought Wally Fink, my goalkeeper at the beginning, played very well. If we were starting the season tomorrow, then Wally would’ve been our No. 1. He keeps it pretty tight back there,” said McCall, who liked what he saw from other players as well. “Keegan Bast was excellent, and I thought Sterling Copeland, up front, worked his socks off.”
SCORING SUMMARY
DU Marc Kocel (Matt Kirby) 30
DU Sam Garza (unassisted) 39
DU Jarod Stigall (Ryan Garren) 40
DU Stigall (Garza) 46
DU Garza (Garren) 60
DU Alex DeCosta (Ian Cross) 75
George Tanner is a former writer and editor for the Rocky Mountain News; the Greeley Tribune; The Daily Independent of Ridgecrest, Calif.; the Durango Herald; and the Boulder Daily Camera. He is a graduate of the University of Colorado and an associate professor at Metropolitan State College of Denver. E-mail him at ColoradoSoccerNow@gmail.com.
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