Anteaters sign 13 promising recruits

UC Irvine men’s soccer coach George Kuntz has signed 13 recruits,

including Fresno State transfer Forrest Smith, two community college

transfers and four products of South Orange County high school

programs.

The new additions will be asked to help the Anteaters improve upon

their 2002 season, in which they finished 8-8-4, 3-4-3 in the Big

West, resulting in a fourth-place finish.

The list also includes two high school players from Hawaii, two

prep standouts from Arizona and five additional products of Southern

California high school programs.

Smith, a CIF Southern Section Offensive Player of the Year as a

senior at Dana Hills High in 2001, was the third-leading scorer as a

freshman at Fresno State in the fall of 2001. He did not play for the

Bulldogs in 2002.

“Forrest is a proven goal scorer,” Kuntz said of the 6-foot-1

forward. “He has size, speed, and a high intensity level. He is good

in the air and can finish.”

Smith joins two other Dana Hills graduates, Sergio Rivera and

Chris Klotz, on the UCI roster.

Efrain “Junior” Salcedo, a 5-9 midfielder, and Garrett Thrasher, a

6-2 defender, bring experience from the community college ranks,

having played at Los Angeles Harbor and De Anza, respectively.

Salcedo, out of Fremont High in Los Angeles, was a two-time

All-South Coast Conference performer at Harbor.

“[Salcedo] started school at UCI in April and already has made a

tremendous impact in our team,” Kuntz said. “His leadership,

endurance level, passing ability, defending, and ability to read the

game are very good and should help this team in many areas. He has

the ability to grow in this league and become a premier player.”

Thrasher, who prepped at Leigh High in Los Gatos, helped

Cupertino-based De Anza win back-to-back conference championships the

last two seasons, as well as a top-10 national ranking. He was

co-captain as a sophomore.

“[Trasher] was what we were looking for in an experienced leader

who has the ability to dominate the defensive third of the field with

his size,” Kuntz said. “He has good skill, can win balls in the air,

and is strong in the tackle.”

Doug Franco, a 5-7 midfielder out of El Toro High, was the South

Coast League Player of the Year as a senior. He also was a member of

the national champion Irvine Strikers club program and is involved in

the Olympic development program.

“Our first priority is finding the best local players who are the

right fit for UC Irvine,” said Kuntz, who believes Franco fits in

well due to his leadership, passing, vision, quickness and intense

field presence.

Another El Toro product is 5-9 defender Steven Ruiz, who helped

the Chargers win the South Coast League title this season. He was

first-team all-league and played in two all-star games.

“[Ruiz] is a great man marker, is left-footed, can get forward in

the attack quickly and is good in the air,” Kuntz said.

Jimmy Lee, a 6-0 midfielder, comes right out of the Anteaters’

back yard, having starred at Northwood High. He led the Timberwolves

in scoring and assists as a junior and earned first-team All-CIF

laurels.

“[Lee] was injured in December and is recovering well,” Kuntz

said. “He will be a very good player at this level once he is 100%.

He is fast, has a great left foot, and is a good one-on-one player

who can score.”

Scott Shiraishi and Brandon Tario join the Anteaters from Hawaii.

Shiraishi, a 5-8 midfielder, was honorable mention all-state at

Iolani High in Honolulu, while Tario, a 5-6 midfielder, starred at

Kamehameha High, also in Honolulu.

“[Shiraishi] has great pace, is left-footed, can serve the ball

extremely well and is good one-on-one,” Kuntz said “He suffered an

injury late last summer, but should be ready to go this fall. Scott

is a proven winner at the club level and has been to regionals

several years in a row. His club team [Honolulu Bulls] has won many

prestigious club tournaments on the mainland.”

Of Tario, Kuntz said, “Brandon has shown versatility and has the

speed and skill necessary to play at this level. He distributes the

ball very well. His Olympic development experience has allowed him to

compete and play with the best players in the region.”

Brad Evans, a 6-1 forward, played at Mountain Pointe High in

Phoenix, where he twice earned all-state honors and was twice

regional player of the year. He scored 54 goals in four seasons and

is another product of the Olympic development program.

“[Evans] has a knack for scoring game-winning goals,” Kuntz said.

“His skill, size, speed and tenacity will be difficult for opponents.

His change of speed and shooting off the dribble are very good out of

high school.”

Eric Reingen also comes from Arizona, having sparkled at Corona

del Sol High in Tempe. The 6-4 goalkeeper was All-Central Region in

2003 and helped his team win region titles each of the last two

years.

“He is, arguably, one of the best goalkeepers coming out of high

school this year in the country,” Kuntz said. “His club and high

school records are impeccable.” Kuntz also believes his size,

presence, ability to stop shots and distribute the ball are Reingen’s

strengths.

Brandon Foster, a 6-3 defender, comes out of La Salle High in

Pasadena, where he was team Co-MVP, first-team All-Santa Fe League

and, as a junior, won the league triple jump title.

“[Foster] is a defender with quite a bit of potential and is still

growing,” Kuntz said. “His size and speed are definitely what we are

looking for in his position this recruiting class. We have seen his

progress and believe he will be a strong Division I defender.”

Anthony Hamilton, a 6-0 midfielder, scored 33 goals as a senior at

Colton High, where he was twice the team MVP and was named Player of

the Year by the San Bernardino Sun.

“[Hamilton] has all the tools to become a top-caliber Division I

player,” Kuntz said. “He is fast, good in the air, can finish, is

good on both sides of the ball, a good student of the game, and a

leader.”

Rodolfo Mondragon, a 5-6 forward, played at South Gate High, were

he was a three-time team MVP.

“Rudy is a clever forward or midfielder who is skillful in tight

spaces,” Kuntz said. “He has the ability to change games with his

deceptive moves and ability to go forward.”