The way Head Coach Felipe Restrepo sees it, Donta'e Garcia's match-winning goal on Sunday was an extension of what he's witnessed every day since Garcia's arrival as a transfer from Santa Rosa Community College. He is always working.
Whether it be practice, preseason mountain camp, or on the pitch on match day, Garcia is obsessed with getting better and getting results, says Restrepo.
The senior was rewarded with a spot in the starting lineup six games ago, and last weekend broke through with a goal and assist to earn Wildcat of the Week honors.
Garcia assisted on the Wildcats' first goal Friday, pushing a cross back across the mouth of the goal where Eruvey Arceta pounded it home. But Sunday was the moment all those hours of obsessive work bore big-time fruit.
The Wildcats and Cal State San Bernardino were knotted at 1 in the opening moments of overtime when Esten Schroeder began making his way up the field with the ball at his feet. On most occasions, the momentum is stopped or the ball taken away.
But Garcia, always working, ran anyway. He took off on a dead sprint from the opposite wing, committed to being in position, just in case. Schroeder somehow outclassed four defenders and pulled the goalkeeper off his line before taking a shot toward the far post.
Garcia was racing by his defender when Schroeder shot and cut around and inside of him before sliding and sticking his right foot out to direct the ball safely into the open net, netting his first goal of the season and netting the Wildcats a crucial 2–1 overtime victory over Cal State San Bernardino.
The Wildcats are back in action this weekend with Cal State East Bay visiting Friday and Cal State Monterey Bay coming to town Sunday. Garcia and the rest of the Wildcats' seniors will be honored prior to that match.
