UC IRVINE NOTEBOOK / JOHN WEYLER : Teammate’s Injury Puts Backup Goaltender Davis on Hot Seat

Tom Davis was busy helping a user get friendly with his computer when he got the call. Sound cards and CD-ROMS would have to wait.

Davis, self-employed computer consultant/UC Irvine biology major/water polo goalie, had a new program to consider. The Anteaters’ top goalkeeper, Jeremy Storton, had a detached retina and Davis would be making his collegiate debut . . . against the No. 1 team in the country . . . in four hours.

“I just excused myself and went home,” Davis said. “I had to stop everything I was doing and just try to relax, get focused and get ready to play Stanford.

“I felt bad for Jeremy, because he and I are good friends and he had paid his dues. But at the same time, there’s a definite feeling of excitement. I was a little overwhelmed, too. It was like there’s no way this could be happening.”

Irvine lost, 9-5, but the Anteaters and their rookie goalie weren’t embarrassed. “We played them pretty close,” Davis said. “It was a good game, I played well and I felt pretty good about it.”

His baptism under Cardinal fire, however, was just a dip in the pool compared to the pressures ahead.

“We were playing the No. 1 team, I didn’t have much time to think about it and I guess I convinced myself I had nothing to lose,” he said. “There’s a lot more pressure now, by far.

“Now, I’ve played well and people know I’m capable of playing at that level. I’ve actually played better than I thought I would. So now I’m trying to maintain consistency while I keep learning and hopefully improving.”

Davis has 54 saves in seven games this year for the seventh-ranked Anteaters. A redshirt freshman from La Habra High, he had a couple of advantages when he took the plunge into NCAA action--solid high school coaching and the experience of a year of practice with the Anteaters.

“When I first got here, I knew this was a whole different league,” he said. “The balls came so much harder and faster, everything moved so much quicker. But I had really good goalie coaches in high school. Jim Sprague, who’s now over at Servite and my high school coach at La Habra, Jeff Hopkins. That definitely has helped me.”

Mike Rall, an All-American goalkeeper at Irvine the last two seasons, has been working with Davis. Coach Ted Newland is also giving him extra attention. At the moment, however, Newland is mostly concerned with keeping his only goalkeeper healthy.

“He’s been playing real well, but he’s all we’ve got and that’s scary,” said Newland, in his 29th season at Irvine. “And it’s been a long, long time since I’ve been in the cage.”

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Protectionism: Being the one and only has its disadvantages. Davis is allowed to manipulate the computer keyboard, but he has to stay off his skateboard.

“I can’t skateboard. I can’t ride my bike. I can’t play pick-up basketball for fear of getting hurt,” he said. “I’m the only guy now and we just can’t afford to risk a sprained ankle or anything.

“And that reminds me, I’ve got to go get a flu shot.”

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Running for fun: The men’s cross-country team, on the brink of extinction because of budget cuts in 1991, is beginning to flourish again. The Anteaters finished second in a season-opening meet hosted by Cal State Fullerton and were third in the UCI Invitational Sept. 17.

And with only one senior on the team, they figure to keep improving.

“The program was getting the last rites, so it’s exciting to see it come back like this,” Coach Vince O’Boyle said. “We have no scholarships, of course, so it’s that much more exciting because these guys are here to get an education and run.

“It reminds me of when I was running. A free pair of shoes made us happy. If you train hard, the rewards will be self-satisfaction and a good time.”

Anteater Notes

The men’s soccer team is 6-1 after beating UCLA, 4-3, Sunday in Irvine. The most impressive aspect of the victory over the No. 2 team in the country? The Anteaters won without a goal from P.J. Polowski. The senior forward had assists on Irvine’s first two goals, however, and has 18 points (seven goals, four assists). He’s the top scorer in the NCAA Far West region and tied for 17th in the nation. “P.J. did a lot of work in that game, though,” Coach Derek Lawther said. “He was all over the field. We played quite well, but we still have a bit to go and the only way to keep people from saying that UCLA was a fluke is to keep winning. That’s always the answer isn’t it? Just keep winning.” . . . Senior outside hitter Stacy Mitchell, who had 44 kills, 30 digs, five aces and five blocks in two matches last week, was named Big West player of the week. Freshman setter Meredith Fletcher set a school record for most set assists with 67 against Nevada Friday night. The Anteaters (2-9) stopped an eight-match losing streak in a five-game match against Nevada and then lost to New Mexico State Saturday night after winning the first two games.