The SF State men’s soccer team may be young, but freshman Anton Ugarte is showing his opponents that age really is nothing but a number.

In his first season sporting the purple and gold, the 18-year-old striker has already displayed some of the play-making skills that has head coach Joe Hunter dreaming about what this kid could accomplish in his Gator career.

“He’s not showing some of the ‘freshmen mistakes’ or the up-and -down play you sometimes get (with young players). I’ve been pleased with his consistency,” Hunter said. “He’s got a good sense of the goal; he’s a pretty good finisher. There’s a big upside to him, no doubt.”

So far in his brief eight-game career Ugarte is flashing that upside his coach talks about, leading the team in goals (three) and points (six) despite starting in only half of the games.

Although it is just the start of a long season, back up keeper and former high school teammate, Thomas Comer, isn’t surprised by Ugarte’s initial success after working out with him over the summer.

“We put in the hours and it definitely shows on the field. The early success is all Anton. I kind of expected it from him,” Comer said.

Without a spot guaranteed, Ugarte’s first goal was to make the team. His second goal was to avoid being redshirted. Making quick work of his first two goals, he earned a starting position in the first game of the season.

“Honestly, I wasn’t sure I was going to play at all. I just wanted to get some playing time; a couple minutes here and there. But I didn’t expect to get this much playing time,” Ugarte said.

Ugarte understandably played a little timid in his first game. In part due to the transition from the high school game to the college game, a much faster and more physical, and also because of the bigger, stronger opponents he has to face.

However, he responded in the second game of the season by putting the finishing touch on a Wes Whitt cross for his first collegiate goal in a 2-0 victory against Briarcliffe College.

“When he scored you could see his confidence growing. You can see he’s getting more and more comfortable and that’s a sign of a player that’s thinking about what he’s doing, not just reacting,” Hunter said.

Whitt, also Ugarte’s mentor and roommate on the road, said the only thing he lacked was the experience. Whitt said Ugarte will continue to adjust to the physicality as he grows.

“You can tell right now when somebody hits him he gets a little shook up because he’s young, but over time he’ll get hit and give it right back to him,” Whitt said.

Coach Hunter agrees, saying the five-foot-nine 150-pound forward needs to get bigger, but he knows it will come as he grows into his body.

The Danville native has been described by his teammates as a quiet, positive, and humble guy that brings his work ethic and energy to a young team that needs it.

Ugarte began playing soccer when he was 6 years old, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. The thing he loves most about the game is the creativity.

“I like how you can be so creative in the sport. How there is no set play. It’s just the chemistry between the players and how you create your own play,” Ugarte said.

When he’s not on the pitch, Anton enjoys watching other sports such as basketball and football. But most of all, he loves playing the drums.

His major is business marketing, but he is also major when it comes to his finishing touch.

“He’s got a niche for scoring goals. He scores goals like seniors do,” Whitt said.