There are still times when Jeff Garcia can feel the remnants of a hamstring injury that kept him out of the Northwestern soccer lineup at the start of the 2020 season.

Thanks to a deep player pool, though, the Tigers were able to get through the early part of the season without Garcia.

But that whole time, Garcia was sitting on the sidelines with a stream of emotions going through his mind.

“It was one of the worst times of my life,” said Garcia of suffering the injury just two days before the season opener. “Through those games, I was frustrated because I wanted to be out there and especially in a close game, I just wanted to be on the field and try to do something to contribute.

“I also kept thinking in the back of my mind that with the coronavirus going around, that the season could be stopped at some point and I wouldn’t have gotten to play. That was tough to deal with.”

The Tigers were able to open the season with a 4-2 record, but one can only wonder if those two losses might have occurred had Garcia been healthy. The first loss was a 1-0 setback to Notre Dame-Green Pond, while the second was a 2-1 loss to rival Southern Lehigh. It’s worth noting that the Tigers also had other injuries early in the season.

Garcia eventually made his way into the Northwestern lineup, where his presence was felt as he scored 11 goals and added 10 assists in 11 games. His hat trick against Bangor in the district quarterfinals helped the Tigers start a run that ended with a District 11 title.

That showing led to Garcia being named the Times News/Lehigh Valley Health Network Boys Soccer Player of the Year.

“We knew when Jeff went down, that it was going to be tough to replace his intensity on the field,” said coach Nate Hunsicker during the early part of the season. “We had other guys go down, and we knew we were really going to have to depend on some players to step up, and they did. Garcia is the kind of kid that even if you replace one part of his game, it’s difficult to completely replace what he brings to the game.”

Garcia came to the Tigers varsity team at the perfect time. The team went to the PIAA semifinals in 2015 and then to the finals in 2016, where it fell to Lower Dauphin. As a freshman, Garcia helped lead Northwestern back to the PIAA championship game, but the Tigers unfortunately again fell to Lower Dauphin. During Garcia’s four seasons, Northwestern went to states three times, but never made it back to the finals.

“My best memory of high school soccer was when we went to the state finals when I was a freshman,” admitted Garcia. “As a player and as a team, that’s where you want to be every season and looking back now, I really love that moment even more because we had a lot of success, but weren’t able to get back to play for a state championship, so I really look back on that first season.”

When reminded of a huge goal on a bicycle kick that would be thought of by many as the moment Garcia would remember, he stopped for a moment and asked “which one?” That’s because Garcia showed himself to be that type of player throughout his career - one who had both the talent and intensity to score big goals in key moments.

For many fans, the bicycle kick was the one that put Garcia on ESPN as one of their Top 10 Plays of the Day. It came in double overtime against Southern Lehigh in the 2017 District 11 championship game. The two were in their fourth game of the season against each other and goals were at a premium. Garcia knew the team needed a big play, and was sure to make it happen.

For a freshman to have made the type of play that Garcia made in the situation was a moment that really showed just how good he was going to be.

“Yeah, that was pretty cool,” said Garcia with a smile. “I mean to get on SportsCenter and everything was kind of nuts, and then to go on and make it to states made it all the better. That win was more than just that kick though; just like the fact that we got to play for a state championship was because of what we did as a team.”

Garcia hasn’t settled on a major, nor has he decided where he’s going to attend college. He realizes it’s a huge decision and is taking him time and keeping all his options open.

As he looks back on his time at Northwestern, Garcia knows that he is going to remember the teammates that he played with. He’s also looking forward to the Tigers program continuing the success that they enjoyed during his four seasons.

“Everybody says, ‘oh, Northwestern has lost so many good players over the past couple of seasons, they won’t be that good next year.’ There’s still a lot of talent here, and there are younger players that keep coming up and filling holes.

“I remember people saying those kinds of things after every season, and we always put a good team on the field. I don’t think it will be any different in the future.”