As his career as a Hornet comes to an end, senior midfielder Andres Garcia is looking to cap off the season carrying on his family legacy.

“My father’s playing style had flare and was known as a goal scorer,” Andres Garcia said. “My style, on the other hand, is to create chances and keep a nice rhythm to the game. The things we do share in style is the love we have when we take people on with a quick move here and there.”

Andres’ father, Jaime Garcia, started playing in the fall of 1990 under current coach Michael Linenberger.

Jaime Garcia grew up playing soccer in Columbia, where it is the most popular sport in the country.

“Mike [Linenberger] is from Germany and I am from Colombia,” Jaime Garcia said. “Soccer is played very different in both countries, so it was really hard for me to adapt to his way of playing.”

Jaime Garcia currently lives near Sac State and is a civil engineer for Caltrans.

Like most parents, Andres’ father shared his passion of soccer with his son at an early age.

Jaime Garcia said his son grew up watching him play and had him start playing soccer when he was five years old.

“My father had a huge role in my passion for soccer,” Andres Garcia said. “He was the one who first introduced me to the sport when I was very young and showed me how beautiful the game was. The passion he had for this sport is the reason why I began to love the game.”

Andres and Jaime Garcia each love the game for the same reason: freedom.

“The thing I love the most about playing soccer is the freedom I’m given,” Andres Garcia explained. “There are no set plays and no timeouts, it’s a fluid freestyle game for 90 minutes.”

Jaime Garcia had a major influence in Andres’ love for soccer by being his coach and pushing him to be the best player he could be.

“My father did coach me for most of my childhood,” Andres Garcia said. “He always pushed me to get better and never gave up on me. To this day, he still coaches me off the field and I am grateful for all the hard work, coaching and yelling he has done to help me become the player that I am today.”

Despite their similar passion for soccer, both Jaime and Andres Garcia grew up having contrasting styles.

“He is a very different player than I am,” Jaime Garcia said. “He is like a player that will manage the team and he is a playmaker. I was a forward and ready to score goals.”

Linenberger believes Andres Garcia and his father have certain similarities and one noticeable difference.

“They have similar attributes,” Linenberger said. “Both small in physical stature, but loaded with technical ability and skill. I would say the biggest difference is their commitment level. Andres has worked very hard over his five years and is seeing the benefits this year. His father didn’t put the same amount of time into his training and development as a soccer player.”

The relationship between Andres Garcia and his father goes way beyond the game of soccer.

“The relationship I have with my father is a unique one,” Andres Garcia said. “He is a father, coach, mentor and a friend to me. Now that I’m getting older, our relationship has gotten stronger since I am no longer a kid and making foolish mistakes. I’m becoming the young man that he has raised me to be.”

Despite a shared passion for the game of soccer, Andres Gracia also plans to be a civil engineer.

“I plan on going into design,” he said. “Structures and water resources are two focuses that I am passionate about, so hopefully I will find a career in one of those fields.”

Andres Garcia recognizes how special it is to be a legacy in his father’s footsteps.

“I believe it is special just for the fact that not many people can say that their father has played with the same coach as I am now,” he said.