There are countless ways to describe Quincy Amarikwa.
Big West Conference Offensive Player of the Year, second-team All-American, first-team All-Far West Region, first Aggie to receive National Player of the Week honors, first UC Davis player to make the senior roster of a Major League Soccer club – the list goes on.
The most impressive thing about Amarikwa isn’t the awards he’s won, though; it’s the presence he has had at Aggie Soccer Stadium and the legacy he’s left behind him.
“Quincy is the type of athlete that comes along in a program and that you coach once in a career,” coach Dwayne Shaffer said, “maybe twice if you are lucky.“
Amarikwa led all Big West scorers with 15 goals and was second in the league with 31 points, leading UC Davis not only to regional success, but also to a spot on the national radar.
The Aggies (13-5-4, 4-2-4) blew past Denver in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, 4-0, before their season came to a close a round later against Michigan. UC Davis was ranked as high as No. 7 in the country this season.
At the heart of this success was Amarikwa’s impact as an individual. Shaffer called the Bakersfield, Calif. native the most dominant striker on the West Coast.
“Quincy is the most competitive kid I’ve ever coached,” Shaffer said. “He’ll adapt to the pro game quickly because he’s so competitive. Coaches are going to see that kid kind of start shredding some of their players. He’s off the charts athletically compared to 99 percent of college soccer players.“
Shaffer was right. Amarikwa wasted little time in making an impact at the professional level, scoring a goal in his first game with the San Jose Earthquakes to lead the club to a 1-0 exhibition win over the Portland Timbers on Mar. 14.
He has an assist and four shots to his credit for the Earthquakes in nine games (one start).
– Adam Loberstein
