Valencia’s boys soccer team might not pass the initial eyeball test. But when the Tigers start playing, there is no doubt that they are among Orange County’s top teams.

“We’re not big,” said Valencia coach Barry Gardner. “We’re not overpowering. But we’re very talented.”

The Tigers (12-3 overall) are the defending Empire League champions They played their first league game Wednesday evening against Godinez (8-2-3), a newcomer to the Empire League this season.

Also moving into the league is Santa Ana, which, like Godinez and Valencia, is annually one of Orange County’s better teams.

Valencia is No. 9 in the CIF Southern Section rankings that will be used to place teams into playoff divisions at the end of the regular season. The only Orange County teams above Valencia in the rankings are No. 1 Mater Dei and and No. 3 JSerra.

The Tigers shut out seven of their first 15 opponents. Two of their losses are to Trinity League powers Mater Dei and Servite.

Gardner gave much of the credit for the team’s record to center back Nathan Cho, a senior, and Victor Gutierrez, a junior outside back.

Among the top contributors have been midfielders Cade Lussier, a sophomore who was All-Empire League first team last year, and junior Omar Rubio.

Lussier’s father Mike Lussier is a Valencia assistant coach and is the former head coach at Servite.

Gardner’s son Aidan is among the six sophomores who start for the Tigers.

Abe Alfaro, a senior, leads Valencia with 11 goals, including the winner in a 3-2 comeback victory last month over Canyon.

Gardner called that the Tigers’ best win of the season so far.

Rubio has five goals and five assists. Lussier has two goals and a team-high seven assists.

Thirteen Tigers have scored a goal this season, in large part because of the team’s speed and attacking style.

“We move the ball quickly,” said Gardner, in his 24th season coaching Valencia soccer. “We put heavy numbers in the box (the goal area) and a lot of give-and-go.”

It is a style that enabled Valencia to go undefeated in the Empire League last season, a goal the Tigers have again in a tougher Empire League this season.

ALSO

Mater Dei plays at JSerra on Friday at 5:30 p.m. Mater Dei was the CIF-SS Division 1 champion last season. JSerra was CIF-SS Division 1 champ the season before. …

San Juan Hills plays at San Clemente on Jan. 15 in what will be a crucial game in the South Coast League. …

Teams are required to enter their results into the CIFSSHome website so that the Massey Ratings System used to place teams into playoff divisions is done accurately. A look around that website shows that some teams are not doing so. Teams that do not enter the data accurately are in danger of being ineligible for the playoffs. …

Team ratings will change during the coming weeks as games are completed and missing data is entered. Thus, what the ratings look like this week could be very different from what they will be when the regular season ends.