Varsity Soccer Working to Improve

Last season’s second to last finish in district for the varsity boys soccer team left many of its players feeling as though they still had a lot left to give. The group was left with mixed emotions, and it had some scratching their heads as they looked back on what went wrong.

Senior Saul Obregon was on the varsity team last year but, due to injury, missed most of the season. Even so, he still kept up with the team and went through the season from the sideline.

“I’m just going to say [it was] unfortunate,” Obregon said. “I feel like we had the skill to make it to playoffs.”

It was unfortunate indeed. With the season cut short, a re-evaluation of the team was needed. There were a variety of factors that lead to the team’s low standings on the table – factors which will either haunt or motivate the team for the up and coming season.

The team started off with promise. They held their own against teams like J.J. Pearce High School during the preseason matches, and defeated South Garland with a convincing 2-0 win during their season opener. However, shortly after, things started to crash downhill.

Obregon said that one thing that everyone on the team agreed went wrong was the lack of communication on the field – a skill that is crucial in soccer.

Junior goalkeeper Daniel Morales is among the players that feel like the talking during matches was not there.

“Mistakes made last season [was us] not communicating, not knowing where to be on the field, and not playing as a team,” Morales said.

Additionally, it is said that a team is only as strong as its mentality, and according to some team members, the team had a mindset that let them down.

“Our confidence and discipline really messed up our mindset,” senior midfielder Nathaniel Anderson said. “I think we were never really prepared to do what we needed to do.”

As a result of the flaws that lead to last seasons end result, and the attention it brought, all the team can do now is improve on the mistakes and work harder than ever.

In spite of all the troubles from last year’s season, varsity coach Eric Olive says that the previous season was simply the start.

“The word I would use to describe last year’s season would be ‘beginning’,” Olive said. “I feel it is a new beginning for the entire boys soccer program both athletically and culturally.”