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2009/2010 Boys Soccer Season Preview
It's that time of year again. The soccer field is littered with student
athletes practicing the world's most popular sport. With the
varsity team now selected, the team is now preparing for the season
opener.
As always, VCSoccer.com brings you the exclusive season preview on the
Warriors.
"The program is once again deeper than the previous year," head coach
John Basanese said. "We are continuing to reap the benefits of
stressing fundamentals in our program, and the parents and fans should
see an exciting product on the field this season."
Goalkeeper
The Warriors will be without Austin Mansker, as he has
elected to remain with his club side for their games. Sophomore Patrick
Colombana will step in and fill the role he's been groomed for.
"Having Austin play club is a tremendous loss to our program. He's
been an impeccable leader, and is obviously very talented as a
goalkeeper. That said, we have great faith in Pat, and I know
he'll be solid in goal for us. We're very lucky to have him,"
coach Basanese said.
Patrick, nicknamed Sweazey, has grown in size, and confidence. In
training so far he's shown that he's improved on his already strong shot
blocking abilities, and will be a great distributor out of the back.
Last year, Sweazey got some time for the varsity team, so there is a
great base to build on.
Defense
On the back line, VC will be deeper than in recent years, returning
several players. Justin Berding, Danny Hittler, Will Pitman, Kyle
Grayson, and Cody Leal all played last year, and they are joined by
several talented youngsters who are looking to make their mark on the
varsity side.
The team has been looking to stabilize in the back, something this team
should be well on its way to accomplishing says Coach Basanese.
"We're very deep. We know what we're getting with the returners,
and they are going to be pushed by the new guys coming up. It's
new for us to have 6-7 players who can start for us back there.
This, coupled with Sweazey's emergence, should make us pretty tough to
breakdown."
Midfield
As deep as the team is in the back, the another stable of stars plays in
the midfield. There are several players who played or started last
year, and they've all came into the season better than before.
"Let's start with Justin Cordeiro," Basanese says. "I beleive that
he's one of the top defensive mids in the CCS. He's a junior this
year, and he's bigger, stronger, and quicker...it's pretty scary."
Combine Cordeiro with Ballard, Ramirez, Karlsson, and the exciting
newcomers, and you have what should be a very dynamic midfield.
"If we can stay healthy, those guys will turn a lot of heads this year.
Chas Michael is big, and Phil Ramirez has a crazy shot. I'm also
expecting this to be a breakout year for Lars. We're excited to
watch these kids this year," Basanese said.
Forwards
The Warriors will rely on a solid throng of forwards up top to score the
goals. Last year's leading scorer, Alex de Leon, has also decided
to stay with his club team instead of playing high school. Losing
Alex is another tough loss, as Alex was preparing to challenge the all
time goals record for VC.
Even without Alex, however, the team has plenty of firepower.
Jordan, Zack, Sam, and Spencer are returners who will all compete for
the starting jobs.
"We have a lot of speed up top, and these are guys who want to score.
I'm excited to see the energy those guys have spread across full games
instead of coming off the bench. With Ronnie Jenkins joining our
staff, we have another offensive coach who will push these guys to score
goals. I'm excited about it," Basanese said.
Youth Movement
Basanese has selected 2 freshman for the team this year, and they are
both field players...something he has never done as the coach at VC.
"We decided to keep Jacob and Zack on varsity, and we're pretty eager to
get these guys out there. Both love the game, and play like
it...that's why they're here. I love having talented underclassmen
on varsity, and this year is going to be another example of that,"
Basanese said.
The team will also feature several Sophomores, including 3 likely
starters.
"It reminds me of the year we won the WCAL," Basanese said. We had
Ben Hansen, and Jeff Coggan leading our team as younsters. I'm
stoked to see these kids rise to the challenge."
It looks like another exciting year for the Warriors who will open up
with a non-league match vs. Harker Academy on the 1st of December.
Stay tuned to the website for updates on the team!
Go Warriors!
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