With wins already under its belt, Maroon Soccer is in full swing. As both the boys and girls coaches begin their second year at the school, players are optimistic about their prospects for the season.
“We hope to make it to playoffs this season, and to get a tournament win under our belt. Hopefully we’ll be able to do both, which would be a huge stepping stone for our soccer program,” senior team captain Sam Carr said.
The boys varsity soccer team has many spots filled by sophomores and juniors, who have displayed dedication and willingness to compete this season. The girls varsity soccer team is also occupied by many young players, including sophomore and outside midfielder Paola Lozano-Sanchez.
“The season is going great and the team has been doing awesome so far,” Lozano-Sanchez said. “We are more comfortable with all our playing and how we work together this year.”
Both teams have relatively new coaches for the season, Coach Jesús Arreola for the boys and Coach Amy Simpson for the girls. Arreola’s coaching style is characterized by his engagement with the players.
“Coach Arreola is an extremely interactive coach,” Carr said. “He practices with us, and will sometimes even run the trail with us. I think that gives some of the boys extra motivation, because they see how badly he wants to succeed, and it rubs off on them too. He has an incredible amount of knowledge and experience with soccer, and he’s able to tell us how he wants us to play really easily.”
This coaching style meshes with the boys’ increased commitment to the game. With multiple wins in the season, the team is increasing its expectations and goals.
“This team is more committed to the soccer program than last year. We have a lot of depth in the midfield which is different from a year ago. I think the team also knows how to play a better style of soccer than the team last year,” senior center back Justin Muller said. “My goal for the season is to win district. It is a lofty goal but we have improved as a team and we were able to compete with everyone last year.”
The girls are also pushing their performance levels and are focused on increasing their wins.
“[My goal is] to score and assist more goals,” senior mid fielder Sara Lozano-Sanchez said. “We won our Akins tournament, and I think this will be a great year.”
As the boys team captain, Carr has many responsibilities that must be fulfilled in order to assure the success of the team as a whole.
“We need to be motivators and leaders,” Carr said. “It is one thing to tell someone to do something, but it’s an entirely new thing to actually do it with them. That’s what we do, we make sure that our boys are playing their best, and we give them an example of what it looks like to give 110% at all times. It’s important that the team stays driven to accomplish our goals. We make sure that they know that it is alright to be upset over a loss, but not to let it stop them.”
Some very competitive and crucial games are coming up for both teams, particularly against Westlake and Bowie.
“Anytime we get the chance to play someone at home is an honor, but playing Westlake and Bowie at House Park is something else. There’s a different kind of energy during those games, because we know that we need to defend our house, and the level of competitiveness that we feel toward Westlake and Bowie is at another level. We play Bowie at House Park on February 25,” Carr said.
Overall, there is a heightened sense of optimism in the Maroon soccer program, and both teams seem to be growing with each game they play. As the season continues, both teams hope to exceed their past successes.
“Everyone we have is able and willing to compete,” Carr said.