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St. Thomas in search of one more victory
By MIKE TENNEY
For the St. Thomas soccer team, the hope is pretty simple.
The Eagles simply want to win one more soccer game than they did last year, when the lost the TAPPS 5A state championship game, 4-0, to San Antonio Central Catholic.
“That’s our goal,” said head coach Todd Newman. “That’s what we’re working for is to make it back to the state finals and win it this time. But we’ve got a lot of tough matches to worry about before we can think about that.”
They return nine key players off last year’s state runner-up and were off to a sizzling start this year, not losing a match in their first five games. They also showed great firepower offensively, scoring 17 goals to win four of those games, while tying Northland Christian, 2-2. They also had not been shutout.
“So far so good this year,” said Newman. “We’ve got a lot of returners back from last year and we have some new players that I feel like are very talented, so we’re playing well right now. We have been getting some good offensive opportunities and we’ve been taking advantage of them. Hopefully, we’ll continue to score some goals here and there and play good defense. If we do, I feel like we have a chance to be a very good team again.”
Senior midfielder Ryan Jensen, senior defender James Lassen, senior defender Diego Blasco, junior defender Keaton Opila, junior forward Joe Echeverria, senior defender Gus Amann, junior midfielder Andy Campisi, senior forward Trevor Brown, junior midfielder James Williams, and senior midfielder Addison Roy all return after playing key roles last winter in the Eagles’ run to state.
“We’re certainly feel like we should be strong in the middle and we should be strong in the back because we have a lot of experience in those areas,” said Newman. “A lot of our returning players are midfielders or defenders so we feel like the experience we have at those positions should help us in bigger games down the road.”
Brown and junior Raul Brindas were the team’s top two scorers after the first two weeks of the season and six different players had scored for the Eagles.
“You’re always looking for guys who can put the ball in the net and we feel like we’ve got a few different guys that can,” said Newman. “And that’s good. We really don’t have that one standout that we can go to, but we’ve got a few different guys that if they get a good shot, they can get the job done.”
He said they like to play ball-control and find their opportunity by being patient and moving the ball around.
One newcomer to the team is junior goalie Alex Rusciano, who Newman said has fared well.
“He’s going to make some mistakes because he’s still adjusting to this level, but he’s done very well so far,” said Newman. “We’ve gotten a couple of shutout with good defense and his play in goal, so that’s always a confidence builder for your team.”
The team is currently enjoying a few days off for Thanksgiving and will begin gearing up for a busy December once they return to the field. In December, they have nine games scheduled.
The Eagles simply want to win one more soccer game than they did last year, when the lost the TAPPS 5A state championship game, 4-0, to San Antonio Central Catholic.
“That’s our goal,” said head coach Todd Newman. “That’s what we’re working for is to make it back to the state finals and win it this time. But we’ve got a lot of tough matches to worry about before we can think about that.”
They return nine key players off last year’s state runner-up and were off to a sizzling start this year, not losing a match in their first five games. They also showed great firepower offensively, scoring 17 goals to win four of those games, while tying Northland Christian, 2-2. They also had not been shutout.
“So far so good this year,” said Newman. “We’ve got a lot of returners back from last year and we have some new players that I feel like are very talented, so we’re playing well right now. We have been getting some good offensive opportunities and we’ve been taking advantage of them. Hopefully, we’ll continue to score some goals here and there and play good defense. If we do, I feel like we have a chance to be a very good team again.”
Senior midfielder Ryan Jensen, senior defender James Lassen, senior defender Diego Blasco, junior defender Keaton Opila, junior forward Joe Echeverria, senior defender Gus Amann, junior midfielder Andy Campisi, senior forward Trevor Brown, junior midfielder James Williams, and senior midfielder Addison Roy all return after playing key roles last winter in the Eagles’ run to state.
“We’re certainly feel like we should be strong in the middle and we should be strong in the back because we have a lot of experience in those areas,” said Newman. “A lot of our returning players are midfielders or defenders so we feel like the experience we have at those positions should help us in bigger games down the road.”
Brown and junior Raul Brindas were the team’s top two scorers after the first two weeks of the season and six different players had scored for the Eagles.
“You’re always looking for guys who can put the ball in the net and we feel like we’ve got a few different guys that can,” said Newman. “And that’s good. We really don’t have that one standout that we can go to, but we’ve got a few different guys that if they get a good shot, they can get the job done.”
He said they like to play ball-control and find their opportunity by being patient and moving the ball around.
One newcomer to the team is junior goalie Alex Rusciano, who Newman said has fared well.
“He’s going to make some mistakes because he’s still adjusting to this level, but he’s done very well so far,” said Newman. “We’ve gotten a couple of shutout with good defense and his play in goal, so that’s always a confidence builder for your team.”
The team is currently enjoying a few days off for Thanksgiving and will begin gearing up for a busy December once they return to the field. In December, they have nine games scheduled.
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