Nueva Soccer Season Exceeds Expectations
After losing ten of twelve games last winter, the soccer team entered this season hoping to just secure some draws. Instead, Nueva dominated all but one of its preseason games and went on to fall only a single win short of a positive record during the official season.
The team, which had previously struggled to hold possession in the midfield or finish chances to score, was able to wear down opponents with constant pressure and displayed incredible coordination in generating quick counter attacks from turnovers on their side of the pitch.
Team members attribute the remarkable improvement of the soccer team to the contributions of its five freshmen players,
many of whom played as starters, the drastically improved ability and cohesiveness of its vetted players since last season, and the direction of its new coaches, Jose and Arturo, who’ve helped the team on and off the field to hone its strategy and technique.
The team’s improvements continued to grow over the course of the season, and its record in games certainly reflected that: Nueva played each team in the league twice, and consistently scored more goals while ceding less in our second game against other teams. The team’s growth has left former rivals Alma Heights and Summit Prep in the dust, shutting out both teams all season and scoring as many as eight goals in a single game.
After losing ten of twelve games last winter, the soccer team entered this season hoping to just secure some draws. Instead, Nueva dominated all but one of its preseason games, and went on to fall only a single win short of a positive record during the official season.
In light of its advancement, the team has set its sights on Downtown College Prep (DCP). Nueva dropped both its games against DCP this year — first 0-3 and later 1-2 — but players remain confident that Nueva will surpass DCP with another year of development.
Cofounder and captain Varun M. will be the first player to leave the team when he graduates at the end of this school year. In a speech after the final game of the season, Varun expressed his
optimism for the team’s future, foreseeing Nueva ending its next season “closer to the top” of the division. He also said he expects to see Nueva “crush DCP” when he returns to visit Nueva from college.
Varun’s loss will be a serious blow to the team, but with hard training and a new wave of freshmen, the team will be looking to fulfill Varun’s expectations in the coming season.
Written by PACO P.
Contributor
