Wylie East senior Nick Nobleza (7) shares a huge with junior Joel Gonzalez (11) after making a play during a Tuesday, Jan. 7 game against Plano. Senior Sean Burkett (6) walks in to congratulate Gonzalez. Photo by Tina Lopez / C&S Media
By David Wolman
Soccer is truly a game of bounces.
The Wylie East boys soccer team can attest. It made a huge difference last season as the Raiders lost seven district games by one goal, and as a result, East went 4-8-4 in District 9-6A play and missed the postseason. But, as the Raiders begin their quest for an improved record, head coach Trey Vaut believes the solution to fixing that area of their game isn’t too difficult.
“I have really put an emphasis on being better in the defensive side of the ball,” he said. “It is a rebuilt backline, but they are really beginning to mesh and play well together. We had some unfortunate bounces last year that led to penalty kicks that I have never seen before within 1 season.
“If we take half of those unlucky plays away, we put ourselves in a much better position to close out games and get results we should. Closing out close matches is tough at any level as the other team is pressing as much as they can. We must do a better job at remaining calm and making smarter decisions in our defensive half.”
Having more varsity experience on this year’s roster will be an advantage, Vaut said. The Raiders have experience on defense with senior defender Garrett Zamora and senior midfielder/defender AJ Gandara. However, Wylie East has to fill another key spot to fill as senior defenseman Omar Jirani has been ruled out for the season with a torn ACL, an injury that he suffered at the beginning of the school year while playing club soccer.
Wylie East will look to newcomer Diego Perez, a sophomore, to provide another reliable presence in front of junior goalkeeper Elijah Thompson, who is in first season with Wylie East’s varsity team.
The midfield is expected to be a major strength for Wylie East. Senior Jose Estrada, junior Dylan Falay and junior co-captain Joel Gonzalez will join Gandara and varsity newcomers Damian Pena, a sophomore, and Garrison Bol, a junior who also plays defenders, to defend while leading counterattacks up the field.
“The excitement I have about this group is their passion and energy they are bringing to training,” Vaut said. “I know last year is helping drive that energy and the boys are just excited to train and be together.
“Having more varsity experience on the roster this year with be a plus that we didn’t have last year. Having players understand the speed of play and physicality of the varsity level puts us in a better position now than we were last year. We have a core midfield group that I think can play with any midfield when they are connecting and playing together. If we can stay healthy and play the know we are capable of, it will be interesting how the district turns out.”
Vaut has high praise for the leadership of his two captains, Gonzalez and Nobleza.
“They are both passionate players that have great work ethic and always ready to put their best out on the field,” Vaut said. “They are doing a great job at helping set the culture and standard of the soccer program and will play a big part in our success this year.”
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