SBHS Boys Soccer is Back in Action

“We’re all just hungry for wins”, senior goalkeeper Sammy Ceballos said in a statement that seems to perfectly describe the SBHS boys soccer team this year. After last year’s disappointing 6-17-2 finish, nosotros is ready to reach their full potential this season. The squad started off relatively strong with a 1-1 tie over Carpinteria followed by a 2-0 victory over Lompoc. “I’m really proud of how we’re going so far…we’re still growing as a team and learning new things but I’m happy with how we’re doing,” said junior forward Keoni Garcia when asked his thoughts on the season’s beginnings. The winning streak extended into week three as the boys defeated Port Hueneme 2-1. From there, the team’s confidence continued to grow with senior center back Pietro Nascente saying his goal for the season is “definitely to finish top four in channel league and qualify for CIF.”  These aspirations seemed well in reach as week four’s matchup against Foothill Tech saw the teams biggest win yet as they shut out the Dragons 4-0. 

However, the Dons encountered a rough patch following this victory as the team lost twice in a row against Newbury Park and San Marcos, the latter of which was marred by a controversial no-call in favor of the Royals. Dons Head C Ricardo Alcaraz stated that he believed an offsides penalty should have been called on San Marcos’ game winning goal, an opinion he shares with his team as Nascente agreed that “we got robbed in [that game]”. Regardless of this, the boys cited a variety of reasons for the pair of losses with senior goalkeeper Isaac Bay saying “I think in general we need to take practice more seriously and be more locked in to the games instead of messing around”. Ceballos agreed, saying that the team  “just needs more discipline towards the final third of the game…towards the end of the matches.” Nascente brought a different perspective to the issue, saying “I think right now our biggest challenge is having everyone healthy and making sure towards the end of the season we have healthy bodies and people don’t get injuries or cramp up towards the end of the game because we struggled with that last year.” 

Whatever the reason for these losses, the squad redeemed themselves with a 1-0 win over Dos Pueblos at their house last Thursday. Overall, it’s just the beginning for nosotros this year as their season will continue through February. “Just getting to know each other a little more [will be helpful] because there’s like five of us that haven’t played on this level before and getting to help each other get to that level and understand one another more on the field I think will improve us a lot,” Garcia said of the squad. As it’s still early in the season, the boys are sure to become even more bonded as they continue on. Catch the Dons tonight on the road versus Pacifica or at their next home game against Saint Bonaventure on January 3rd.