Priorities in order for a refocused GHS boys soccer
The sun fully set and darkness fell over the practice field as the Gilroy High boys varsity soccer team finished its few final sprints last Wednesday.
Each short burst was run as a team. And after the last one the group was brought together by head coach Armando Padilla.
The Mustangs were one day removed from a 3-0 scrimmage loss to defending Division II champions St. Francis.
Padilla delivered his usual post-practice talk – the message loud and clear: “You are going to get back what you put into this season,” the veteran coach said.
In a roundabout way, that sentence can be used as a slogan for this season’s Mustangs as players are making a conscious effort to fix what was broken a year ago.
“If we put in the effort and give our best we are going to get results,” said junior Luis Galvan, who returns as the Mustangs most experienced defender, earning Tri-County Athletic League First- Team honors in 2009-10 and co-Freshman of the Year before that.
“But if we just come in here and mess around things aren’t going to turn out the way we want. Last year we didn’t work as hard. We need to know that there are other good teams out there.”
By no means did the Mustangs have a pour season a year ago (13-5-2 overall, 9-2-1 TCAL) finishing runnerup in the TCAL to the Central Coast Section’s reigning Division I champ Alisal. GHS also hosted Woodside in the first round – a 1-0 loss.
“I think our first step is working to the next step,” said senior tri-captain Jorge Sanchez, noting that it is a step-by-step process. “We have the talent. We just have to get the knowledge of the system down. We all need to be serious and work hard.”
The hurdle is mostly mental for Padilla and the Mustangs moving forward this year. And producing a consistent and fluid performance game in and game out – big games included – top the list of musts.
“Every season is a new season. We are going to continue with our philosophy here – hard work, playing disciplined soccer and being competitive in every game that we play in,” Padilla said. “They are learning what it takes to be a winning team. It takes a lot of smarts and really focusing on getting better in practice every day.”
The Mustangs carried the emotions of a solid week of practice into their season opener against Monta Vista-Cupertino on Saturday. GHS went up 2-0 at the half and eked out a 3-2 victory.
“We have the pieces,” Padilla said. “It’s a matter now of completing the puzzle.”
GHS plays Bellarmine today in San Jose at 3:15 p.m. and continues a challenging preseson in a showcase tournament in Santa Barbara this weekend.
