Last season was a historic one for the Gavilan mens soccer team.
The team made its first trip to the California Community College Athletic Association State Regional Playoffs in the school’s history.
The Rams advanced to the second round of the playoffs and set a school record for most wins in a season by finishing 12-7-4.
This year, the team is much different but its hoping the end result will be much the same. Right now, Gavilan is just taking it one step at a time.
“Every year is different,” Rams coach Justin Johnson said. “We’ve got a totally different group of guys in here. What we’re trying to do is we’re trying to get better every day. The only thing that we have control over is not the past, but the present moment. If we can prepare today and execute today then we will feel happy with whatever results come out of it.”
The Rams, as a whole, are a very young group. With a low number of sophomores returning, the team will be mostly comprised of freshmen learning to play soccer at the college level. Even though his team is mostly newcomers, Johnson has faith in their ability to be successful.
“I think our strengths is that everyone is pretty comparable as far as skill level goes,” Johnson said. “I think that this is one of the first years that I can say that everyone is pretty close to the same skill level. I think these guys have a great passion for the game and they’ve really bought into what we need to do here.”
Returning to the team this season is Alejandro “Cookie” Galleta. Galleta played center back for the team last season and has continued to develop his attack in the offseason. As one of the few sophomores on the team, Johnson is relying on Galleta to step up and give guidance to his younger teammates.
“He’s kind of stepped up into the leadership role which is something that we needed with all the guys that we’re missing from last year,” Johnson said. “He’s going to be someone that I’m looking forward to growing and developing.”
While the quality of players is there, the quantity is not. With a long season ahead, Johnson said he’s a little concerned with how the season will wear on his team.
“I think one of our weaknesses is that we’re really thin,” Johnson said. “I think one of the things that’s different from last year’s team is that top to bottom is that every one is pretty comparable. I feel pretty confident putting every single player in the game. We are a little bit thin and it is a long season.”
The Rams will open their season against Yuba College at 4 p.m. Aug. 30 at home. This game will serve as a benchmark for how successful the team will be this season as it takes on a consistently good 49ers team.
“We played them last year,” Johnson said. “They’ve got a really good coach and they’ve always had a really successful program — I know that much about them. At this level here, it’s year by year. … We don’t know much about them. All we’re going to do is prepare ourselves to be the best that we can be.”
