Injuries and club teams controlling some of his players’ time
has Armando Padilla unsure of what exactly he has.
One thing Gilroy High’s varsity boys soccer team does have,
though, is talent.
GILROY – Injuries and club teams controlling some of his players’ time has Armando Padilla unsure of what exactly he has.
One thing Gilroy High’s varsity boys soccer team does have, though, is talent.
Taking over as the unquestioned head coach after Brian Hall left Gilroy to oversee officiating for Major League Soccer last spring, Padilla plans on using first-team Tri-County Athletic League midfielders Andy Moya and Bruce Ocana to get the best out of the rest of his players.
“(Moya) is going to be the engine of our team,” Padilla said. “He’s a leader on the field and he organizes people well.”
In reference to Ocana, Padilla talks about passion: “He’s a gamer. When it comes to real games, he shows up.”
Figuring out how the season will go depends on who else decides to show up.
More than 60 players attended tryouts this fall, leaving Padilla and his coaching staff some tough decisions on who to cut. The grueling process also left some players injured, which will make things a little more difficult when the Mustangs begin play in the Homestead Christmas Cup this Saturday at noon at Yerba Buena High School.
“It’s tough to measure what we have because of a lot of injuries,” Padilla said.
Moya thinks it might just be too early to know.
“We didn’t start too sharp at the beginning but we’re working hard and coming together,” he said. “We still have a long ways to go but we have the heart and desire.”
One player whose heart has never been questioned is Ocana, last year’s leading scorer with eight goals and six assists. Small in stature but fiery in temperament, the outside winger plans to take on a larger role in his final year at GHS.
“Last year I wasn’t a captain but I was one of the leaders,” Ocana said. This season, he added, he plans on “being more vocal, a role model.”
Helping to feed the ball to sophomore Jorge Sanchez, last year’s Dispatch Freshman of the Year with four goals, as well as senior forwards Carlos Cortez (four goals), Anthony Velasquez (three goals) and Forrest Alvarez will be critical.
Alvarez was part of the Central Coast Section championship club of 2006-07, but took last year off to play with his club team.
“We’re looking for him to add to the quality strikers that we have,” Padilla said.
In goal, Gilroy will rotate two keepers as no one has assumed sole possession of the job. Miguel Galvan is one to keep an eye on considering he can provide a big frame in front of the frame at 6-foot-2, 215 pounds.
While getting off to a fast start in the preseason would be nice, Padilla said his team doesn’t normally set its season goals until late December. Most important, though, will be the battles that come after the New Year in the TCAL. Alisal and Salinas are likely to pose the two biggest challenges.
“Right now we’re trying to get ourselves in game mode,” Padilla said. “That way when things get started (in league), there’s no surprises.”
