GILROY—The Infinity U9 boys soccer team made program history on Oct. 12, recording its first win in two seasons—and it did it in dramatic fashion.
Infinity blanked West Valley 12-0 at Gilroy Sports Park, led by 8-year-old forward Raul Rivera who scored seven goals for his team.
“It felt great,” Rivera said. “I just like soccer because I enjoy it and it’s fun.”
Infinity played its inaugural season in the spring and lost to every opponent it faced. The team plays in the highly competitive NorCal League in association with PAC in San Jose. While most games ended by lopsided scores, the boys took pride in knowing they were playing at a higher level than their peers.
“They weren’t discouraged,” Infinity co-founder Erin Gemar said. “They were just holding their heads high that they knew they were playing in a more competitive league and they were all just drenched with sweat at the end of each game.
“They were just really having so much fun. I thought my own kid would be discouraged, but he just couldn’t get enough. If they lost 0-10 or 8-10, he was just equally excited that he had a game.”
Part of the boys teams’ struggles stem from only having eight players, but the addition of the U9 girls team this season has helped fill out its roster. Players like Madison Krejedovsky, 8, take the field for both the boys and girls teams. Krejedovsky said she was happy for the boys getting their first win and that she was a part of it, too.
The girls have recorded two wins in their first season, a sign that both programs are on the rise. Krejedovsky and Rivera both said their coach Ricardo Espinosa has taught them valuable lessons that help them on the field.
“(Espinosa taught us about) teamwork and passing and communication—getting the ball into the middle and then scoring,” Krejedovsky said. “(He showed us) little tricks and how passing is more important than winning. (He’s taught us) that communicating is more important than winning.”
Both Krejedovsky and Rivera have played for other teams before, but like that Infinity offers a higher level of competition. The two said they’ve made lots of friends while playing with Infinity and want to come back again next season.
The higher level of play is what drew Alejandro Del Campo to enroll his son, Alejandro Jr., in Infinity’s program. While the first season was hard, Del Campo said he’s seen his son’s soccer skills grow by leaps and bounds.
“I think it’s part of the coaching,” Del Campo said. “The coach right now is teaching them technique; he doesn’t necessarily care about winning or losing.”
Tony Leonardo’s daughter, Lilia, joined Infinity after taking a year and a half off from the sport. She had previously played for the City of Gilroy Recreation league and with a team in Orchard Valley, but Leonardo said his daughter is enjoying her time with Infinity the most.
“Ricardo and the other coaches are getting them sound fundamentally and that’s the most important thing to lay the foundation,” he said. “It’s a first year team and most of the teams we’ve played have at least the spring, so we’re a little behind but we seem to be catching up.”
Infinity has just three games left in the regular season and will hold tryouts in December for the spring season. Gemar said the program is hoping to expand from two teams to four or even six next season.
For more information on Infinity soccer, visit infinitysportsclub.org.
