Aragon varsity soccer teams: forces to be reckoned with
GIRLS VARSITY
Last year, the girls’ varsity team (14-3-6) tied for the CCS Championship. This year, they are focused on maintaining the standard that last year’s team set. According to coach Will Colglazier, “Last year’s team put Aragon on the map. The team knows they have a target on their back.”
The girls believe that their most challenging game will be against rival Burlingame High School, the winner of CCS in 2008 and 2009.
Despite a strong finish to last year’s season, Colglazier was surprised to see far fewer girls try out for the frosh/soph and varsity soccer teams. “It is possible that some [girls] [remove] themselves. The fitness test on the first day of tryouts is difficult, grueling, and intimidating,” says Colglazier.
There was previous speculation that this would be a great setback to Aragon, but in reality, there is no shortage of talent. Colglazier’s expectations of the team will be no different. The smaller team will take more time to develop, but he says, “It’s about quality, not quantity, and we have the players we need.”
“Everyone is one big family,” says junior Nicole Rodrick.
Like last year’s team, this team is comprised mostly of younger juniors and some sophomores, but Colglazier says, “They have experience beyond their years. It’s not just about winning. We come out here to have fun, and the wins will come.”
A lot of the players that graduated last year were starters, so everybody will be stepping up. Many are looking to senior Kathryn McAuliffe, who says, “We want to try and win again to prove that last year wasn’t a fluke. We’re a really strong team and a force to be reckoned with.”
McAuliffe is optimistic for the season and says that having fewer players can work to their advantage. Younger players will have more time to develop, and players will be more unified, without having to worry about playing time or substitutions which have previously been a problem.
BOYS VARSITY
The boys varsity soccer team, after winning the Peninsula Athletic League Ocean Division last year (10-2-2), have been promoted to the Bay Division. Coach Forest Brazil says, “The division is all quality teams and will be much tougher, but we’ve carried a lot of momentum since last year.”
Aragon graduate Dilian Donev totaled 26 goals and 16 assists last year, and was a big reason why the team won the Ocean division. Despite his departure, Brazil is confident and says, “The team is more balanced now and the responsibility is more spread out, rather than on one person’s shoulders.”
Other players agree, and believe that teamwork will be vital. Seniors Juan Gomez and Steve Lopez were unable to play last year because of grades and feel that the team is more together now. After losing Donev, Gomez believes that Aragon needs more work on offense and communication rather than defense.
Aragon’s soccer standard is higher now, and the team will have to deal with tougher teams to qualify for CCS. They have been doing extra conditioning and Senior Javed Sahib says, “Last year was like a warm up. This is the real deal.”
With last year’s success, Aragon soccer players have much to be proud of. The teams are bonding well and show increasing experience and teamwork. By improving physically and mentally, they are quickly developing into one of the foremost competitors in the area.
