On Dec. 2, Aragon boys soccer (0-0-2 overall) faced off against the Los Altos Eagles (0-0-1 overall) under the leadership of new head coach Daniel Arevalos, with the game ending in a draw.
With this being Arevalos’ first year at Aragon, he has already made his mark on the team, emphasizing teamwork and consistency.
“Today’s game is just building from the basics,” Arevalos said. “You’re only as good as your worst player, so everyone needs to be on the same page.”
Arevalos also commented on changes he has implemented to the team’s practices, focusing on efficiency.
“In the beginning, they were learning my system, but now they know we start to warm up right away,” Arevalos said. “They know we like high intensity, giving it our all.”
Aragon struggled in the beginning of the game, with the Eagles scoring to start out the first half. The Dons managed to get the ball close to the goal a couple of times throughout the first half, but Los Altos’ goalie managed to hold up, keeping the Dons scoreless at halftime.
“I could have done more to help the team, especially [by] creating chances and creating more opportunities for my teammates,” said senior and co-captain Pouyan Sheikh.
Despite the rough start, the Dons continued to fight throughout the second half, with senior Marcus Finke scoring the tying goal in the last five minutes of the game.
“We played strong,” said senior and co-captain Charlie Birkelund. “We were down by a goal up until the last five minutes, [but] we managed to clutch it out and get that finish and tie it up.”
The beginning of the season has been a challenging one for the Dons, with the introduction of a new coach requiring players to adjust. However, the team is embracing the challenge and expresses their satisfaction with Arevalos’ performance.
“Obviously, with a new coach there’s been new tactics and new ways to play,” Sheikh said. “It’s been a little difficult, but we’re slowly starting to adapt and starting to get used to how he wants to play.”
Team members also praised Arevalos’ ability to adapt to what the team needs.
“He’s actually been pretty quick at catching on and being able to communicate with us,” Birkelund said. “He’s always available if we need to ask him a question.”
Beyond just tactical changes, Arevalos has been successful in fostering a high-intensity, focused mentality in players.
“They know the goal. The closer it is to the game, the more they tend to focus,” Arevalos said. “But we set the standard from a normal recovery practice to a tactical practice that everything has to be at 100%.”
Additionally, players reflected on their growth so far, finding ways to look forward and adjust throughout the rest of the season.
“I’m always striving for more, and I had an average game on Monday,” said senior Maxim Musaev. “I’m excited to find my feet in the games going forward and I look forward to bonding more with my team.”
Other players expressed their pride in the team’s ability to overcome challenges as well.
“It was a disappointing result, but honestly, we were missing a lot of our starters due to injuries,” Birkelund said. “Considering it was only our second game playing together, we played well.”
Looking ahead, the Dons aim to capitalize on their progress as they prepare for upcoming games.
“We tied this game, only scoring one goal,” Sheikh said. “We need to score more goals, so that’s what we have to work on moving forward in the season.”
The Dons also aim to adjust their flexibility with positions.
“[We need to] find the positions where everybody can play at and they’re comfortable in,” Birkelund said. “If somebody needs to play in a position they’re not comfortable with [and] we can get them more accustomed to that, we should be able to be much more consistent.”
Aragon will play their next game against Mills High School on Dec. 13.
