Acorns positioned for another deep run; Bulldogs hope improved discipline makes difference this winter
Live Oak boys soccer may be the most fan-friendly team in town.
If you’re an Acorns backer and don’t know much about the players, it’s OK. You will know most of their names after watching the talkative bunch in action for five minutes. There’s Jimmy and James, Jesse and George (Jorge), Saul and Paul, Sergio and Cesar, Alex, Alexis and Alejandro.
There are no mistaken identities. Each Live Oak player knows the first name of his 10 teammates on the pitch and can probably guess what they are thinking.
“A lot of us have been playing together since freshman year on varsity, so we definitely have chemistry,” said midfielder William Gallo, one of 12 seniors on the team. “Communication is key. We always have to keep in touch with everyone.”
Live Oak (2-0-1 overall) is a veteran club that last year won its first league championship since 2005-06 and reached the Central Coast Section Division III quarterfinals. The Acorns have not lost in regulation in 17 straight games and are slowly taking back the recognition they lost from 2007-09, when they plummeted from the Blossom Valley Athletic League A conference to the C level.
The longer his team flies under the radar, the happier coach Tony Goble will be. It helps that the Acorns are new additions to the Santa Teresa Division.
“Our goal is to make the playoffs and not change anything about the way we play — just basic, simple soccer,” Goble, now in his 12th season at Live Oak, said after his team beat Christopher 4-0 in splendid fashion Tuesday. “I want us to know for sure we’re the underdogs. We’re playing with seven other teams that had all been in an A league at some point. They have some good programs.”
Though they have hardly been challenged thus far, the Acorns look ready for bigger tests.
They feature a pair of explosive goal-scorers up top in senior Alejandro Diaz and sophomore Alexis Diaz, who has gained the respect of his veteran peers with his explosive speed and crisp passing. Alexis scored twice Tuesday on electrifying shots and had an assist.
“He’s fun to watch,” senior midfielder Jacob Montoya said. “He just goes for it. Alexis is a hard worker.”
Live Oak’s skilled midfield is arguably the team’s biggest strength. It includes sure-footed seniors Jesse Hernandez, Jorge Lozano, Montoya, Gallo and junior Ben Hartl, the 2008-09 Sophomore of the Year in the West Valley Division.
Led by senior defenders James Walker and Cesar Lustre, the backline is equally seasoned.
Live Oak’s goalkeeping duo of seniors Dalton VandenBrandHorninge and Eric Saavedra are amid their third year of rotating in net.
“The attack starts with the goalie, so it’s good to have two different styles,” Saavedra said.
The Acorns appear tailored to their simple game plan.
“They don’t do anything fancy. They just play smart soccer,” Christopher coach Stephen Casey said. “They have a lot of experience, and it shows.”
As young as the Sobrato Bulldogs are, many of them strongly believe this will be the season they break into the playoffs after falling a win short in 2008-09 and 2009-10.
“We’re more determined,” senior goalkeeper Ramsey Ghamrawi said. “The last two years, we almost tasted victory. This year, we want it more than ever.”
A sectional berth would be a crowning achievement to junior forward Shawn Henner, who was Sophomore and Freshman of the Year in the Santa Teresa Division.
“Awards don’t really matter to me,” he said. “Going to CCS would be really special. I really want to go; I haven’t gone yet in my career, so I’d like to see us finally make it happen.”
Talent has not been the problem. Over the past two years, Sobrato finished better than .500 and produced two special-recognition awards among several first- and second-team all-league honors.
The downfall was discipline, which the Bulldogs (1-1) vowed to sustain this entire season.
“That’s what’s going to put us over the top,” Sobrato coach Ricardo Martinez said. “I absolutely like the effort I’ve seen in practice.
“We’ve always had a good chance to get into the playoffs. … We had a big conversation last week and the week before about commitment and how we need to get better to use a better chance of making it. If you don’t come to practice ready to work, it’s not going to happen. That has to be the attitude.”
Sobrato will be tough stop in the middle-to-front third with Henner up top next to junior forward/midfielder Scott Henningsen, a natural play-maker; and senior Simon Schmidt, the team’s enforcer.
“I’m looking at those guys this year,” Martinez said. “We’re hoping to see a lot of good stuff from them.”
Senior Miles Mammen could easily lead the league in assists this winter. He has great touch and ample speed to cover the center.
“He takes care of the entire field,” Henner said. “Miles is just amazing in the middle.”
Speedy senior Kimanni Shannon rose up to become one of the team’s best defenders last year and will switch in at forward.
“He’s our backbone of the D,” said Ghamrawi, who joined Mammen as second-team all-league in 2009-10.
Martinez has a handful of sophomores who could earn starting spots before Santa Teresa play opens the first week of January.
“We’ve got some older guys who think, just because they’re juniors and seniors, their spot is there, and that’s not the case,” the seventh-year coach said. “Everybody has to work their hardest.”
