By Chris Parker
Parkview soccer returns nine starters and 10 lettermen from last season’s 10-win team.
“I think we are building off last year’s teams strengths and can really take a step forward to see more wins in the win column and continue to be competitive in every game we play,” Parkview head coach Shelby Stewart said.
Patrice Salde (junior) and Jeremy Jefferson (senior) will be the primary threats at forward.
Jefferson is poised for a breakout season.
“He has played JV the past two seasons with limited varsity experience, but has put in major to work to show that he belongs with the varsity group,” Stewart said. “He transitioned from playing basketball to soccer and is dedicated to becoming better each day. He is a great teammate who works hard each day.”
Isac Bravo (senior) and Done Martino (junior) are in the midfield.
“We will look to build through them and control the ball,” Stewart said. “We will count on their leadership for our team to reach our goals this season.”
The entire back line returns including Matias Carcamo (senior), August Tonarely (senior), Ethan Fernandez (senior), and Santiago Castillo (sophomore). Peter Nyasa (junior) is also competing for time at defender.
Carcamo and Tonarely are key leaders for the team.
“We have had several players step up in the offseason. Matias Carcamo and August Tonarely have really stepped up as leaders and want to push our team to the level we need to be at in order to compete at the highest level,” Stewart said.
Junior William De Sousa returns in goal.
“We look for him to step up as a leader and mature in order to push our team to the next level,” Stewart said.
Positions aren’t set in stone, as this year’s roster brings versatility.
“We have a versatile group that has the ability to shuffle several different starting lineups out there,” Stewart said. “We have youth that has fit right in and have the ability to improve each day.”
Parkview opens the season on Aug. 27 at home against New Heights Christian.
“We have talked about what we are willing to sacrifice in order to make a run in the postseason and improve our team from last season,” Stewart said. “We have to be willing to outwork each other, push each other to uncomfortable limits, and ultimately make sacrifices in order to reach our goals.”
