Giants men's soccer looking to shake off slow start
By Nick Giannandrea
For College of the Sequoias Athletics
A recent 3-2 loss to Bakersfield summed up the season so far for College of the Sequoias' men's soccer team.
The Giants have been competitive, but defensive letdowns have kept them winless to date.
COS held a lead against Bakersfield -- twice, actually -- before going on to lose the nonconference game played Sept. 17 at Riverway Sports Park.
It continued a trend for the Giants, who have held leads during three of their first five games during an 0-3-2 start.
"It has not been the greatest start per our usual standards," COS coach Scott Rogers said. "We have talented players, but we haven't quite put it together yet.
"At this level, the difficulty is in the transition from high school to college. It's a big jump. We're trying to get them there. And there is progress being made even though we're not winning games."
The Giants look to pick up their first win this weekend when they host a pair of games on their campus field. Victor Valley (2-2-1) visits at 2 p.m. Sept. 20, while Siskiyous (1-2-1) plays at COS at noon Sept. 21.
COS has allowed three goals a game through the early portion of the season while playing without three projected starters in outside defenders Daniel Duran (freshman/Golden West High) and Carlos Barajas (freshman/Tulare Western), and goalkeeper Eduardo Manuel Angeles (freshman/Porterville).
Sophomore Cesar Lopez (Mt. Whitney) and freshman Rogelio Bedolla (Porterville) have shifted from attacking positions to outside defenders flanking center back Hunter Reick (freshman/Sanger), while Grantham Cahill (sophomore/El Diamante) has filled in for Manuel Angeles inside the cage.
"We've given away goals that shouldn't be allowed," Rogers said. "It's been a combination of defensive mindset and a kind of technical approach to defending. Those are things we can work on and improve on in training."
If COS can tighten up its defense, Rogers believes his team has the offensive firepower to have a successful season.
The Giants are scoring 1.8 goals per game and have been led by sophomore midfielder/forward Jose Cardenas (Delano) and freshman forward/midfielder Cesar Melgar (Monache), who have two goals apiece.
Freshman forward Alexis Cabrera (Redwood), freshman midfielder Alex Sadana (El Diamante), freshman midfielder/forward Ezequiel Rodriguez (Farmersville), Lopez and Manuel Angeles have also scored goals for COS.
Rogers is expecting big things from Cabrera, who was the West Yosemite League MVP last season at Redwood.
"He's really talented," Rogers said. "He can be a big threat for us up top."
Sophomore midfielder Kevin Barajas (Porterville), freshman midfielder Christopher Romo (Tulare Union), freshman defender Fabian Castillo (Mt. Whitney), freshman midfielder/forward Anthony Minguela (Tulare Union), Cardenas and Cabrera have all helped facilitate COS' offensive attack with assists.
"I think offensively, we can get it there," Rogers said. "We move the ball pretty well and get into the attack very quickly. Our central mid is strong and our attacking players are pacey. I think we're definitely going to produce some goals."
Rogers is also counting on contributions from freshman goalkeeper Damian Rodriguez (Strathmore), sophomore defender Anthony Sousa (Tulare Western), sophomore forward Oscar Diaz (Cesar Chavez), sophomore midfielder Ismael Moreno (Dinuba), freshman midfielder Anthony Iglesias (Tulare Western), freshman defender Axel Aldaco (Monache), freshman defender Ismael Rodriguez (Monache), freshman forward Julio Godoy (Lindsay), freshman midfielder Issac Corona (Monache), sophomore defender Desmond Daniels (El Diamante), freshman defender Jesus Medina Diaz (Visalia) and sophomore forward Andrew Preciado Garcia (El Diamante).
COS will open Central Valley Conference play Oct. 1 when it hosts Taft at Riverway Sports Park, starting at 4 p.m.
"We just have to fight through some adversity and things will start to happen for us," Rogers said. "I think by conference time, we'll figure some things out and be hard to beat."
