Schools
Beachwood Boys' Soccer Sets High Goals
Deep and experienced squad has sights on CVC title and a trip to the district final
Led by senior captains Kaveh Varghai, Blake Atherton, David Stern and Matt Levine, the 2011 Beachwood boys' soccer team wants to make a run to the district finals and beyond. Head coach Brian Greene envisions an 11-win season capped off with the Chagrin Valley Conference (CVC) championship that eluded them last season.
“I think it’s realistic, though we will need some good fortune,” Greene said. “Last year we had some strange injuries and some quirky things happen.”
Scheduling posed a problem for the Bison last year; three of their home games were rearranged due to poor conditions resulting from weather. Injuries were also a factor, but despite the chaos they still managed an 8-5-4 record with a second-place finish in the CVC at 5-0-2.
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“Hopefully those things will work themselves out,” Greene said. “Injuries are always a concern, but we’re training very hard to prevent them.”
Beachwood will have three teams totaling 55 guys on the roster, which should provide depth to survive any misfortune in injuries.
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One challenge for Beachwood is replacing 2010 captains Kaulin Hooper and Phil Keselman at the center midfielder and forward positions. Varghai and Levine are slated to move into their positions.
Greene also has to evaluate a large sophomore class of 25 players and find out what ones will be able to provide meaningful minutes on varsity.
However, there is one young player who’s sure to see significant time this season. Freshman keeper Michael Dreka, who is more than 6 feet tall and 200 pounds, will spend as much time as possible between the posts to get him ready to take over the job in 2012. It also helps that his current keeper, Atherton, is a strong field player and can move to the attack position when needed.
Ultimately, Greene sees the Bison achieving their lofty goals if they are constantly creative in their attack, connecting passes in the attacking part of the field and making each possession meaningful.
“You don’t ever want to outplay a team and not outscore them,” Greene said.
Beachwood begins their 2011 campaign with a three-game home stand starting against Benedictine this Tuesday followed by Bedford on Thursday and Berkshire next Tuesday, Aug. 30. See their full schedule here and check hssports.net for any last-minute changes.