With dropping temperatures, pouring rain, and early sunsets, this can only mean one thing: the soccer season is upon us. This season, the Monte Vista High Schools boys’ soccer team is looking to replicate its historic season from last year. Last season, the team ended with an astounding record of 16-1-5 in the East Bay Athletic League (EBAL) to help them finish second place. However, it was not in the league where they had their greatest achievement. The boys’ team won the North Coast Section (NCS) division 1 title of the 2022-2023 season by defeating Vintage High School in the final 1-0. This was an important milestone for the players, as for most, it was their first year on varsity.
“Winning NCS last season was pretty amazing, especially since Monte Vista hadn’t won it for a very long time,” said senior Josh Balagot, a first time varsity player at the time of the win. “This season we have really good and experienced players, and we all have great chemistry, but the one thing that we really need to be careful of is injuries because that could destroy our hopes for the season.”
This year, the team is looking strong and full of experienced players. Which is different from last year where underclassmen made up half of the team. As of now, 13 out of the 18 players are seniors, and they are all looking to end their high school soccer career on a high by repeating last year’s success.
This will be no easy task however, as to even qualify for the NCS Division 1 playoffs, the team will need to be in the top rankings amongst all teams in the NCS. This means consistently winning throughout the season and defeating other teams that are ranked similarly.
Now although the team is looking to win this year’s NCS title to retain its crown, newcomers on the team are looking to go even further. Last year, the team not only won NCS, but they moved on to the California Interscholastic Foundation (CIF) state tournament, and won their first ever state game 1-0. In the next game however, the team suffered a 3-2 loss and were eliminated from the tournament.
“Of course I’d like to help the team claim back-to-back NCS wins; however, I know it’s a tedious process,” said senior Ryan Razeghi, a new team member. “One of my main goals this season is to be a part of starting a new culture and to really develop a close bond with the team so we can consider each other family.” “With this close bond and hard work, I hope to go even farther than last year, and maybe even win state.”
As the 2023-2024 season ramps up, the Mustangs look to defend their title from rivals SRV and other contenders like De La Salle and Dougherty Valley. The squad is ready to go, and they’re confident that they’ll make the necessary sacrifices to defend their NCS title.
