Boys’ soccer with dominant start on return to CIF journey
The Samo boys’ varsity soccer team finished last season with an overall record of 9-10-1 and a league record of 4-6, ultimately falling short of qualifying for CIF playoffs. This season, however, the Vikings have started off strong and are well on their way to maintaining a positive record. As of Dec. 15, the Vikings are 5-1. Head coach Chris Sandoval (’16) has his eyes set on glory this winter, hoping for a successful playoff run come February.
“The expectation for this year, especially with having an experienced group with a lot of seniors is to make it as far into playoffs as possible, but while doing so, making sure to finish league off strong,” Sandoval said.
Before the Vikings can think about post-season success, they need to first succeed in league play, which has yet to start. This season, the Vikings are competing in the Ocean League for the first time since the winter of ’19-’20, after spending a four-year stint in the Bay League. Along with a change in scenery, the team has also lost 14 of last year’s seniors, including star forward Atreyu Lucas (’24) who put forth nine goals and three assists during his graduating season. Current senior Miguel Cano (’25) seems to be filling that void so far, scoring five goals and providing two assists through the Vikings’ first six games. In addition to Cano, the ’24-’25 roster appears to have players all across the board to fill in for the team’s former stars.
“There are a lot of players to look out for this season. We have Gabriel Sherman (’25) who is a Division I committed player going to Cal State Fullerton, Deacon Miller (’26) who is the first junior captain in well over ten plus years, Pedro Duarte Silva (’25), who is a
third-year varsity goalie, we have so much experience,” Sandoval said.
After missing out on playoffs last year, Sandoval is banking on these experienced players to take the Vikings back to the glory they so nearly achieved just two seasons ago.
“There was a big disconnect that [last] season between what the experienced guys wanted to do within the season and [what] the expectations were,” Sandoval said. “A lot of the boys on the team have experienced the highs of the program, like making division two semifinals and state quarterfinals, as well as not making playoffs last year- they’ve experienced both sides and understand what it takes to succeed.”
The Vikings’ turnaround this season hasn’t come out of the blue, but rather has been achieved through a combination of hard work and comradery. The squad has been training consistently since summer, improving technically on the field and gaining chemistry along the way. Midfielder Felipe Martini (’25) believes that this time has been beneficial for the team.
“Having so much time to train, especially since we train throughout the year, we’ve become a very good team together,” Martini said. “We play together well, we know each other well, we know what everyone likes to do and how they play - people know where to pass the ball and what to do.”
This strong sense of chemistry has been and will continue to be the Vikings’ backbone this season and this comes as no surprise to Sandoval, who has aimed to instill a holistic approach amongst the squad.
“My biggest coaching philosophy is, person first, player second, which is why our group is a lot more well-connected than previous seasons,” Sandoval said.
The Vikings have four matches this week – they will face off at Animo Leadership and Centennial respectively on Dec. 15 and Dec. 18, before competing in the South Holiday Classic Tournament on Dec. 20 and Dec. 21.