The Mission Bay girls and boys soccer teams are off and running.
In girls’ action, head coach Jorge Palacios had his team sitting at 4-1 heading into this week.
Finishing 8-10-2 a season ago, the Bucs have five returning seniors in midfielders Kylie Kroeger, Lindsey Price, Diana Suarez, and Emily Reyes, along with forward Clarissa Fitzsimmons. They will lead a young squad that includes eight freshmen, along with two sophomores and two juniors.
“We are excited to have such a large number of talented young players,” Palacios commented. “We feel like if we combine that youth with the veteran leaders we have on the team, we can have a very good year. “It will be interesting to see what this team does, but so far they have proven to be hard workers who love the game. Our goals are always to play the very best soccer we can play, maximize our potential, while at the same time having a lot fun – playing together,” Palacios said. Boys soccer
Head coach Joe Panian said he expects his team to compete for the City League championship and go deep into the CIF playoffs.
Mission Bay, which finished 4-8-4 a season ago, has a talented group this year that Panian said can possess the ball and be effective in the offensive third. “The goal [this year] though is to have collective team defense,” Panian commented. “To be able to press as a team, keep good team shape, and be able to eliminate mistakes by keeping focus for a full game. The team has been working extremely hard to fulfill our goals for the season and if they continue with this dedication it should be an exciting year for us.”
According to Panian, key players should include seniors Efrain Senties and Erick Higuera and juniors Saul Camacho and Diego Serrano.