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2014 Men's Soccer Preview: Transition Central

This will be the last hurrah for seniors (L-R) Santos Romero, Tim Harty and Victor Cervantes
CARSON -- Having lost their two top offensive threats as well as two senior keepers from a team that just missed making any type of postseason last year, the 2014 season by all accounts should be one of rebuilding.  But don't tell that to head coach Joe Flanagan, his staff or his players, who plan on playing into November and possibly beyond after welcoming back the team's lynchpin in junior defender Tony Alfaro as well as signing a recruiting class that was one of his largest number-wise.

Having already earned All-Region and All-CCAA honors, Alfaro will be looked upon to lead a talented but young squad that lost more letter-winners than are returning.  Coupled with 10 freshmen being thrown into the mix as well as a trio of foreign players from New Zealand and Paris, Flanagan and his staff will get a boost from a local Division I transfer and utilize the many new recruits to help revive an offense that relied too much on possession last year, leading to being on the short end of some key contests towards the end of 2013.

"We had a couple critical weekends that were back-to-back at the end of the season, and we didn't come up with the goods," Flanagan reflects.  "If I could do it over again, I would have really identified those games to our players so they were a little more prepared to give everything we had to get the win.

"We will be a young team and it will take some time to get on the same page, but we have a lot of talent and should be able to compete."

Here's a closer look at this talented Toro squad.

 
THE FRONT LINE

A transfer from Loyola Marymount, newcomer Pedro Velasquez will be looked upon to take on much of the scoring load in a cupboard left bare by the departures of All-Americans Aaron Salazar and Alejandro Covuarrubias.

Named the Daily Breeze MVP as a prep after earning four letters and three all-league selections at Banning High School, Pedro Velasquez played two seasons at Loyola Marymount University, where he was a preseason all-WCC selection prior to his sophomore year.  As a sophomore, he made eight starts and appeared in 17 total matches after a freshman season that saw him earn the WCC Freshman of the Year nod after leading the Lions with six goals and two assists en route to being selected to the Collegiate Soccer News All-Freshman 3rd-team.

"Pedro will be one of the top forwards in the CCAA," Flanagan says, as a matter of fact.

Others looking to fill the offensive shoes will be a litany of newcomers including Ali Nazari, as well as a talented group of offensive midfielders.

"Our goals were down last year and we definitely didn't score enough," he continues.  "It was more of a possession team, and this year, we hope to change that."


IN THE MIDDLE

The midfield position is one of strength for the Toros, with four-year senior Victor Cervantes leading the charge.

Last season, the Pomona native started nine games, with action in 18 seen overall.  He tallied three assists on the season, including two in the 4-3 win over Cal State Stanislaus (Oct. 11).

Additionally, returners Patrick Fuchs and Jose Vaca will see plenty of time on the pitch after the duo combined for 4 starts and 31 gmes played, with Fuchs netting a goal against Cal Poly Pomona (Sept 15) and Vaca tallying his lone assist in the 2-0 win over CS San Bernardino late in the season (Oct 27).

A plethora of new faces also will see time in the middle, with the majority of them looking to get in on the scoring as well including Joey Chica, Edson Lemus and Matt Mitchell.

Chica was a 4-year letter-winner at El Diamante High School, who twice was named league MVP as well as the Tulare County Player of the Year and Fresno Bee 1st-team selection.  A true student-athlete, he also was named to the honor roll all four years.

A transfer from LA Harbor, Lemus led Banning HS to the CIF LA City Championship, while local product Mitchell competed at Torrance's South HS.

Other new mids in Brian Chavez, Israel Murguia and Rayanne Bouarroudj will compete for playing time, with Chavez prepping at Salesian HS and leading the Mustangs to a state title as a freshman, Murguia helping Pittsburg HS win three-straight BVAL titles as a prep, and Buoarroudj helping Concordia University to the GSAC regular season and tournament titles.

 
THE LAST LINE

Despite the departures of All-American Ernie Ramos and All-CCAA selection Jordan Hatanaka, a talented and experienced backline will be a strength for the Cardinal and Gold this year thanks to the return of junior All-Region selection Tony Alfaro, who started all 16 games he played and was named a 2nd-team All-CCAA selection for the second-consecutive year.

The Santa Barbara native scored the lone goal of the year in a 3-1 win over CS Monterey Bay (Sep 20), while leading the defense to five shutouts and six games with just a single goal scored against.

His leadership and contributions to the team are not lost on his teammates or the coaching staff, prompting Flanagan to state the obvious that "Tony will be one of the top players in the country, and will be our leader this year."

Fourth-year senior Santos Romero (15 starts / 15 games) and sophomore Bryan Haley (12/17) also return loaded with experience, with redshirt junior Zack Irons ready to compete after sitting out last year but ingraining himself into the Toro system.

Other faces who will police the backline include newcomers Ehi Isibor, Jamie Rios and Irvin Aguiniga, with the trio combining for all-league, all-county, all-CIF, league and CIF titles, a final four appearance, team MVP and Best Defensive awards.

 
THEY ARE KEEPERS

The battle between the pipes will be hard fought with newcomers Dylan Roberts and Chase Gentry looking to fill the shoes of departed seniors Markus Dickerson and Trey Mitchell, who each earned places in the CSUDH record books.

A sophomore, Roberts earned the starting keeper role at the University of La Verne en route to SCIAC honorable mention all-league honors after earning two letters at Santiago HS en route to earning a league MVP nod, two all-league accolades as well as all-CIF and all-county recognition.  The Corona native led SHS to two undefeated seasons while setting the record for most shutouts as well as saves in a single game.

A true freshman, Gentry prepped at Oak Hills HS, where he led the Bulldogs to four-straight titles, including a 25-0-2 record last season with a perfect 12-0 mark in league play.

 
FINAL THOUGHTS

The talent is there to make a run at another CCAA Championship in the first year of single-tier play in the conference, but Flanagan knows the plethora of newcomers and their inexperience in CCAA play will be the toughest challenge facing the 2014 squad.

"This is probably the biggest class we have ever brought in, and it will be interesting to see how the new players transition into the collegiate level and into our program," he says. 

"Our inexperience will be the true test."

However, once the team finds its identity, Flanagan and his coaches realize that needing to turn last year's close losses into close wins will be a matter of discipline, but is an area that will be focused on after four of last year's six losses were by one goal, a stat that could've turned 2013 into a 13-2-3 season filled with CCAA and NCAA postseason play.

"We have to limit our mistakes in close games," he admits.  "We were sloppy defensively last year in key moments and need to force our opponents into making those mistakes this year."

 
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Players Mentioned

Markus Dickerson

#1 Markus Dickerson

GK
6' 4"
Redshirt Senior
Jordan Hatanaka

#19 Jordan Hatanaka

D
5' 7"
Senior
Trey Mitchell

#30 Trey Mitchell

GK
6' 2"
Redshirt Senior
Ernie Ramos

#10 Ernie Ramos

D
6' 2"
Redshirt Senior
Aaron Salazar

#17 Aaron Salazar

F
5' 10"
Senior
Tony Alfaro

#15 Tony Alfaro

D
6' 2"
Redshirt Junior
Zack Irons

#20 Zack Irons

D
5' 10"
Redshirt Junior
Israel Murguia

#6 Israel Murguia

F
5' 7"
Freshman
Patrick Fuchs

#28 Patrick Fuchs

MF
5' 10"
Sophomore
Bryan Haley

#4 Bryan Haley

D
6' 2"
Redshirt Sophomore
Santos Romero

#2 Santos Romero

D
5' 5"
Senior
Jose Vaca

#7 Jose Vaca

MF
5' 8"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Markus Dickerson

#1 Markus Dickerson

6' 4"
Redshirt Senior
GK
Jordan Hatanaka

#19 Jordan Hatanaka

5' 7"
Senior
D
Trey Mitchell

#30 Trey Mitchell

6' 2"
Redshirt Senior
GK
Ernie Ramos

#10 Ernie Ramos

6' 2"
Redshirt Senior
D
Aaron Salazar

#17 Aaron Salazar

5' 10"
Senior
F
Tony Alfaro

#15 Tony Alfaro

6' 2"
Redshirt Junior
D
Zack Irons

#20 Zack Irons

5' 10"
Redshirt Junior
D
Israel Murguia

#6 Israel Murguia

5' 7"
Freshman
F
Patrick Fuchs

#28 Patrick Fuchs

5' 10"
Sophomore
MF
Bryan Haley

#4 Bryan Haley

6' 2"
Redshirt Sophomore
D
Santos Romero

#2 Santos Romero

5' 5"
Senior
D
Jose Vaca

#7 Jose Vaca

5' 8"
Junior
MF