Boy’s Soccer

As we approach the Winter season, The Terra Linda Trojan Boys’ Soccer team, led by their coach Mike Crivello, are looking to improve from their 10-9-2 record last year. They struggled last season against strong teams like Montgomery High School, who beat them on November 24th by a score of 3-0. However, even though they started the season off slow, the Trojans were able to pick up the pace at the end of the season to capture an MCAL championship.

Looking past last season, the Trojans are looking to defend their title as MCAL champs. When asked about the expectations for this season, Coach Crivello stated, “My expectations are always high for the varsity team. TL won the MCAL title last season and was an NCS semifinalist. My hope each year is for the team to finish in the top 4 during the MCAL regular season and we will take our best shot in the MCAL playoffs and the NCS playoffs. Off the field my expectation is that the boys will do the work necessary in the classroom to be on track to graduate. Our team GPA was very good last year, and to me that is more important than anything we accomplish on the field.”

Returning players are feeling optimistic about the upcoming season. Although they are at a disadvantage given the height of their team compared to the rest of the league, players like Kelvin Cifuentes refuse to back down from a challenge. “Although people may have doubts about our success due to our height disadvantages, we know that with the coaching of Mike and teamwork we will be able to overcome any obstacle. Soccer is also made up of other components that don’t require height.”

Though height does benefit some teams, the Trojans are not going to let this discrepancy limit their production on the field. Returning starter Jorge Aldana stated, “We lost a lot of height last year with Marcus leaving. Most of our players are around 5 foot 7. However, we can make up for this by being a lot more aggressive and physical.”

Returning player Matyas Krizek is going to be an important piece of the puzzle for the Trojans this year. The Senior hopes to help lead his team back to the MCAL championship. “The main difference in this year’s team is the lack of depth in our bench. We have a lot of new young prospects coming up to play but we don’t know how well they will perform. I see Jorge, Ben Hunter and myself, stepping up and taking over the leadership role. My goals for the season are to finally score some goals (I have never scored for TL in my high school career) and improve skills on and off the ball. I also want to become a leader for this team and influence the young players to keep their grades up and improve every day. The goal this season is to repeat the last, win the MCAL championship and also to win the NCS title.”

When asked about what his goals for future TL teams were, Coach Mike Crivello responded, “I started as the varsity coach back in 2007 and we have finally come to a point where I can say the boys are doing all the right things to compete at the highest levels in the classroom and on the field. I think the next step for the Men’s Soccer team is to become leaders in TLHS community. I will encourage the boys to get more involved in aspects of life at TL that have nothing to do with sports. I want them to leave after 4 years making sure Terra Linda High School is a better place than when they entered it.”

With the season upon us, the team looks to compete at a very high level like they have been doing in previous years. With tough MCAL teams on the rise such as Drake, the Trojans have a hard path in front of them this season. However, they will not shy away from this challenge because of their leaders Jorge Aldana, Ben Hunter, and Matyas Krizek. Also their stellar coaching staff will play a huge part in how well the team competes this year.  

Girl’s Soccer

The Varsity Girl’s Soccer team is looking to improve on a decent season last year. With the loss of some seniors who brought leadership to the table for the team, it is time for other players to step up and take on that role. According to junior Zoe Croak, “I suspect Alexa Honsberger and Frances Applegarth will step up to the plate as captains and leaders. They both offer a lot of great team leading skills that I think the previous coaches and players definitely noticed.”

Croak’s goals for the season are to make it to MCALs and build a strong bond between all the girls. Also she wants to score at least five goals as a midfielder and earn a captain title next year.

Another vital returner is Aimee Carrillo who has been on the varsity team since her freshman year. The loss of seniors is going to have a big toll on the team. According to Carrillo, “We’re unfortunately losing a lot of seniors this year. It may only be 4-5 senior girls that end up playing this season. However, we are also gaining a few freshman girls who play on Marin FC, so it’ll be nice to have girls who are ready to compete.”

When asked about her goals for the season, the senior stated, “I’ve been on TL girl’s varsity soccer since my freshman year. I’ve seen a lot of talent come and go and I feel like I too, have improved. I played left back my freshman and sophomore year, but was moved up to attacking center mid my junior year. My goal is to continue to make key plays with Yuliana Velazquez in the midfield. Whether we go far and make it to NCS or don’t, I want to make this year enjoyable for girls who are playing, so that they want to come back and play for TL the following year. As of now it’s hard to say what our team goals for this season will be, but I know being synchronized as a team will be crucial. It’s always hard to play with old and new players, but I’m hoping that we try to improve our team chemistry this year, more than the last. Also, beating SR again is definitely high up there.”

Another key component of the Lady Trojans team is goalkeeper Frances Applegarth. When asked about how she felt this team differed from last year’s, the junior stated, “The major difference is our new coach Adam Deates. He was the JV coach my freshman year and is coming back this year to coach us. We did lose some key players like my sister Georgia and our forward Cassidy Munson. I expect big things from seniors Alexa Honsberger and Aimee Carrillo. I’m looking forward to playing with some of the new freshman this year such as Jenna Evans who seem like they’re going to be a great addition to the team.”

Hopefully with the right leadership and coaching the girls soccer team can make a run for MCALs. They have a hard road ahead but a manageable one.