Consistently ranked as one of the top teams in the Central Coast Section (CCS), the boys’ varsity soccer team proved they are ready to do the same this year by kicking off the season with a 3-0 record.

“We started off on the right foot like our coach told us to,” junior Greg Albrecht said. “He said that as long as we keep our shape and play our style of game we would win every game.”

Coach Fred Ferugut, senior captains Joseph Welch and Ryan Wood and junior captain Michael Starr are leading the team this year. The team won against Scotts Valley High School, 3-0, Homestead High School, 2-1 and Hillsdale High School, 2-1. During these games, the team was missing nine key players due to injuries and club commitments.

“Most of the players that are out were our returning varsity players, and the fact that we’ve come together without them and gone 2-0 [prior to the scrimmage] is good,” Wood said. “The other players have really stepped it up with minimal substitutions.”

The absent players all returned in time for the 2008 Winter Soccer Classic, a tournament from Dec. 1 to Dec. 6 in which the team tied their first game against Monte Vista High School in Danville 1-1, and lost their second and third games against Richmond High School and San Leandro High School, 0-3 and 1-3. The last game was tied against Newark Memorial High school, 1-1.

Despite the return of the team’s main players, the team lost 12 seniors last year and only has eight returning varsity players. However, according to Starr, the team will not suffer greatly from these losses.

“It won’t affect us that much this year,” he said. “We had good new players coming in and I think we’re a solid team this year. And our coaching is certainly very good.”

Two of the new players this year are freshmen Jorge Salazar and Cameron McElfresh; the team and its new members hope to win the league championships so that they can attend the CCS Championship in mid-February. League play begins on Dec. 17 against Milpitas High School; the game against rival Palo Alto High School (Paly) will immediately follow on Dec. 19.

According to Assistant Athletic Director and previous soccer head coach David Burgee, the league schedule will be challenging because the De Anza Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League has many strong teams and is one of the most competitive leagues. “My hope is that Gunn will be one of the top teams in league competing for a league championship against the other favorites such as Los Gatos and Palo Alto,” Burgee said. “This is a team that can compete with anyone and should advance to the CCS tournament. How far they go in the tournament is up to them. They are an extremely talented group.”

Gunn needs to score victories against Paly and Los Gatos if the team wishes to have a good league record. Gunn defeated Paly for the first time in five years last season. Los Gatos High School is the current defending league champion.

In order to achieve its goals, the team will continue to practice hard and frequently, according to Starr.“We’ll keep on doing what we’re doing now by training and practicing, and our good team chemistry will manifest itself on the field,” Starr said.

According to Starr, the team’s physical and mental strengths this year include its overall team chemistry and its goal keeping. According to Burgee, another strength is that the team plays possession-style soccer and does a good job of utilizing everyone on the field. As part of its training, the team participates in drills that represent posession and control of the ball during daily practices. The team has also started a ritual this year of holding a joint pasta feed with the girls’ soccer teams.

“The goal for this team is to compete at the highest level, day-in and day-out—to play a style of soccer that is entertaining, attractive and effective.” Burgee said. “If this takes place, the wins will come naturally.”