Cavemen endure troubled 2015 season
CARLSBAD — Eager to build on a strong campaign the previous year, the Carlsbad boys soccer team instead encountered plenty of troubles during the 2015 season and missed out on the playoffs.
The Cavemen started the next stage of second-year coach Rick Castillo’s philosophy by trying creating separation and moving the ball faster on offense, but shot attempts were off-target and the tempo stalled whenever players hit a blockade of opposing defenders.
Castillo said players weren’t communicating on the field when they needed to, leading to consequences like a missed pass or poor timing getting to the ball. The limited scoring chances in turn put more pressure on the back line to do as much damage control as possible.
As the number of missed opportunities mounted, so did the players’ frustrations.
"It was kind of detrimental to their motivation," Castillo said. "The consistency just wasn't there in order to win the games. I feel like we wouldn't play to our potential. We could've won those games."
By a mid-September match at West Mesa, which resulted in a 2-1 win, Carlsbad went back to the one thing the brought them success the previous season: control the midfield, take command from there. Players said it’s what they were familiar and comfortable with.
Castillo said it sparked extra motivation, along with renewed hope at the time in possibly returning to the state tournament.
Carlsbad ended up winning three of their final four non-district matches. Other key victories included an 8-1 win at Artesia and 2-0 home win over Lovington to conclude non-district play.
"It was big to get on a winning track again. It uplifted spirits," Castillo said.
The Cavemen dribbled, passed and shot the ball more fluidly. Multiple players had good touches and contributed on the scoring end. Players were happy to return the way things were in 2014, which brought them the district title and a state tournament berth that year. Carlsbad had another chance to reach the state tournament in 2015 by winning district - then some of those issues from the first part of 2015 returned during district play.
Scoring chances and actual goals scored were limited again, and players weren’t talking.
Castillo said it was frustrating to see that cycle start up again. Castillo also said players were disappointed how 2015 turned out, given the success they had in 2014.
"We just couldn't seem to get over that hump on that last part [of 2015], where we kind of started dipping down," Castillo said. “We had hopes for them to go a little further and make the state playoffs. We had hoped to have a better outcome for the season."
Carlsbad won its only district match in the home finale, 4-0 against Alamogordo - distributing the ball well, scoring multiple goals and having multiple people score. Although he was initially ruled academically ineligible for 2015, sophomore striker David Soto (who scored nine goals in 2014) got his grades up enough to make his season debut that night and scored a goal that night.
Castillo and players said the match against Alamogordo was a tough reminder of what this past season could’ve been like.
Carlsbad finished the 2015 season at 7-12-1, 1-4-1 in District 4-6A competition. Carlsbad scored 33 goals, but surrendered 49. Senior midfielder Andrew Quintela scored a team-high 12 goals. Sophomore forward Mario "Betho" Leyva had seven goals, and senior forward Jesus Estrada scored five goals.
Despite the difficult circumstances, Carlsbad still managed to collect multiple district awards. Quintela and senior defender Matt Zumbrun were named to the first all-district team. Senior forward Jesus Estrada, senior midfielder Javier Sanchez and senior defender Alex Salness were named to the second all-district team. Senior midfielder Isaiah Fernandez and junior goalkeeper Will Fiala received all-district honorable mentions.
"I think it was good for the boys to get acknowledged for the skill set they do have and the other coaches remembering that it wasn't just about how our record ended up. That was a big deal for them, and that helped as well," Castillo said.
Castillo said the program’s still on a positive path because how much things changed overall since 2013, the year before he arrived in Carlsbad.
Carlsbad scored just 21 goals in 2013, but have scored 72 goals since then.
“We’re still progressing in the program. We’re still doing better than it was before, and that’s something to build on,” Castillo said. “There are certain approaches that we want to keep standard, which is being more aggressive on the ball, having good distribution in the midfield, good distribution starting from the back field.”
Eight seniors, including Estrada, Quintela and Zumbrun, will graduate in the spring.
"You just wish you could have them for more years. They're great players. It'll be tough to replace any of them," Castillo said.
Key returners entering 2016 include goalkeeper Will Fiala, who will enter his senior year. Soto and Leyva will be juniors next fall.
"(David's) energy and play out there and how hard he tries, it rubs off on people. It's contagious. It'll be a great addition having him out there for an entire season," Castillo said.
CAVEMEN TEAM AWARDS
Most Valuable Player : Andrew Quintela
Offensive Player of the Year : Mario Leyva
Defensive Player of the Year : Alex Salness
Most Improved Player: Dalton Bradshaw
UnSung Hero : Will Fiala
Hustle : Phil Perkins
Fighting Spirit of a Caveman: Javier Sanchez
Sportsmanship : Kyle DeAvila
Coaches Award : Matt Zumbrun
CAVEMEN ALL-DISTRICT AWARDS
First team:
Andrew Quintela, senior midfielder
Matt Zumbrun, senior defender
Second team:
Javier Sanchez, senior midfielder
Alex Salness, senior defender
Jesus Estrada, senior forward
Honorable mention:
Isaiah Fernandez, senior midfielder
Will Fiala, junior goalkeeper
Current-Argus Sports Editor Matt Hollinshead may be reached at 575-628-5518.