49ers learn from experience

So far this season the men’s soccer team has not been doing so hot. They have played 15 games, which have resulted in two wins, two ties and eleven losses! The head coach, Imed Dossy, explained that there were a number of factors for the excessive losses, a main reason being the teams they played in their pre-season.

Dossy did not expect the teams chosen to play in the pre-season to perform as well as they did. The Yuba College team played eight out of their first ten games against the top 15 college soccer teams in their league. Dossy said that a lot of last year’s teams have greatly improved, and he did not expect such a big difference in their quality of playing.

The assistant coach, Matt Scammacca, added, “It is more of a combination of a young, inexperienced team along with the teams they played.”

The two coaches said that most of Yuba’s players have not played seriously competitive soccer teams before coming to the college. “We recruited most of our players, many from Live Oak and Gridley,” began Dossy. “And even though the players played well, their team didn’t have big game experience.”

As far as methods for improvement, the coaches use two sources: film and experience. Before practices, Dossy said the team watches films from their previous game and tries to learn from their mistakes and apply them to practice. The coach stated that the best way to gain game experience was to play college-level teams and learn from their mistakes. Practice makes perfect. Along with technical improvements, the coach said that fans always help lift the spirit of the players.

There are 16 active players on the team. However, a couple of specific players who stand out. The first is Aurelio Guzman, midfeild and foward, who according to coach Dossy, “Day in and Day out gives 100 percent!” Another stand-out star is Team Captain, Theron Ferede. He takes on the role of Captain as well as a leader in the team. Overall, the coaches agreed that all the players had great potential, but need more experience.

In the future, Dossy is positive that the team will improve. Next season should promise more wins due to the team’s greater game experience and more comfortable chemistry. Most of this season’s players are returning next year which should help a great deal.

With seven games left, Dossy’s main goal is still to make the playoffs. He is unsure how many more games they need to win to make the playoffs since it depends on how the other teams do as well.

“We just have to take it game by game,” said Dossy. “When the end of the season comes around and we have a couple games left, we’ll see where we stand.”