After coming off their first playoff appearance in years, the Yuba College men’s soccer team wasted little time preparing for the next season.
The majority of the men’s playoff soccer team has formed a soccer club to maintain their skills and improve their conditioning.
With the soccer club running through Memorial Day, the Yuba men and women practically play soccer all year. With practice every day at 3 p.m. and weight training at 6 p.m., not to mention their other classes, these players have to be dedicated to play at this level. Bart Morefield, who has coached at Yuba for four years and twenty overall, coaches the Club.
“The club is helpful to the players but sometimes, since they are not in season, they tend to lose some focus. But when you coach at the college level you know that players have lives outside of soccer.”
Even though the team is very dedicated to its club and coach, everyone I spoke to all agreed that the soccer field is not up to par.
“I think it would be nice if we had our own and a better field,” admitted Eric Evans, 19, of Roseville.
Most members of the team are very experienced and having played soccer most of their lives
“I think I’ve played since I was six,” said Oliver Armstrong, 18, of Modesto.
Even though they came off a playoff season, the players admitted that they have a long way to go before they can compete toe to toe with other elite teams in the area.
“The club is kind of mandatory,” said Mike Nelson, 18, from Modesto. “But I think it will help us in the long run against teams like American River and Santa Rosa.”
Only time will tell if the soccer club will help the team reach the next level in the upcoming season.
Either way, with new recruits and returning stars, the soccer teams are poised to turn some heads in the upcoming season.
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