When Matt Caniglia took over the Heritage boys’ soccer program prior to this season, he inherited one of the few teams on the Patriots’ campus not to have hung a championship banner in the gym. Even more, Heritage had never recorded a winning season or reached double-digits in wins. Those latter accomplishments have been reached this year, and that banner is within reach.
With two matches left in the Bay Valley Athletic League play, the Patriots are a game in front of Pittsburg, the four-time reigning league champion. Pittsburg handed Heritage its only loss in league play so far this year, 4-2, when the teams met at Pittsburg. They play again in Thursday’s season finale at Heritage.
“The biggest surprise this year has been just how quickly the team bought in to what we are asking them to do, and how fast the turnaround has happened,” Caniglia said. “Initially, I expected it to be a two of three year process, but these guys believed they could win this year.”
Helping the cause this season has been a talented roster which includes a pair of potential Division I athletes, senior Chris Finlez and junior Younes Dayekh. Dayekh leads the team with 17 goals and nine assists, while Finlez has 13 goals and three assists. Included in Finlez’ 13 goals were game-winning goals in 1-0 victories over College Park, Newark Memorial, and Deer Valley. Meanwhile, junior Erick Maldonado is also in double-digits with 10 goals scored.
“Chris (Finlez) is a kid that can control the game with two to three touches, and he can also beat kids off the dribble,” Caniglia said. “Even better is that he has a real high motor, and just never stops running.”
Dayekh, meanwhile, is a player who has spent time in the San Jose Earthquakes academy, and is described as a great dribbler, someone who plays both fast and strong against defenders, as an attacking forward.
Bolstering the Patriots in the midfield is junior Jordan Wenzler, while junior defender Jihobanny Lopez controls the back and keeps play away from the Heritage net.
“(Jordan) is that player who dictates the tempo of the game, and organizes the midfield,” Caniglia said. “(Lopez) is a shutdown defender, and can also possess the ball.”
Upon taking over the Heritage program, Caniglia’s initial goals included getting the team to compete in every game, and instilling the idea that his team never loses, but occasionally might just run out of time. That hasn’t happened very often, as Heritage possesses an overall record of 14-2-3, a schedule which includes a win over MVAL leader Newark and a draw with NBL leader Santa Rosa.
The Patriots look to finish strong next week, as a win over rival Liberty on Tuesday would clinch at least a share of the league title, a first for the program. The rematch with Pittsburg, however, will test Heritage’s mentality, as it prepares for its initial trip to the NCS playoffs.
Ygnacio Valley’s Chavez reaches career milestone
Ygnacio Valley’s 3-0 win over Berean Christian back on January 22 might have seemed insignificant to most people at the time, but a closer look at the career of coach Cesar Chavez revealed that the victory was his 100th win as head coach of the Warriors’ program.
The Ygnacio Valley program has never had a losing season under Chavez, whose career record on the Walnut Creek campus currently stands at 103-29-23. Now in his seventh year at the helm, Chavez has seen his team win four of the last five Diablo Valley Athletic League titles, and reach the North Coast Section semifinals in two of the last three seasons.
Clayton Valley nears first league title in five years
With a half-game lead over Ygnacio Valley, having already swept both meetings with the Warriors, Clayton Valley is closing on a league title, in coach Guillermo Jara’s third season at the helm. What makes it especially gratifying for Jara and the Eagles is the fact that the program went just 1-20-1 in the year prior to his arrival, on the heels of a previously successful four-year stretch under former coach Rory Gentry.
The Eagles advanced to the NCS Division I semifinals in 2011-12, losing to De La Salle. Things fell apart a year later, and then Jara grabbed the reins. The team got back above the .500 mark last season, and currently sport a 14-1-3 record. The lone loss is to rival Concord, and that setback was avenged last week, when Clayton Valley blanked the Minutemen, 3-0.
Clayton is using a blend of senior leadership and young talent to lead the resurgence. Juniors Pedro Hernandez and Taylor Heuerman have combined for 21 goals, while sophomore Jesus Martinez has 10 of his own. Seniors Peyton Rhodes, Osbaldo Solis, and Miguel Hernandez have been the table-setters, combining for 15 assists.
