Kicking their way into CIF playoffs, the Diamond Bar High School’s boys soccer team currently stands with an overall record of 7-5-4 and a league record of 6-3-1 akin to their strategy changes and determination throughout the season.
As of now, the team remains optimistic about CIF prospects, noting the positive impact of new team members fitting seamlessly into the chemistry of the team. New players, eager to prove themselves on and off the field, have contributed to a surge in team spirit as well as the energy of the team as a whole. Head coach Pete Orosco’s newly implemented training regimen, emphasizing strength training and conditioning, has been highlighted as a key contributor to the team’s fitness, performance and subsequent wins against Walnut, 2-0, and Los Altos, 2-1.
“The team wants to make it to CIF and hopefully receive first or second place in our league,” junior forward Jay Shin said. “We just want to play to the level that we know that we are capable of.”
The team’s close 1-0 win against Wilson, and 1-1 tie with South Hills have proven the team’s ability to overcome adversity on the field. Junior keeper Milan Mehta saved a penalty kick during their match against Wilson and the team was soon able to come out with a win.
However, the team faced challenges throughout the season, receiving a red card during their game at South Hills, extending the game an extra 20 minutes to give South Hills the opportunity to end the match in a tie.
“We need to fix our attitude,” senior Jacob Toohey said. “The whole team needs to be on the same page about winning every game and leaving everything on the field and ignoring everything before and after the game and focusing on just getting the result we want.”
From seasoned veterans to newcomers, the team’s goal is to end the season first or second in the league. Toohey expressed the team’s goal to keep a positive attitude throughout the remainder of the season, urging his teammates to continue to put their all into each match. The team lost their game against Wilson last Tuesday with a score of 1-4 and ended the season with a win against South Hills last Thursday with a score of 4-0.
“This season has been fun as I have spent a long amount of time with my fellow senior teammates,” Toohey said. “We have come to learn how each other play and have grown closer as friends.”
