Starting their season off with several close results and good wins in preseason, the Timber Creek boys varsity soccer team are three games into their season, with their next game Friday, Feb. 9 with Varsity playing at 7:30 p.m. against Haltom High School.
Having beaten Abilene High School on the previous Wednesday, Head Coach John Besancon looks to continue the team’s success as they play further into districts.
“My hope for district is that we perform to the level I know this team is capable of,” said Besancon. “If we do that and continue to work hard for each other, we will be very happy with the standings at the end of the year.”
Currently ranked first within the district, the players have been training hard to create a dynamic team that can exceed expectations, hoping to make the 2017-2018 season that they finally make it into playoffs. Tying their last game against Abilene and winning in Penalty Kicks, athletes like Bishal Ghaley and Kayden Gomez set high standards throughout the game, with Ghaley scoring and Gomez putting the needed pressure on the opposing defenses.
“Bishal Ghaley scored a cracker of a goal so his confidence should be high,” Besancon commented. “Kayden Gomez continues to put great pressure on opposing defenses, and captains; Geoffrey Balkcom and Nathan Talbot, continue to be the anchors of our formation.”
Making it a key point to improve within their finishing as well as keeping their concentration in dead ball situations, the athletes have focused on learning from their previous non-district games and their dependency on working together as an entire unit, Besancon expects to go through district with a strong team, with the advantage of having a strong team bond, believing that if the team is more lethal in front of goal, the results will be beneficial.
“We have a good mix of players that complement each other well. [They’re] willing to sacrifice for each other,” Besancon said. “Practice continues to revolve around placing our passes in locations that are beneficial to our teammates. Our defense deserves a shut out to reflect how well they have been playing. If we do that and continue to work hard for each other, we will be very happy with the standings at the end of the year.”