Chemistry on the Pitch for Capital Boys Soccer

capital boys soccer
The strong two-way play of junior midfielder Jordan Zimmerman (#17 white) exemplifies the offensive and defensive balance implemented by Capital High School head soccer coach Andrew Lopez.
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By Tom Rohrer

little caesars logoGiven its unpredictable nature, soccer requires high level chemistry in order to be successful.

Talent and hard work combined with interactive coaching can create this chemistry, essential in a sport of constant motion where there is little time to think.

To this point in the season, the chemistry amongst the Capital High School boys soccer team has been in perfect balance.  The Cougars stand at 16-1, including a perfect 12-0 in league play, recently defeating Black Hills High School 5-2 in the first round of the district playoffs.

capital soccer
After taking on a leadership role both on and off the field a season ago, senior defensemen Daniel Pailthorpe (#2) has helped spark a 14-1 start by the Capital High School soccer team. Pailthorpe is a team captain and was the 2013 Evergreen League defensive player of the year.

Using a full circle game plan where offense leads to defense and vice versa, the Cougars are putting their combination of seniors and underclassman to good use.  So far, Capital has outscored opponents 55 to 5, with their only scoreless offensive output coming in a 1-0 defeat to cross town rival Olympia of the 4A Narrows :eague.  Since the loss to Olympia, Capital has rattled five straight victories, the last four of them shutouts.

Andrew Lopez, now in his third season with the program and his first as head coach, expected a strong season from his team.  However, Capital’s dominance has been somewhat surprising for their leader.

“I had a good feeling at the beginning of the season and when I was asked earlier about my goals, I thought winning  league, qualifying  for districts and moving on to state all seemed reasonable,” said Lopez, a math teacher at Capital whose wife teaches at Olympia High School.  “Did I think shutouts in the first four games?  Did I see us outscoring opponents the way we have?  No, I didn’t anticipate that.  I knew these guys had that type of ability, but this run has been impressive.

Last season, Capital earned an appearance in the 2A state tournament, only to fall to Tyee 4-1 in the first round.    The lingering feelings from that loss set the tone for this season’s resurgence.

“We’re only going to get better, that’s what came from that loss,” said senior defensemen Daniel Pailthorpe.  “It was disappointing for sure, but we knew we could use that experience and take it to the next level this season.”

capital boys soccer
A year ago, senior goal keeper Jacob Racimo stepped away from the soccer field to focus on gaining strength for football. Following a strong season on the gridiron, Racimo has stepped back into his goaltending role for the Cougars, where he splits time with Van Soderberg. Together, the two goalies have allowed only five goals on the season.

Senior leadership was rare on the CHS roster last year, as Capital field only four seniors, two of which were exchange students.  It was up to the junior class to mature and lead.   Those leadership skills have carried over into this season.

“It came with last year and some of us needed to learn those (leadership) skills quickly and how to be a leader,” said Pailthorpe, the 2013 Evergreen League defensive player of the year.  “So that role, it’s not new to me or any of the other (seniors).  It’s fun more than anything else.”

Capital welcomed back two former varsity starters who sat last season out.  Standout football player Jacob Racimo, the Cougars starting keeper his freshmen and sophomore seasons, rejoined the team after deciding to focus on strength and conditioning for his senior football last season. Mid-fielder Jacob Zimmerman, a starter his freshmen year at Capital, needed to re-focus on academics as a sophomore and hit the books instead of the pitch last spring.  Both returned to the team this year, with Racimo splitting time in goal with Van Soderberg and Zimmerman re-claiming his starting spot full time.

Both were excited to rejoin their team after observing from a far in 2013.

“I just remember wishing I was out on the field with my team,” said Zimmerman. “It’s so fun out here, everybody is friends and you really appreciate that.”

“I missed it a lot,” said Racimo, who is deciding where he will be playing football collegiately next year. “When I got back into it, it was sort of a realization that I really love the game and being out here with these guys.”

Racimo and Soderberg’s low goal total is a testament to the Cougars ability to quickly retreat on defense following a foiled offensive attack.  Pailthorpe is able to direct traffic from the back line, while mid-fielders like Zimmerman use their two-way ability to corral the ball quickly and start a counter attack.

“The big thing for us is incorporating the team on both sides,” said Lopez.  “When we attack, defenders move up, midfielders move up and when we lose the ball, we all collapse back. I tell the guys, keep a balance and don’t commit too much either way.  It’s worked out well so far.”

“At the same time, our guys have been great in net,” said Lopez.  “They both have experience as varsity starters, which is extremely rare for a high school team.  We want to protect them as much as possible but they have and will win us some games with their net play.”

capital boys soccer
The strong two-way play of junior midfielder Jordan Zimmerman (#17 white) exemplifies the offensive and defensive balance implemented by Capital High School head soccer coach Andrew Lopez.

Offensively, Capital is paced by striker/forward Nigel El-Sokkary and senior Aidan Klemmer, with the rest of the playmaking abilities falling on the Cougars collectively.  This collection of talented offensive and defensive playmakers doesn’t allow for opposing teams to focus on one or two players, therefore keeping them unbalanced.

“Our biggest strength is our depth,” said Zimmerman. “We can put anybody in at a lot of different positions and they will be effective. Everybody knows their role.”

“Everyone is a playmaker, just in different ways,” said Lopez.  “We have a variety of weapons, and anyone can be that guy on a given night.”

The Cougars success in the win/loss column, at this point of the season, pales in comparison to the strong unity between the team and its coaches.

“(It’s) very exciting and great for me because this is how I want to end my career,” said Pailthorpe. “We all look forward to practice and just being around each other.  It’s been so fun, more than I can ever ask.”

“People take notice of their unity.  We have more fans coming than ever before, and we throw jerseys to them after games or at half,” said Lopez.  “That’s the way this team is made up.  Tons of fun, hard work and accountability, and the CHS community has responded.”

Regular season victories, balanced team play and roster wide friendship are all characteristics of a successful regular season.  Now it’s up to the Cougars to bring that momentum to the playoffs.

“If we keep our focus, we can beat anyone,” said Pailthorpe.  “We didn’t have that confidence at the start of the season, but it’s developed into something where we think ‘why can’t we go all the way?’ So there are no excuses now, just games we need to win.”

 

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