After narrowly losing their chance to qualify for CIF playoffs last year, Oxford boys varsity soccer will be looking to get the job done this season. With added numbers and enthusiasm, boys soccer has high hopes for this season, starting with a preseason game against Gahr High School tomorrow.
“I think we’re going to have a very good season, maybe one of the better Oxford seasons because we have numbers, probably the most players I’ve ever had in years. I think we have healthy JV and varsity teams and they’ll both do well,” said Coach Robert Eastin.
Boys soccer will be welcoming sophomores Ian Yao, Konstantin Espinoza, Cameron Christy, and Cameron Oates. After a season of honing in their talents on the JV team, these players have earned their spot on varsity, and Senior Captain Daniel Guzman finds promise in this year’s younger squad.
“Even though we lost some talented players, I believe our team is strong enough to compete and beat any team we face,” said Guzman. “We still have a young team, with most of our players being sophomores, but we all have played with each other for a year. Hopefully, we can be better connected on the field and work better as a unit.”
Eager to be back on their feet after their loss to Cerritos at the playoff games, Guzman also mentioned how one of their goals is to qualify for CIFs this year. The last time boys soccer represented Oxford at CIF was five years ago in 2017. With their first league game on Jan. 3, boys soccer is determined to come back full force and secure playoff seeding this season.
“I love that I am able to play at this level with the varsity squad and compete against higher level players,” sophomore Cameron Christy said. “I believe that we have a good chance for CIF this year with the teammates that I have.”
This year doesn’t only mark the arrival of these new players but also the last season for seniors Daniel Guzman, Jackson Goulding, Marius Sobremisana, and Nathan Truong. Goulding, co-captain with Guzman and Javier Luna, expresses that one of his goals for the season is to support the underclassmen and prepare them for future seasons.
“I want to help set up our next freshmen, sophomores, and juniors for a good season next year,” said Goulding, “I think that that’s just as important as the current season because you don’t really want to focus just on yourself and leave the other guys high and dry. I’m hoping to [set them up for success].”
