(Photo Credit: Montgomery College Athletics)
Montgomery College’s Men’s Soccer Team is kicking this season off in a truly remarkable way. Under the leadership of head coach Pedro Braz and assistant coaches Jay Shaw, Trey Livingston and Alvaro Nieto, the Raptors have won 9 of 10 games so far this season. Thanks to key players such as Captain Nick Castro (S-Midfield), our men’s team has had an amazing season, notably shutting out Tidewater Community College 7-0 on August 25th at home and most recently slaughtering Springfield Technical Community College 16-1 on September 22nd.
“It’s one cohesive unit, to be honest with you. The players who were with us during the National Championship finals and our Team Captains: Nick Castro, Muhammad Kashany and Chris Cao, they set the example. We do practice every day, we get Saturday or Sunday off, because it’s a busy game schedule. It’s rigorous training, considering the game times. We do a lot of technical work, high tempo, high energy and definitely methodical work, because soccer is a thinking man’s game,” said Assistant Coach Jay Shaw.
The Raptors have been overlooked on the pitch in recent years when one considers their impressive string of success as a whole. Winning a title last year as well as developing a sterling reputation for being a consistent contender should, in theory, draw more attention from the home fanbase, but it is hard to keep up with campus athletics when students have to deal with the busy framework of a truthfully commuting community college.
When asked about why the team has been so successful, Shaw went on to explain, “We have 32 players, so we can rotate players in and out – keep everyone game fit. Obviously, on the field you only have eleven at a time, so during practices we have three players fighting for each spot, so as I said, it’s very competitive. Honestly, we take everything game by game; we’re doing okay right now, considering our record. The coaching staff is very eclectic, everyone works together, we have one goal in mind.”
As the season progresses, the Raptors mens’ soccer team will only build off of this momentum. Yes, the mighty Raptors are no longer undefeated; they did have a close, photo-finish loss against Bunker Hill College this past weekend, but that much is clear: They will be competitive. Braz and his staff have assured our school that much at the minimum.
