Tag Archives: Burbank boys soccer

Young Boys Soccer Teams Looking to Improve

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It isn’t easy to have consistent success. The Burroughs High boys’ soccer team has been relatively strong for quite some time. Last season, a very young team finished second in league. That core group of sophomores are now juniors, leaving hope that they are a year away from hitting their peak. Burbank High showed some promise last season and is hoping to continue to improve upon last season’s improvement.

Burroughs
The Indians who went 15-9-1 last season, are built around junior playmaker Carlos Rosales. Rosales plays in front of the defense and is essentially the quarterback of the offense.
“Carlos is the engine of the team,” midfielder Sam Hawksworth said of Rosales.

Carlos Rosales of Burroughs. Photo By: Edward Tovmassian

He has solid support behind him with junior center back Carter Wells, who gives Burroughs a solid presence needed.
Senior Esteban Alcantar can be an attacking midfielder or he can play as a second striker. He has lots of talent and isn’t afraid to make an assist when needed.
Sophomore Manny Gonzalez had 16 goals as a freshman and is looking to improve on that total. He generally attacks from the wings, which helps open up the middle of the field.
In goal, Burroughs coach Mike Kodama will rely on the trio of seniors Edgar Rodriguez and Alfredo Tejeda as well as sophomore Jacob Cardenas.
Defensively, Wells will be joined by senior Luis Cortes in the middle. Senior Jonathan Mejia could see time at right back. Junior Manny Pascual and junior Elijah DuMonde also figure to see time in the wing back positions. Junior Abihud Munoz and freshman Wilson Harting should also see some time on the back line.
Junior Dylan Mahoney and Hawksworth, a senior, are expected to play alongside Rosales in a defensive midfield role. Senior Jose Luis Arroyo and sophomore Patrick Abarca will also see time in the midfield. Senior Matthew Cardenas gives the Indians some versatility as he can play a number of roles, either in the midfield or in the attack.
Junior David Gerlach returns for his third year on varsity and should occupy the wing on the opposite side of Gonzalez. Junior Matthew Rampaceck and sophomore Elias Galaviz offer support in the attack.

Burbank
The Bulldogs went 5-9-4 last season and are hoping to improve on that mark.
“We’re young and we’re going to get better,” Burbank coach Loi Pham said. “Most of my best players are underclassmen.”
Senior Christian Ramos returns in goal. Fellow senior Jean Diaz could also see time defending the Bulldogs’ net.
Defensively, Burbank has senior Ocelotl Tellez and junior Levon Sahakyan back in the wing positions. Junior Sebastian Causarano also returns and could see time in a center back role.

Burbank defender Levon Sahakyan

Also in the back the Bulldogs have seniors Michael Danielian, Jae Lee and Brendon Chow. Junior Kaiyne Nzenwa and freshman Tony Harutyunyan are others who figure to see time on defense.
In the midfield, senior Andy Cardenas leads the way. Sophomores Isaiah Marsh, Jack Taglang and Nick Diaz all played on varsity as freshmen. Fellow sophomore Andrei Rodriguez also figures to fight for playing time as well as senior Dara Ashrafi.
Up front the Bulldogs return junior Allen Arsenian. Also up front is senior Steven Tom. Freshmen Abraham Rivera and Freddy Cardenas give Burbank a pair that could have a bright future.

Burroughs, Burbank Boys’ Soccer Teams Looking Young, Talented

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A year ago the Burroughs and Burbank High boys’ soccer teams were complete opposites. Burroughs won the Pacific League title and Burbank failed to win a game. But a year later, Burroughs has graduated many of its stars and Burbank has been re-energized by a number of young players who have already shown they will bring the program back up.

Burroughs

The Indians were quite good last season by going 19-5-4 and losing in the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section Division 3 playoffs to a fine Salesian squad.

As expected, many key players are gone. However, the Indians have a very talented young group under coach Mike Kodama that will be solid this season and perhaps great the next two years.

Sophomore Carlos Rosales is the playmaker and center midfielder who makes everyone else around him better.

Carlos Rosales

“Mainly it’s a rebuilding year, but it’s not. Our expectations are to be back to where we want to be, competing for a league title,” Kodama said. “We have a lot to learn. The work rate is outstanding. We’re getting better all the time.”

Rosales and David Gerlach, also a sophomore, figure to be key players for the program for years as both played significant minutes last season. Gerlach figures to be mostly an offensive midfielder or as a secondary striker.

The Indians have senior Sebastian Kalemkarian in goal along with junior Edgar Rodriguez.

Defensively, sophomore Carter Wells appears to be a solid center back.  He could be joined by senior captain Olin Bernal Villalpando. Senior Victor Lopez could also see time in the middle of the back line.

Junior Luis Cortez, sophomore Manny Pascual and seniors Jonathan Ortega and Xavier Iniguez also give depth to the back line. One player who played up front last season, but has looked solid as a wing back is senior Topli Petko, who at 6-foot-3, will certainly give the Indians a physical presence.

In the midfield, senior Ariel Sanchez could be paired next to Rosales, where he might take on the role of the player who runs the most as a defensive midfielder.  Senior Jake Von, sophomore Elijah DuMonde, junior Esteban Alcantar and junior Sam Hawksworth could also figure into the midfield rotation. Freshman Patrick Abarca is a name to remember as a possible future star.

In the attack, freshman Manny Gonzalez has already scored, giving hope that he has a very bright future ahead. Sophomore Kurt Nelson and junior Matthew Cardenas are others who could star up front.

Burbank

Things are looking bright for the Bulldogs a year after going 0-13-5. Former Burbank star player Gor Kirakosyan takes over for Mike Alcaraz.

After two games things are already looking brighter as Burbank opened with a win over San Marino and a 1-0 loss to traditional power La Canada.

“I’m super excited. Hopefully we get started on a positive note,” Kirakosyan said. “We have a lot of young guys. We have confidence in them. We want to turn this around and have a better season.”

Burbank discusses things over before the season opener.

Six players return from a year ago.

Junior Christian Ramos is the starting goalkeeper.

Also back, defensively is junior center back Andy Cardenas.

In the midfield, seniors Ethan Jay and Paul Won return. Senior winger Andrew Senane and senior striker Artyom Ginosyan are also back.

The rest of the team is young, but talented.

Defensively, junior Ocelotl Tellez could see time at left back. Freshmen Alex Pino and Isaiah Marsh as well as sophomore Levon Sahakyan could also see time as wing backs. Sophomore Sebastian Causarano could see time as a center back or as a defensive midfielder.

In the midfield, Burbank will look for help from senior Harout Abgaryan, sophomore Allen Arsenian and freshmen Jack Taglang and Nicholas Diaz.

Sophomore right winger Saul Uribe is another player who can offer help in the offense.

 

 

 

Burroughs Boys Soccer Too Tough for Burbank

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The Burroughs High boys’ soccer team wasn’t at its best Wednesday afternoon when the Indians hosted rival Burbank High.

But the Indians did enough to get the job done in earning a 1-0 win and moving into first place in the Pacific League standings.

(Photo by © Ross A. Benson)

“We played well except for finishing,” Burroughs coach Mike Kodama said. “We had a lot of chances. Some days you have days like today where the ball just doesn’t go in the net. We were fortunate we got one in and that was enough to carry the day for us. We relied heavily upon our defense.  Our back four are very strong.”
Burroughs (12-4-3, 7-2 in league), scored the goal of the match on a free kick in the 12th minute by Jake Lasso-Spell, whose shot from about 35 yards out curved just inside the left goal post.

“I think the goalkeeper even thought it was going wide,” Kodama said of Burbank’s Andrew Rovira.

Burbank coach Michael Alcaraz praised his team for putting up a tough fight against Burroughs. The Bulldogs dropped to 0-11-2 for the season and 0-9 in league.

“We put up a good battle. There’s always a lot of emotion in these rivalry games,” Alcaraz said. “I can’t say enough about these guys. They played a good game.  It was just an unfortunate result in the end. We came out to play.”

(Photo by © Ross A. Benson)

Burbank forced Burroughs goalie Jordan Morgan to make five saves.

Burroughs took 22 shots upon Burbank’s Rovira, who played in the first half, and Christian Ramos, the second-half goalkeeper.

The Bulldogs had a few set pieces late in the match that were taken by Omar Ibnoujala, but Burroughs’ defense was able to clear both the free kick and corner kick.

Burroughs missed a golden opportunity in the 60th minute when Cameron Kelly beat Burbank’s offsides trap. But his subsequent shot sailed just over the goal.

Two minutes later the Indians had another great opportunity when defender Diego Galaviz took a free kick that hit the top crossbar but didn’t drop down into the net.

“We had too many chances that we needed to finish off,” Galaviz said.

Burroughs freshman Carlos Rosales nearly put the game out of reach in the 78th minute when he broke away from two Burbank defenders and had a one-on-one shot with Ramos, who made a foot save on Rosales’ shot.

Burroughs center back Josh Sanchez was glad, but not satisfied with the win.

“I think we had a decent performance,” Sanchez said. “Today it was enough, but I don’t want that to happen again. I want everyone to excel and do well and score a few more goals.”

 

 

 

 

Burroughs, Burbank Boys’ Soccer Teams Looking to Impress

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Experience is on the side of both the Burroughs and Burbank High boys’ soccer teams this season. Thus, expectations are high for both teams.

goal-post-soccer

Burroughs

The Burroughs High boys’ soccer team has enjoyed lots of success over the years under longtime head coach Mike Kodama.

That shouldn’t change this year. The Indians will count on a number of returners to lead the team to what could be one that makes a deep run in the CIF Southern Section playoffs.

Kodama’s 1994 team reached the finals and the 1993 team was a semifinalist. But that was more than two decades ago. This might be Burroughs’ best team since then.

“The nice thing is we return a lot of players and it shows,” Kodama said. “We have a solid core and that’s very helpful. We’re hoping to do really well.”

A year ago Burroughs went 15-6-2 and 10-3-1 in league. Thirteen players return from a team that is particularly strong defensively.

“We should have a good team. The league should be tough,” Kodama said. “Pasadena went far in the playoffs last year. CV returns most of their players, so they will be strong. We always have the rivalry with Burbank, so we expect that to be a tough game.”

Senior goalie Jordan Morgan (6-foot-3) and defenders Josh Sanchez and Diego Galaviz are all three-year varsity players. Sanchez and Galaviz were both first-team all-league picks a year ago. Morgan is backed up by junior Sebastian Kalemkerian.

Senior Richard Alonzo also returns to the defense, as does senior Erik Camarillo and senior Adam Cashman. Senior Ari Arango is a returning wing back who may also see time in the midfield. Juniors Eddie Martinez, Jonathan Ortega and Olin Bernal-Villalpando will look to fight for playing time amongst the defenders.

Senior Cameron Kelly, a second-team all-league pick, is the defensive midfielder in front of the solid back four.

Senior Jake Lasso-Spell is a returning midfielder who scored three times in the Pacific League opener against Muir.

Sophomore Esteban Alcantar and freshman Carlos Rosales are two midfielders with bright futures. Senior Andrew Bardales adds depth in the midfield along with junior Evan Parisi-Sanchez.

Senior Anton Prather returns and is strong on the left side as a forward or a midfielder.

Returning Junior William Rosales has arguably the best ball control of any player on the team. He has the ability to be an attacking midfielder or a second striker, who can hold the ball for long periods of time.

Junior Topli Petko is also a returning junior who has the size and strength to play as center forward, even though he had good enough ball skills to play in the midfield if needed.

Senior Nicky Reinoso is also a returning forward and freshman David Gerlach is a promising player. He is the younger brother of former Burroughs star Brandon Gerlach. Juniors Stephen Carey and Jose Perez-Chavez are two others that could see time in the attack.

Burbank

Burbank went 7-8-1 overall, 6-7-1 in league a year ago and is now coached by 2011 graduate Mike Alcaraz.

“They are developing chemistry with each other,” Alcaraz said of his team. “It is a mixture of younger and older guys.”

The Bulldogs have two options in goal with junior Andrew Rovira, who is joining the team after the football season. Sophomore Christian Ramos is also competing for the starting gloves.

Defensively, the Bulldogs will be anchored in the middle by seniors Oscar Ochoa, Issac Paredes and Kenneth Rovira. In the wing back positions Burbank has senior Fox Bravo, sophomore Jae Lee, senior Anthony Santillan, senior Monteh Ter Sarkissian and senior Carlos Pineda.

In the midfield, Burbank has four-year varsity player Gianluca Vitagliano. Senior Samuel Werner is a holding midfielder. The Bulldogs’ other options in the midfield are senior Omar Ibnoujala, sophomore Andy Cardenas, sophomore Artyom Ginosyan, junior Grigor Grigoryan, juniors Ethan Jay and Paul Won.

Up front, Burbank’s attack will feature junior Andrew Senane, seniors Robert Beglaryan and Calleen Navasartian, as well as freshman Allen Arsenian.

Alcaraz said his knowledge of the league is based upon his recollection as a player.

“You never know what to expect. Every team is different every year,” he said. “Every game is competitive and challenging. We’re going to try our best in every game.”