By Kyle LoJacono
The Gaither boys soccer team is still looking to find its identity this season, which is to be expected with a squad going through a number of big changes from last year.
The Cowboys (9-2-1) reached the Class 5A state final four during the 2010-11 season, but lost 10 of their 22 players to graduation.
“It was a good season and we lost a lot of our impact players from that team, and any time you lose that much experience it’s very difficult,” said Gaither coach Eric Sims. “The high school game is a lot different from regular soccer because the field isn’t as wide. It’s tough without experience. We have a lot of good guys, but we’re just trying to get them used to this game and how we want them to play. It’s going to be difficult to replace the players we had.”
Of the 75 goals scored by the Cowboys last year, 58 were put in by players who have graduated. Among the departing players were Jordan See and Zach Wheeler, who scored 15 and 24 goals as seniors, respectively.
The defensive core lost the tough physical play of Charlie Delmar. Also gone is four-year starting goalkeeper John Nardozzi, who racked up 90 saves and 11 shutouts last year.
But Gaither does have a winning tradition, which creates an expectation to always make deep postseason runs. The Cowboys have made the playoffs in 13 of the last 14 years, including winning the Class 4A state championship in 2000. The squad has also averaged more than 16 wins per year during the last five seasons.
“I think we’re better than most programs having lost that kind of talent and experience, and we’ve got a lot of good players,” Sims said. “This individual team has a lot of skill, so we don’t have to teach that. It’s more teaching them how to play on the smaller field and them getting used to each other.”
Sims will also use the leadership of the few returning players who started last year.
“We bring back a lot of our guys on our defense like Jacob Snidle and Justin Santos,” Sims said. “Those are guys who started in the state semifinal.”
Snidle, a senior, said he has been working to be a bigger leader in his final high school season. He said his biggest goal is working to help the team play together
“This year people around us are just expecting us to get back because of what we did and what Gaither has done in the past,” Snidle said. “We know we have to fight to get back there because it won’t be easy.”
Moving in as the starting keeper is senior Carlos de Oliveira.
“He’s a player we’d like to have play out in the field if possible, but he’s probably our best option at this point in goal and has done a good job,” Sims said.
For de Oliveira the decision to stay in net was an easy one.
“I just try and help where I can and do my best,” de Oliveira said.
The midfielder turned keeper learned a lot from Nardozzi while backing him up the last two years.
“Position in the field and in goal is what I learned from him,” de Oliveira said. “Be strong and smart. He was very smart. Play with your heart and with your emotions. That’s what he taught me.”
The Cowboys’ attack gets a boost from an old source, forward Jonas Bukh. The senior played at Gaither as a freshman and sophomore, but he moved back to his native Denmark for his junior year.
In his first few games back Bukh has a team-high nine goals while adding five assists.
The Cowboys will need all of Bukh’s offense to get out of their new district, Class 4A-District 8. The new alignment includes Steinbrenner, Freedom, Wiregrass Ranch, Sickles and Chamberlain.
“It seems like whenever we change districts we get a difficult one,” Sims said. “In terms of rivalry it’s good for the players to play teams close by with their friends.”
Bukh added, “I think playing tough teams will help us tremendously. It doesn’t help to beat a team 6-0 or 6-1. That’s basically just practice. When you have to really work to win, that’s what makes the team better.”
The Cowboys played Lennard in the first round of the Wharton Invitational on Dec. 19, but results were not available by press time. Gaither’s next regular season contest is at home against Freedom on Wed., Dec. 4 at 8 p.m.
