By: Chris Ha, Whitney Tran
The 2018-2019 soccer season has officially begun with a rough start. Due to the poor air quality from Nov. 8 to Nov. 20, practice was cancelled and players were not able to have much time with outside soccer, Boys Varsity Soccer Coach William Leffler said.
“Things were very difficult this year due to the school closing down on Nov. 19 and Nov. 20,” Leffler said. “This is by far the worst start to a soccer season in the 35 years I have been [coaching] at [MHS].”
Fortunately, the rain was able to clear the air and practices were scheduled for two days during Thanksgiving break, Leffler said. However, only half the team could show up because families had scheduled to leave town for Thanksgiving, he continued.
The Varsity Girls Soccer team also had practice during break at the MHS soccer field, Girls Varsity Soccer Coach Michael Tomlin said. They were able to train because the air quality index was below 150, he added.
“I did not receive any complaints or concerns regarding the poor air quality. I made it a point to communicate with my players and their parents during this period of bad air,” Tomlin said. “I basically explained the district’s policy and that there was nothing which could be done until the air got better.”
Both varsity teams had their first game of the preseason on Nov. 27. The Varsity Boys Soccer team took a hard hit against the Vikings at Palo Alto High School and fell 0-10, Leffler said.
“We had a huge problem with buses and did not get to Palo Alto until 45 minutes after [the] scheduled game time,” Leffler said. “The officials heard of our problem but could not give us proper time to warm up and forced us on the field.”
They are looking forward to getting their first win in a while, Defender Mustafa Malik said. I hope to win four games this season, he added.
The Varsity Girls Soccer team, however, pulled a close game against the Prospect Panthers at Prospect High School despite having five of their starters out due to injuries, Tomlin said. They fought hard but the game ended in Prospect’s favor 2-1, he added.
“We have a positive outlook on the season because our captain’s goal is to go to CCS,” Right Halfback Melissa Nunez said. “Our lineup is strong [this year].” she added.
“As far as my expectations, I expect to have a competitive team this year if we can get healthy,” Tomlin said. “Several of our starters are beginning their season with injuries sustained from their club season.”
