Benny Westcott
Sweet Home boys soccer players have been working during the offseason to improve from last season’s record of 2-12 overall and 0-10 in the 4A-3 Oregon West Conference.
According to head coach Eric Stutzer, enough players were out for two teams’ worth of competition Monday nights during the summer.
“It’s really paid big dividends,” he said. “Our conditioning is better, our technical accuracy is better. We’re pretty excited right now. I think that we have a really good group. Our technical skill has drastically improved.”
That group includes senior goalkeeper Evan Towry, whom Stutzer predicts will be one of the league’s best, who received OWC honorable-mention honors last season, and fellow classmate Chris Christman, an honorable-mention winner on defense. Both headline an experienced defense that also features seniors Mason Lopez and Cooper McKinnon.
“It’s a strong look,” Stutzer said, “much stronger than we’ve had on defense for a while. All three defenders are big, athletic and fast. Their decision-making is pretty good, for the most part. If they can play as a cohesive unit, it’s going to be fun to watch.”
On the attacking side, Stutzer said junior forward Colton Savri and his younger brother, Landon, a freshman midfielder, would be players to watch, with the coach calling the latter an “awesome playmaker.” He considered the brothers crucial in supplementing the Huskies’ already stalwart defensive presence.
“Part of our goalset has been getting into the attacking third,” Stutzer said, referencing the third of the field closest to the opponent’s goal. “We’ve really struggled to transition from the defensive and mid thirds into the attacking third, and put balls on frame. We’ve worked all summer on getting into that attacking third and taking advantage of those opportunities.”
The Huskies have already accomplished that, in a July 10 exhibition against Banks, winning 6-1 in varsity and 4-3 in junior varsity.
“That was really good,” Stutzer said of the scrimmage. “I think that’s a good stepping stone for us, to be able to put those types of numbers up early on, getting into the attacking third, finding the frame and not missing opportunities.
“One of the things that’s happened a lot is we’ve missed opportunities in the past,” he continued. “But I think that this group is starting to settle in and be a little bit more confident, so I don’t think there’s going to be quite as many missed opportunities, which is really important.”
The Huskies kick off the season with four non-league contests, playing Siuslaw and Klamath Union on the road (both Aug. 29) and hosting Elmira (Sept. 7) and East Linn Christian Academy (Sept. 13).
“I think these first four games coming up are well-matched games,” Stutzer said. “They could potentially become wins for us. We need to go out and be competitive. Quite frankly, we need to win in these first four games. If we can set a good framework going into league play, we have a chance to maybe sneak up on a Cascade or a Newport.”
The OWC is slightly changed from last season, as North Marion, which Stutzer called a “wild card,” replaces Sisters, which finished third in the six-team league last year.
“It’s hard to say where we’re going to end up,” he said. “I foresee that our league is going to be very stacked again. We’re probably going to have a lot of teams in the Top 10. If we can squeak out these first four games and get our ranking up early, that would bode well for some type of a play-in or play-off. I’m confident that if we could get into a playoff against the right team, we can maybe go a little further than what we have in past years.
“If we could do a couple of things adjustment-wise and get some wins that way, we could end up with a win in-league, or go to a play-in, which would really be an awesome experience for these kids,” he added. “But we’ve got to start with those first four games.”
Nineteen players are currently on the roster, with four potentially waiting in the wings.
“If we can get to that 23 mark, we could have two teams, which is another one of our goals this year,” Stutzer said. “We’re not going to get better if we don’t have two teams. So getting two teams would be huge. Even if we have to do a co-ed boys and girls JV, I think that we can maybe swing that. Girls’ numbers are a little bit low right now, so maybe swinging some of the girls into a program with the boys would be really advantageous for both programs. We are still struggling for numbers and still taking athletes.”
Another goal was to restart the junior high school program, which, according to Stutzer, is a-go.
“We’re going to get some feeders, which makes a big difference,” he said. “There’s a lot of excitement within our group right now. If we get the numbers out here and get that JV team, it’s really going to do well for development down the road.”
Rounding out the Huskies’ roster are juniors Ben Tolman and Max Klumph, sophomores Boden Sayer, Conner Stevens, Tison Monahan, Gavind Gardner, and Jack Simmons, and freshmen Hayden Smith, Brian Hiner, Benjamin Perry, Cannon Klumph, and Elisha Scofield.
In addition to Stutzer, the team is coached by JV assistant coach Chase Lopez.
“I think there’s going to be a lot of potential for some good things to happen,” “Stutzer said. “But we’ve got to work hard.”