White House HS Hard lessons come early for young Blue Devils
Hard lessons come early for young Blue Devils
Written by John Ferguson Saturday, 20 March 2010 08:33
The early results may be dire, but don't believe for a moment that the sun is setting early on the Blue Devil 2010 campaign.
I had a chance Friday night to go watch the Blue Devil soccer team play Gallatin last Friday night, a rare treat for me. A club soccer coach myself, I don't get to watch many high school games, as they tend to conflict with my teams' practices.
White House is young, and youth combined with Coach Lamberth's shrewd strategy of scheduling tough games early has made for a rocky start this season. To the untrained eye, the beatings the Blue Devils have taken early this year - yielding over 20 goals in preseason, then falling 7-0 to Beech and 4-1 to Gallatin in the season's opening games - would seem to indicate little to no chance for this team this spring.
Think again.
This team is not at full strength. Junior GK Jordan Baker injured his knee in the Beech game, forcing head coach Mark Lamberth to press freshman Cameron Curry into service. Oscar Callejas, a junior midfield with a solid soccer IQ, is also working his way back from injury, and freshman Gage Black, a workhorse with a huge motor, was out this week with the flu.
After a disastrous opening Friday night, the Devils began to find their feet, and actually created some nice chances in the second half - no mean feat, given that this Gallatin dropped DII powerhouse MBA 3-1 in their preseason. I've trained with several of the Green Wave players in our club, and they are quality, with several playing on state championship teams.
Curry clearly gained confidence as the night progressed, and the White House back four are beginning to get organized. Senior Alfredo Louis' stocky frame belies a quickness on the ball, and once this team figures out a way to get quality service early into the attacking third, senior forward Cole Elrod's speed and vision should give opposing defenses fits.
Coach Lamberth sees the big picture as well. "I liked some of the things I saw in the second half," he said afterward. "We're starting to get organized in the back, and in all these early games, we've never stopped competing."
Possession through the middle third and creativity in creating chances offensively are still questions that need answers, but in the game of soccer, those answers only come with time and experience. This tough early schedule will help accelerate the learning curve for this young squad.
Don't let the early results fool you - this team is not that far from being dangerous come tournament time.
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