To say the Auburn boys soccer team’s success so far this season is a surprise would be an understatement.
“If you would have told us before the season we’d be undefeated at this point I think we would have laughed at you,” said coach John Yorke.
Through five games this season, however, the Trojans are indeed undefeated, with a 4-0-1 record, including a 1-0 road win over South Puget Sound League North 4A powerhouse Tahoma this past Tuesday.
“Tahoma is a tough team, and I don’t remember the last time we won here,” Yorke said. “We’re in a tough part of our schedule, so to get these three points is huge.”
Although the team’s success this year might be a pleasant surprise, Yorke says he knows why the team has been successful so far.
“What I keep telling everybody is these guys work really hard and they’re actually very coachable,” Yorke said. “I think there is a lot of them that are just open to information. We’re not as talented as a team like Tahoma. They’re much more athletic and physical, and probably better soccer players. But our guys listen to what we tell them – they work hard. They bend, but they don’t break. They come up with big plays. They counter well.”
Already this season the Trojans have topped their win record from last year – when they finished ninth in the SPSL North 4A with a 3-9-4 record – despite a lack of returning varsity experience.
“I didn’t think seeing the players at the beginning of the season we’d be as good as we are, but we are,” said team captain and senior midfielder Ben Nordlie.
Under the leadership of Nordlie, as well as the team’s few varsity returners – including: senior defender Eli Shaver; sophomore midfielder Andrew Nordlie; senior forward Adan Gutierrez; and senior midfielder Brandon Klamke – the team has forged a chemistry that helps fill the gap left by its inexperience.
“A lot of us played on the same club team, so we know each other and have a good chemistry,” Nordlie said. “And this is the fourth year together for a lot of the seniors. I think we have a more solid team this year with a better attack. I also think maybe the talent in the league has stepped down a little bit. The other teams aren’t as talented as I thought. But we’ve stepped it up.”
In addition to the team’s returners, Yorke said, the impact of newcomers – including: senior goalkeeper David Lopez (who played on the team as a sophomore before transferring to Auburn Riverside last year); Thomas Jefferson transfer and senior midfielder Sam Clement; freshman defender Logan Jones; sophomore midfielder Trey Wilson; and sophomore midfielder Collin Peterson – have put the team in the catbird’s seat as one of the favorites to win the league title.
“Our goal is always to win the league, at the minimum we want to make the playoffs,” Yorke said. “So at this point our goal is to win the league, and until we’re out of it, we’ll continue to try to do that. After that we just try and finish as high as we can. Our goal is win the SPSL. If you had asked the team before the season, and put them on a lie detector, I don’t know if many of them would have truthfully said we’d be the favorites to win the SPSL title. But I think there is a little belief happening now.”
Nordlie agreed:
“I think we can get to the playoffs and go all the way,” he said.
ALSO: The Trojans likely lost a key part of their defense for the season on Tuesday when senior defender Jerran Miller suffered a ankle injury after a hard tackle by a Tahoma player. Miller had to be taken off the field in an ambulance. The extent of his injury was unavailable at press time.
