Catalina’s boys soccer team is made up of several refugees and deals with plenty of language barriers but, for years, senior goalkeeper Rudy Beltran believes the team has been united by one common theme: losing.
“We don’t look at color or race,” Beltran said. “We’re very united because we know how it is to lose, we want (to win) more than the other teams that we’re going against.”
Catalina (13-4-1) came from behind to beat Phoenix Northwest Christian 2-1 on Wednesday night in the program’s first home playoff game in eight years.
The fifth-seed Trojans put their 10-match winning streak on the line on Saturday when they host No. 13 Glendale Independence for a 2 p.m. match for a trip to the Division III state semifinals.
Here are four things to know about Catalina:
People are also reading…
Stigma’s long gone
When Shadrack Kosseke chose to attend Catalina four years ago, he was told he shouldn’t. He went anyway and joined the soccer team to pass the time until college.
Kosseke, a senior forward, never imagined he’d see such growth in the program as the Trojans play in their second consecutive quarterfinal.
“When I first came here people talked about how it’s not a good school,” said Kosseke, a captain. “Kids at school were talking down to us two years ago. Now they come up to us, shake our hands and tell us we’re good.”
Underdog mentality
Second-year coach Hermengildo Cardenas-Perez credits last year’s success for giving the program a jolt, but says his team has bought into the underdog mentality all season.
“I think what the boys did last year encouraged a lot of people at Catalina to think maybe our soccer program is changing,” Cardenas-Perez said. “We’re very underestimated here in Tucson and we’ve been riding that underdog mentality all season, even if we are the No. 5 seed.”
Tough defense helps
The Trojans have relied on a stout defense that has allowed 24 goals and has a record seven shutouts. Cardenas-Perez said a trio of players – sophomores Oscar Valencia and Clemente Quintero along with Beltran — have helped keep the back line stingy.
Valencia and Quintero are two club players who didn’t play with the Trojans last year. Beltran says communication and trust have been the foundation for the defense this season.
“Communication has been everything,” he said. “They listen to me and I do the same when they tell me something.“
‘We’re going to fight’
Senior Francisco Davila leads the team with 14 goals and freshman Jorge Bustamante has a team-high 21 assists, but 12 different players have notched a goal or assist.
“We don’t find goals from one guy, we get them from whenever we find opportunities” Cardenas-Perez said. “The balance age-wise and team chemistry, we’re going to fight for one another no matter the score.”
A 4-0 win over Canyon del Oro in the regular season and a respectable loss to Tucson High led Cardenas-Perez to believe his squad can compete with anyone in the state.
“We don’t shy away from opportunities and we don’t shy from pressure — we thrive,” Cardenas-Perez said. “The depth of our starting 11 can compete with anyone.”
