“We're turning the program around,” said Grants High School head boys’ soccer coach, John Malcolm as he was about to start the tryouts this past Monday.
“We are starting from ground zero and laying the first brick of a foundation to build a winning program.”
This will be Malcolm’s first full season as head coach after taking over the head coach position midseason. Malcom said his focus will be on acquiring stability and discipline for his players.
“We hate losing,” said Malcolm “We plan on shooting for third in the district – we have two tough powerhouses out of Albuquerque in our district.” The Pirates are in district 5-4A which include St. Pius and Highland high schools who are top soccer teams in the state in class 4A.
The other two teams rounding out the district are Valencia and Belen. Valencia has had tough teams and good records, however, according to Malcolm “they lost a good bunch last year.” He is bullish on his team and believes can square off with Valencia this season and sweep them. Belen, the fourth rival in the district, has struggled in recent years and Malcolm believes he can also grab 2 wins there.
“I’m getting them ready to not be afraid of competition,” said Malcom. He expects players to “chase perfection” and to ask themselves, “Did I do better today than yesterday?”
Malcolm will rely heavily on his season's upperclassmen and top performers to make the team stronger and competitive.
Noteworthy players this season are Fabian Pena, a senior, who was 2nd team all-district last year, and plays at the midfield.
Younger brother to Fabian, but by no means any less talented, Xavier Pena, a junior, will play as a defensive mid.
A second junior, Carlos Fernandez, will fill the center back position as well as other positions.
Malcolm, who expects to field over 20 players this season, also expects the players to improve and become a factor in the team's success.
Last year the Pirates went 1-16, 0-8.
The Pirates will begin their “chase to perfection” as they compete at a tournament in the Four Corners area hosted by Aztec High School. They will play Aztec in that tournament’s first game on August 23 at 10 am.
The Lady Pirates soccer team had their tryouts rained out and will conclude their tryouts this week. The Lady Pirates are coached by Jesse Gamboa and will have their first game on August 23 at the Port of the Pirates against Los Lunas. Last year, the Lady Pirates went 0-15-2, 0-8