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Osceola County Boys Soccer Preview
With each team coming off a successful seasons, defending Orange Belt Conference champion Celebration and Gateway will be the early-season favorites to meet in the OBC championship game on Jan. 19, but several other challengers – including tournament host Harmony and St. Cloud – may have something to say about it.
Under Coach Lauren Osborne and former head coach turned athletics director and assistant coach Chad Boudreaux, the Storm have long been the power in county soccer winning the last two and five of the last six OBC titles. The Storm made it to the regional finals and finished 14-3-1. Gateway, under Sagar Patel, lost 3-1 to Celebration in the OBC finals last year but posted a 12-4-1 overall record. They ran into tough luck in the post-season, losing a 2-1 overtime match to Horizon in the district finals before losing on penalty kicks in the regional quarterfinals.
Team capsules:
CELEBRATION Head Coach: Lauren Osborne 2022-23 Record: 14-3-1 Celebration lost a ton of leadership and firepower off of last year’s regional finalist team to graduation, including almost half their goals scored in Edgar Marquez (6), Julio D’Lima (10) and Youseff Mahdar (6). Still, the Storm outlook is positive as Jose D’Lima (6 goals) and Anyelo Castellano (5 goals) return to lead the Celebration offense. More importantly, Celebration returns Christopher Vargas in goal. The senior is one of the top goaltenders in the state and recorded 12 clean sheets and allowed just 11 goals last season in 18 games.
“We strive to carry that success over into another season. This season will be a challenge for us, as we had many seniors on the team last year,” Osborne said. “We are trying to build up a different dynamic with the mostly new talent that we have. The games that we have on our schedule will be challenging, and nothing will come easy to us. We as coaches are extremely proud of the hard work that they put in to make each other the best possible versions of themselves, and look forward to what the rest of the season brings.”
GATEWAY Head Coach: Sagar Patel 2022-23 Record: 12-4-1 Although the team was a little disappointed with how the season ended last year Patel continues to build a solid Gateway program. The Panthers will look to returning player Jose Calderon and newcomer Luis Angel-Moreno to lead its offense; while Joseph Ramirez-Parra (center middle) and Luis Rivero (center back) shore up the defense.
“We hope to win that district trophy this year. We have been to the final twice and came up just short,” Patel said. “We look to build off of last year’s second place finish in OBCs and try and challenge on that front as well. Overall, we have our core team back with some exciting new players that add to the mix.”
The Panthers are off to a 3-1-0 start, including a 3-0 win over Harmony on Dec. 1
HARMONY Head Coach: Brett Ballard 2022-23 Record: 9-9-0 The Longhorns will boast a youthful yet highly technical squad, that Ballard believes has the potential to show “significant improvement” over last year’s squad that lost in the district playoffs to Celebration. Strikers Yediel Hernandez-Plaza and Jean Luna-Diaz are expected to lead the offense with a strong midfield led by Kitamba Lubulu, Sebastian Acosta and sophomore transfer Eli Gavadia-Guinipa. Sophomore goalie Ryan Schadeck is a top newcomer.
ST. CLOUD Head Coach: Weylan Craig 2022-23 Record: 7-7-3 Craig said goodbye to several talented seniors including All-County performers Yarrell Rodriguez and Sebastian Alexander off of last year’s team that made it to the district semifinals. With eight returning starters— including leading scorer Adrian Gonzalez—Craig expects the Bulldogs to once again challenge for the tough District 6A-7 title. Offensively, seniors Rony Terma, Fernando Martinez, and Raul Martinez return; as do outstanding defenders Ricardo Reyes, Jancarios Amador and Edgar Garcia. To date, Craig has been impressed with the work of newcomer Nico Largacha in goal.
“We’re excited to by playing on the new turf at our stadium, it’s a fast surface,” Craig said. “We will feature a skilled team with a strong defense and quick attack.” The Bulldogs started the year 2-1.
TOHOPEKALIGA Head Coach: Erick Meneses 2022-23 Record: 7-9-1 Tohopekaliga is off to a 2-2 start with early season wins over East River and Osceola. Its lone loss came to regional power Olympia. Meneses returns several talented players from last year, including defender/ forward Carlos Rojas, who tallied nine goals and six assists despite injuries. Sophomore Antonio Quintana moved up from JV midway through last season and tallied four goals and added five assists and junior midfielder Mateo Canaveral also returns to give the Tigers a solid base. Tohopekaliga will also receive a boost from striker Reinaldo Villavon, a senior transfer from Cypress Creek and Juan Pujol, a sophomore transfer from Lake Nona. Villavon is currently the Tigers top goal scorer and Pujol leads the team in assists.
“We are looking to continue to build a solid program at Tohopekaliga, built around the principles and high standards,” Meneses said. “Helping our players obtain the school’s first soccer trophy only motivates us to aim higher.”
POINCIANA Head Coach: Michael Koudelka 2022-23 Record: 8-10-0 Koudelka welcomes back a senior-laden squad including forwards Brandon and Dilan Castro and Alex Ivanov; as well as senior captain defensemen Wesley Joseph and Ezekiel O’Farrill. Through four games this season (2-1-1), Brandon Castro and Ivanov have exceeded their scoring tallies. The Eagles have another seasoned senior in goal in Ken Norris, who has allowed just five goals this season in four games as the Eagles have outscored its opposition, 23-5, heading into December.
OSCEOLA Head Coach: Jonathan Zilinskas 2022-23 Record: 5-8-2 The Kowboys returns several experienced players including Elijah Munoz (wing), Chris Blandon (forward) and Jose Mercano (midfield). Impact newcomers include Kevin Leiva (Winger), and midfielders Jose Freytez and Sebastian Gutierrez.
“We expect to be in the OBC championship game and our District championship game,” Zilinskas said. “I’ve told our team that this is my expectation for us this year and that it should be theirs as well. We have a talented team, but our success depends on how well we play as a team.”
LIBERTY Head Coach: Mathew Arnold 2022-23 Record: 2-15-0 Top players on the Liberty roster include goalie Fedor Faktorovich, senior striker Adrian Gutierrez and junior striker Chris Rivera.
