Wildcats looking to its youth
In a rebuilding season, Chico State will need young leaders to emerge
CHICO » This year’s Chico State men’s soccer team is one unlike any other that head coach Felipe Restrepo has coached at the school. For the first time in his coaching career Restrepo is being forced to start freshman who he traditionally has redshirt in their first year with the program.
As Chico State prepares for its California Collegiate Athletic Association season opener against Cal State San Bernadino at 4:30 p.m. Friday at University Soccer Stadium, this year’s men’s soccer team features 20 freshmen and just three seniors — one being Servando Higuera, a transfer from Oxnard Community College. Forward Andrew Hazzard is the lone junior. Other seniors include fifth-year senior midfielders Cooper Renteria and Anais Mayo.
On the team’s most recent road trip to Humboldt State, the Wildcats traveled with 20 freshmen on their 25-man roster. Restrepo said there was an older team prior to the pandemic and a group of redshirts who were forced to redshirt a second year due to the pandemic.
Restrepo said the last couple of years have admittedly been tough between cancelations due to fires, flooding and COVID-19.
“We’ve all felt it the reality is we’re really excited to be playing soccer again and doing the things that we love,” Restrepo said. “We feel fortunate that we get to come out here. This is a different kind of season. The mental health of the boys, the spirit of the program to be playing soccer again, focusing on field and team outcomes is just exciting. We’re just playing game by game and feel lucky to be able to get games in.”
Restrepo said his starting goalkeeper will be Luis Albarran and his
team is still working to figure out who the leaders of offense and defense will be.
“It’s collective. We’ve got some really good pieces on both ends,” Restrepo said. “When you’re a young group you try to find yourself and this group is working on finding itself and is doing a good job of being together.”
Despite what looks like a young team on the roster, due to eligibility changes that went along with the pandemic several players listed as sophomores have been with the Chico State program for several years.
Forward Jacob Chong, who has scored all three goals thus far through six games for the Wildcats (15), earned second team AllWest Region honors and was named the California Collegiate Athletic Association’s Newcomer of the Year in 2019. After redshirting in 2018, Chong scored 10 goals in 17 games in his freshman year.
Forward Juan Perez is returning with sophomore athletic eligibility after appearing
in 12 games as a true freshman in 2019, before being forced to redshirt in 2018 and 2019 due to ACL tears in both knees. Perez said he is at 100% entering Friday and is reminding his team to always give their all at all times.
“Anything can be taken from you from any moment so we should always go out and give it our all as if it’s our last game and just enjoy the moment and get the best result possible,” Perez said.
Defender Donvan Jackson, a Pleasant Valley High
School alumnus playing in his sophomore year of athletic eligibility, is taking on a new leadership role with the team. Jackson redshirted in 2018, played in six games in 2019 and is one of two players attending graduate school.
“I have so much respect for what they’re trying to do and what they’re doing,” Restrepo said about Jackson and Renteria attending graduate school. “They’ve had so much success in school. It’s just been an integral part of our program
of building our men. I can’t be any more proud of what they’re doing and how they’re doing it so they’ve been kind of our calming force behind the scenes with grooming the young guys.”
Jackson stated that he has always been more of an introvert and quiet and less of leader, but with a young team stepping up as a leader is something that he needs to do this season. He said he has always wanted to play for Chico State and he is excited to take to the field once again Friday in front of his hometown friends and family.
Friday’s game is free for Chico State students with a Wildcat ID card. General admission is $10, seniors 60 years and older or visiting students with an ID card are $6, children age 3-12 years old are $4 and children age 2 and under are free.
Venue capacity is limited to 50% and spectators will be limited to seating areas only. At the end of competition spectators are being asked to leave the venue immediately and wait outside the gate to greet participants. Masks are required outdoors where physical distancing cannot be achieved.