Wilcox Soccer Blends Youth and Experience

The Wilcox boys varsity soccer squad is soaring to new heights. Wilcox has not lost a league game in nearly two calendar years. They are currently 5-0-1 this season in the El Camino Division, having not lost a league contest since dropping a 2-1 decision against Gunn back on Jan. 31, 2020.

What’s perhaps most impressive is during this time frame they have even gone through a coaching change. Josh Foley has taken over for Tomas Montes and the team hasn’t missed a beat, continuing on their upward track. In two years under the new regime, the Chargers have thus far accumulated a 14-0-3 league record. And it’s not just that they are beating up on teams in the lower division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League (SCVAL). These Chargers have beaten both Santa Clara High and Mountain View High, teams that are both currently undefeated within league play in the upper De Anza Division.

Taking on a struggling Milpitas team on Saturday, the Chargers certainly did not take their foot off the gas. Wilcox dominated possession and cruised to a 3-0 victory. The biggest standout performance came from freshman winger Jacob Aguirre.

“The youth that we have playing at a high level is incredible,” chimed coach Foley. “For Jacob to have a hat trick of assists is phenomenal, especially since he’s still learning how to play at the varsity level.”

One of Aguirre’s assists landed on the foot of fellow freshman Sean Odle, and another was finished off by sophomore Allesandro Castro. The third goal was scored by senior Ayato Yoneda.

“I just made a run into the box and Jacob made my job super easy,” recalled Yoneda on his goal. “He did a great job of scanning across the field before crossing the ball into the box and then it was just a tap in for me.”

“I didn’t really have the best game on Thursday, so I really wanted to pick up my level of play on Saturday,” acknowledged Aguirre on his three-assist performance. “I feel like I was able to do that and helped the team win. We just dominated that game.”

Wilcox’s overall domination this season has come with a tremendous mix of underclassmen and experienced upperclassmen. To go along with the trio of key underclassmen, the Chargers have a core group of seniors that includes goalkeeper Samuel Molina-Lopez, who earned his sixth clean sheet in 12 games this season on Saturday. Key starters who are also set to graduate this season are Diego Balino-Martinez, Arturo Quintana and Andres Lara, in addition to the aforementioned Yoneda.

“We’re definitely a confident team with the way we are playing,” added Yoneda. “We know how we want to play and how we want to execute against the other team. We just got to keep practicing those set pieces and be focused on those key moments in games.”

Wilcox has six more league games remaining as they look to close out the season with a second-straight undefeated campaign. They’ll play Cupertino on Jan. 25 and have a rematch with Milpitas on the 27th.