Pirates focused to live up to expectations

Steve Virgen

COSTA MESA -- In the fall of 2001, the Orange Coast College men’s

soccer team found out that it can’t sneak up on anyone. And, as the

Pirates enter the 2002 season, they are aware they have built a solid

reputation that must live up to. That reputation has been the reason

OCC has had high expectations for its men’s soccer team the past two

years.

This season, the Pirates feature balance and depth. They don’t

expect to have scoring problems as they did last year, and they have

just as strong of a defense.

“Our reputation has been re-established as one of the top

community college soccer programs around,” OCC Coach Laird Hayes

said. “A whole lot of the credit goes to the summer soccer program we

had.”

Hayes also gave credit to his assistants, brothers Kevin and Jason

Smith. Jason Smith, a volunteer assistant, played for the Pirates’

1991 state championship team.

“There’s no way this program would be this successful without

Kevin and Jason,” Hayes said.

Kevin and Jason Smith have been instrumental in game preparation

and, recently, player-cut decisions.

“The tryouts were incredibly competitive,” Hayes said. “The 10 we

cut, all of them would have made the team three years ago and most of

them would have started. The second set of cuts we made, those eight

would have made the team last year.”

Now that the OCC team is set, Kevin Smith is anxious to see the

results.

“We are strong at every position,” said Kevin Smith, a UC Irvine

product. “We can be very strong defensively and we should be just as

strong offensively. This is the deepest group I’ve seen since I’ve

been here. It’s just a matter of getting that team chemistry. I love

the group we have right now. I’m looking forward to go into the

season with these guys.”

Sophomore Bill McManus returns as the team captain. The All-Orange

Empire Conference first-teamer is ready to take the Pirates to the

next level. His defense helped provide a winning record (11-9-3,

8-4-2 in the OEC) and an appearance in the Southern California

Regional Playoffs.

Santa Ana, the OEC powerhouse, defeated the Pirates last year in

the regionals with a 3-0 victory. The Dons also sent OCC home with a

loss in 2000, when the Pirates finished with an 18-4-4 record, a huge

improvement from 1999, when OCC went 3-14-4.

This year, just as any other year, Santa Ana is the team to beat.

However, the Pirates believe they have the team that can definitely

contend.

“We expect to have a strong team,” Hayes said. “We could be just

as strong as (the 2000 team). But you never know about team

chemistry.”

Though the Pirates have just four sophomores on their 23-player

roster, Kevin Smith said there is plenty of talent. McManus, Dante

Zena and Stan Duke return from last year, and sophomore Aaron

Siemers, who was on the 2000 team, is back after improving his

academic standing. Among the incoming freshman, the key players

include Bobby Dulle, who is from Montana, Joe Salinas, from Irvine,

and Derek Martell, who is from Oregon.

All-OEC first-team goalkeeper Joey Balbas, who posted nine

shutouts last season, will not return, as he is ineligible. In fact,

the Pirates are without nine players from last year’s team. But the

freshman make up for the losses.

Freshman Josh Cotsenmoyer and Eli Zach will compete for the

goalkeeper position in the coming weeks.

The Pirates open their season at Rio Hondo, Aug. 29 at 4 p.m.