LYNN — The Lynn Classical boys soccer team is ready to express itself on the field this year. The Rams, who only have one senior, are a youthful group with an explosive attack, but maintain a strong stability on defense.
After two scrimmages against Melrose and Winthrop, the Rams are ready for the start of the regular season.
“Preseason camp has been very good. The boys have been showing up and giving 100 percent effort,” Classical coach Eric Moreno said. “They’ve looked good in the two scrimmages we’ve had. Against Winthrop, we got a good shutout. We’re looking forward to starting the season next week.”
Something Moreno admired about his team during the preseason was its work ethic.
“The team’s work ethic has been great,” Moreno said. “They’ve been getting after it each game, all while keeping a positive attitude. We also have had new players step up.”
Despite some potential growing pains, Moreno believes it will be a fun year.
“We graduated some big players and, this year, we only have one senior,” Moreno said. “We have a young core, though, who played a lot last year. Some of our great players are our young players, which is exciting.”
Over the last four years, the Rams hoisted the city championship trophy three times. Despite wanting to win it again next week, Moreno said he’s focused on making the state tournament.
“We definitely want to win it, but we’re really focused on getting into the tournament with the GBL (Greater Boston League) schedule that we have. We missed it by one game the last two seasons and I think it’s time for us to take that next step,” Moreno said. “Although the schedule is tough, I believe it’s time for us to work towards that now.”
“We’re in Division 2 this year. It’s still a difficult division, but we just want to get in,” Moreno said. “We were in Division 1 last year. I’m excited to be back in Division 2 though. I think it’s better suited for us based on our participation rate.”
A strength of his squad will be its offense, according to Moreno.
“Our offense is really exciting,” Moreno said. “Last year, our strong point was defense. Our offense this year had another year to mature and I think it’ll be more exciting this year. We have a lot of speed and flair. We’ll be fun to watch.”
When asked who he thinks will deliver, Moreno pinpointed Santos Alvarez (goalie), Alan Melara, and Chris Galvez.
“Santos is a junior and is looking really good. He has another year under his belt. He’ll do very well this year,” Moreno said. “Alan Melara, our defensive midfielder, and Chris Galvez (striker) will be big for us this year.”
On top of some wins, Moreno looks forward to enjoying the small moments throughout the year.
“I’m looking forward to those moments throughout the season,” Moreno said. “As a coach, you have a lot of good moments you look back on and get excited about… They’re young and capable of a lot, so it’s going to be exciting to watch them flourish.”
