Basic boys soccer having long-overdue success

Like most teams coming off a losing season, the Basic boys soccer team had modest goals.

The Wolves hoped just to make the playoffs, and even that might have seemed unlikely for a team that won four games last year and seven in the first three years under coach Tino Diaz.

Then something strange started happening. Basic started winning.

Now with a greater belief in themselves, the Wolves are 7-2-5 overall and 6-0-5 in the Southeast Division after Wednesday’s 2-2 tie with Del Sol. That success has the team thinking about a league title.

"At the beginning of the season, we were just talking about making the playoffs," said Diaz, whose team is second in the Southeast, three points behind Silverado. "Now that we’re sitting in second place, we’re thinking we’ve got a legitimate shot at first place.

"We’re trying to keep our confidence level up, but not get overconfident about what we can do."

Basic was 7-38-8 in Diaz’s first three seasons, and it has been a long time since the Wolves have had a strong team. Diaz said a former Basic coach told him that 1979 was the team’s last winning season.

This year, the school got its first victories over division foes Silverado, Green Valley and Coronado.

The coach cited several reasons for the team’s success. In his first season, he leaned on four freshmen, and the team struggled to an 0-15-1 record.

But those freshmen — striker Daniel Bowman, sweeper Josh Sillitoe, goalkeeper Chris Garcia and midfielder Shane Allison — now are seniors, and their experience is showing.

Diaz said junior midfielder Roberto Valdez has blossomed, and the addition of foreign exchange student Anders Fahlgren at stopper has helped.

"There’s a combination of things," Diaz said. "The confidence level of the kids, and I think that old cliche, you’d rather be lucky than good (is true)," Diaz said. "Things have seemed to go our way this year. There’s just been a lot of things falling in line for us."

• SOCCER FORFEIT — Las Vegas forfeited its Oct. 2 boys soccer victory over Eldorado for using an ineligible player. The loss knocked the Wildcats out of first place in the Northeast Division.

Bill Garis, executive director of athletics for the Clark County School District, said the player had participated in other games but his role in those victories was not significant. Garis said the district looks at things such as whether the player started, how much he played and how close the outcome was in determining penalties.

"Any time we can (keep from penalizing) the whole team for the actions of one kid or a mistake like that, we do it," Garis said.

• ON THE AIR — Friday’s game between Mojave and Cimarron-Memorial will be broadcast on KDWN-AM (720) at 6 p.m.

Contact Prep Sports Editor Damon Seiters at dseiters@reviewjournal.com or (702) 380-4587.