Dereck Acosta (left) and Rylan Hicks battle for possession.
Russell Huffman | El Defensor Chieftain

Coach Daniel Sanchez had some strong words for his soccer team on August 3 as the Socorro Warriors slugged away during a summer practice scrimmage.

“This has been our best practice in two years,” Sanchez told his team.

Considering Sanchez is entering his second season as head coach, those are indeed strong words, and he’s looking for a lot more than he got from his young team last season.

Inexperience mixed with a bit of immaturity led to a 2-17 record in 2022, and those losses caused a little misdirection away from positive goals.

A year later, and with more games under their belts, the Warriors look sharper, and there’s a bit of confidence on the pitch. Socorro will still be a very young team, with Braden Mounyo being the only one on this year’s squad.

Mounyo is team captain, not because he’s a senior, but because he’s earned the position through hard work and dedication at his midfielder position.

“My job is to try to keep everyone doing their best to make everyone feel like they’re part of the team. Not let anyone feel like they’re doing less than they have to,” Mounyo said.

For Sanchez, it’s about taking his team another notch up the ladder, and Thursday’s practice looked like the Warriors are starting to buy into what he is bringing to the table.

“We’re trying to go to the next level by focusing 100 percent on practices and throughout 100 percent of games, too,” Sanchez said. “We lost a little focus last year. We were very young. And this part of getting better is the mental part of the game, which means doing everything right and having a winning attitude and a winning culture.”

The 2023 soccer season won’t be as much about winning many games as it is about remaining competitive.

“I’m hoping that we’re winning some games and competitive in every game. We don’t want any 10-0 losses this year. I don’t see that happening,” Sanchez said. “We want to be competitive every game that way. The experience gained in every game is important for these guys because every game they play will be important for them as a team. I think we’re very close to being there.”

Socorro will suit up against Miyamura for their first game of the season in a home match on August 22 at 6 p.m.

“It’s going to be a good season. The boys are committed to doing better,” Sanchez said.

Russell Huffman | Assistant Editor