Boys’ soccer shoots for the CIF title
Many would argue that fall sports at Newbury Park have set a remarkable precedent this year, with football, cross country and girls’ volleyball achieving successes by advancing through their respective CIF tournaments. With the winter season at hand, boys’ soccer hopes to achieve a division three title in the CIF Southern Section, adding to NPHS’ athletics records. Seniors Isaac Berini and Braden Bauwens, alongside junior Jaden Griffin are vital players within the boys’ varsity soccer team who are working to help make these goals a reality.
Honing in on his last season at NPHS, Isaac Berini, center midfielder, hopes that the work his team has put in over the past four years will culminate into extensive victories. “We’ve gotten to know each other more; it’s my class that’s [made up] this team ever since sophomore year. I think sophomore year we were all young and intimidated, junior year we went on this crazy run with it being our second year playing as a team, and then this year we will see,” Berini said. As an area of improvement, Berini aims for his team to enhance their mentality during games. “This is the big thing, [we want to] stop trying to do something that you think other people want, just play like how we want to play and don’t let the other team control us,” Berini said. Contrasting this year from last, Berini believes that creating a focused set of goals will help the team overcome the deficiencies of the past season. “We weren’t even supposed to [go] that far last year. I feel like this year [the CIF championship] is our goal. The only thing is, last year we had no expectations, so we kind of just played. Maybe it’s because [this year] we have expectations, so it’s a little scary, but we can do it,” Berini said.
Jaden Griffin, winger, is confident that his team’s progression can come to its full fruition this season. “Hopefully we win it this time [because] we were so close last year, so it would be nice to actually go the final move this year,” Griffin said. The challenge of reaching his overarching goals of the CIF Championship is a feat that Griffin believes can be met through changes in the attention given to ball skills during gameplay. “I feel like what we are going to do differently, hopefully, is actually be more technical instead of just going purely off energy and vibes,” Griffin said. While Griffin works hard to train rigorously for both soccer and other NPHS sports, he exercises gratitude for his ability to make an impact on his team. “I feel like [I] just [give] it my all every practice and not [take] days for granted and [make] sure every day counts in every game,” Griffin said. “I [want to] keep adding what I bring to the team to help us as a whole.”
A jack of all trades, senior Braden Bauwens enjoys playing all positions on the field. Bauwens hopes to put in his best effort during his final season playing at the varsity level by continuing to put in the work off of the soccer field. “[I am] definitely working out not only at practice, but also outside just running and going to the park by [myself],” Bauwens said. Taking each game one at a time, Bauwens sets short-term objectives to help create long term results. “[One goal is] definitely working together better because in the past two games we haven’t been molding as well as we should be,” Bauwens said. Bauwens credits his team’s improvement to their strong connection to one another. “We needed to get better at that, just working as a team. […] More personal relationships have been built and people have just been more welcoming,” Bauwens said.
As of Tuesday, Jan. 21, boy’s varsity soccer won 2-1 to Agoura High School, placing them third in the Marmonte League behind Calabasas High School and Thousand Oaks High School. Their close-knit team culture has cultivated the seeds for success this season. For the majority of the team, this one marks the end of their high school sports careers, further fueling motivation for the team to finish on a high note. Working together, they hope that elevated expectations and goal-setting will serve as a reminder to keep pushing through the season. “We have to be the ones being on the front foot. I feel like we definitely can improve on that by focusing on what we can control,” Berini said.
