2004 ELITE THE 2004 ELITE TEAM HAS BEEN TOGETHER FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS, BUT ONLY one year under the leadership of Coach Enrique Suarez. They came together during fall of 2016 and continued through State and spring 2017 together, winning the D3 state championship. Coach Suarez says, “As a coach, when I look at my team, I believe we do it all. There are times where we need to look at other teams and have a mindset where we need to work together defensively, or if we want to attack them and see where we get.” He pauses. “As for game-to-game personality, we are very strong in passing and just in competitiveness in general. This team thrives on competition and they won’t take a loss as an answer — and I think that’s one of the best traits to have as a team.” The team is a close-knit one, and motivation is different for everyone. “For each player, motivation could always vary but as a team, in general, I think winning has just always been a set goal for them. They come here, play, and compete and have fun while doing it. But they are having the most fun when they are competing together and winning together. At this age they are here to improve day in and day out, with each other by their sides, and being the best is the best motivation for any young boys out there.” The team’s goal was to be better every day. Coach Suarez’s goal was, “At the beginning, with a brand new team and players who know each other very well but not me very well was to build chemistry, make sure they all got on the same page as to how I want the game played — and they did not disappoint. My goal for each player was to come off this season a better player than they were when they stepped foot at our first practice. And they proved themselves to me throughout the season.” Coach Suarez says that the players motivate one another. “I personally have never had a team that pushes each other on and/or off the field. When one is struggling, they are always there pushing him to get better and to be better. They enjoy each other’s company and I never see them not doing anything without each other.” He says there isn’t one set leader on the team. “Each game there is someone who is leading in a position that pushes others to want to play harder or better. Some days it could be Connor, sliding and hustling and never stopping, and then other days it could be Christian who begs and screams to stay on the field even when he’s tired because he wants to compete with this team. They all show tremendous effort when they play.”
As exciting as it was to win the D3 state championship, Coach Suarez says there isn’t one factor that got them to the big game. “I believe what got them there were the extra strength and agility camps, the extra trainings and conditions, the extra practices that this team worked for outside of ‘regular’ practices. I expected them to work for me this season and they did. There were times where we played certain teams, and maybe even lost to those teams, when I looked at how upset and how much revenge on those losses they wanted that truly made me think “this team wants it, they’re going to take it.” As a coach, it’s really eye opening to see that.
they worked for it, and I think that is what made them take the title as State Champs this season.” What is the main thing that Coach Suarez would like people to know about his team? “How absolutely hard-working and dedicated they are to playing this game and wanting to be the best. I’ve asked a lot out of these boys and at this age in soccer, it starts to test people and you start to see who truly loves the game and wants to work at not only improving themselves as players individually, but showing that they can compete with their friends, they can win, that hard work can truly separate you from others. It’s unique to see in such a young age.”