As adrenalin surges through the players? veins, the rapid heartbeat overwhelms the noise of the crowd while the athletes remain in an endless battle over a checkered ball.

The boys? soccer team opened their season with a home victory against Laton with a final score of 3-1 on Nov. 29.

?I think it is pretty cool being on the boys? varsity soccer team,? Vincent Cabias, ?09, said. ?I think the season this year looks promising.?

While the West Sierra League game against Mendota gave the team a 3-0 record, the team gained experience during the Garces Tournament, Dec. 16-17, which turned out to be a disappointed to the players.

?We went into the tournament with confidence,? Cabias said. ?But we ended with a record of 0-3-1. Those losses were necessary for our team to learn what to work on and most of all gain experience.?

Although most of the players added knowledge from last year, a number of players suited up for their first time this season.

?I started playing soccer this year,? Cabias said. ?I am the back up goalie and sometimes I play on the field. I do not really care what position I play as long as I am on the field.?

Those who previously played for the team believe there is a positive atmosphere and attitude. Junior Derek Wear started playing soccer his sophomore year, and now plays the position of forward.

?The season is stellar,? Wear said. ?Outside of the tournament we have only lost to CVC [Central Valley Christian], but that was a pre-season game. The only league game we lost was against Caruthers now we are 3-1 in league.?

Wear started playing to keep in shape and for the enjoyment of playing sports with his friends.

?My favorite soccer moment is when I got red carded,? Wear said. ?I got it during our first league game against Liberty-Madera Ranchos.?

Coach Matt Markarian considers Wear a valuable member of the team because of his reliability out on the field.

?Derek is doing very well,? Markarian said. ?When I ask him to go in he plays hard and aggressively and does what he needs to do.?

After a three-week break from competitive action, the Eagles traveled to Firebaugh who had not lost a Division 5 game this season. Yet despite a late Firebaugh flury, the boys? beat the host Eagles, 3-2, on Jan. 6.

?We played amazing against Firebaugh,? Cabias said. ?We fought are hearts out and came out with a big ?W?.?

Although Markarian anticipates competition, his expectations remain high for the remaining season.

?I think the rest of the season will go well,? Markarian said. ?We have a lot of tough games coming up and I hope we can play well in them and learn from them. ?

This is the first winning season the boys? soccer has had in several years. Markarian attributes the teams? success to the last few years of work.

?We have not had a winning season in about four years,? Markarian said. ?It feels great to have a winning season. This was a two-year project; we started it last year and we have been working at it. But we still have a long way to go.?

Riverdale will be hosting the Eagles? next game on Jan. 13 at 3:45 P.M. For more information regarding boys? soccer, contact Markarian at 709-4392.