Mariner boys soccer much better than expected

Published 12:06 am Tuesday, April 27, 2010

EVERETT — Outsiders didn’t expect much of the Mariner High School boys soccer team this spring.

Coming off of a 2009 season in which Mariner won two games in 16 tries, including a 1-8 record in division, the Marauders didn’t strike fear into the opposition as the 2010 season neared. In The Herald’s Western Conference South Division preseason coaches’ poll, Mariner was picked to finish ninth out of 10 teams.

But so far Mariner has proven that lowly prediction wrong. Despite enduring a tough 1-0 loss against Edmonds-Woodway on Friday at Goddard Stadium, Mariner has a respectable record of 6-6 (2-3 Wesco South). The Marauders are tied for sixth in the division going into their home game tonight versus Lynnwood (0-5, 1-11).

Guided by sixth-year head coach Vince DeSimone, the Mariner boys soccer squad is enjoying success during a spring that has been fairly rough, in terms of losses, for most of the school’s other sports programs. DeSimone’s group, which went 4-11-1 in 2008, is having its best season since 2007, when the Marauders advanced to the Class 4A District 1 tournament.

Mariner is changing perceptions, said Christian Rodriguez, a junior forward.

“We were never thought of as being good in soccer. Everybody sees us as losers because our last couple years have been bad,” Rodriguez said. “(But) this year everybody’s giving us respect. We have more of a good reputation. We’re carrying Mariner on our backs (and) we’re representing our school.”

The soccer team also represents the incredible diversity at Mariner. Players on the squad come from Bosnia, Canada, Costa Rica, Gambia, Ireland, Mexico, Poland, Spain and Ukraine. They speak their respective native languages as well as English, said Evie DeSimone, coach DeSimone’s wife.

What is it like for Vince DeSimone, a native of Italy, to coach such a wide-ranging mix of student-athletes?

“It’s always a challenge. I love it,” he said.

Sometimes players don’t understand what DeSimone is saying, and vice versa. But they always seem to make it work on the field.

“My hat’s off to Vince,” said Edmonds-Woodway coach Tony Gilman, whose team has twice edged Mariner 1-0 this season. “He’s done wonders with this program. He’s kept kids in school and put a very good product on the field.”

In addition to its pair of one-goal defeats against E-W, Mariner lost 1-0 versus nationally ranked Shorecrest (12-0) on April 19 in Shoreline. The scored was knotted at 0-0 until Shorecrest finally scored with about 2 minutes to go in the 80-minute clash. Even though it lost, Mariner made a huge statement by challenging a high-powered Shorecrest team, ranked No. 2 in the country in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America’s April 13 poll.

Mariner’s performance was extra remarkable considering that Shorecrest blasted the Marauders 5-0 in March, and in the rematch Mariner was missing two of its top players, Rodriguez (knee) and senior defender Jakub Rynkiewicz (illness). Replacements stepped up.

“It feels good,” said Martin Banuelos, Mariner’s senior goalkeeper, “because even though we were missing players, other players are going to go in there and play with heart and don’t give up. That means that we have a good bench and good (junior varsity) players.”

Built around a core of six returning starters who took their lumps the past couple seasons, Mariner isn’t merely a team; the Marauders are a family.

“We’re not just teammates. We’re friends, so that helps a lot,” Rynkiewicz said. “We communicate to each other not only during school and during practice but outside of school.”

Years of playing together on non-school select teams (including the Northwest Nationals Soccer Club), watching Champions League games on TV and meeting at coach/chef DeSimone’s house for pre-game pasta dinners have created strong bonds among the players. Their closeness comes in handy when they proudly wear Mariner uniforms.

“(Against) either a lower team or a higher team, we don’t give up,” junior forward Yahir Sandoval said. “We’re all trying our best and give 100 percent each game and try to win.”

As the regular season winds down, Mariner hopes to earn one of the South’s three automatic berths into the 4A district tournament. The division’s fourth-place 4A team advances to a district play-in game.

One thing that differentiates this Mariner team from the past several squads, said coach DeSimone, is the Marauders’ unselfishness and willingness to sacrifice personal glory for team success.

“I believe in them,” DeSimone said. “They have the will to play this game now.”

“I see some intensity in their minds,” he added, “and we’re looking pretty good right now.”

Mike Cane: mcane@heraldnet.com. Check out the prep sports blog Double Team at cmg-northwest2.go-vip.net/heraldnet/doubleteam.