Post by claudioreyna on Jan 24, 2007 5:23:30 GMT -6
By CHARLES SALZER
Special to The Advocate
Published: Jan 23, 2007
Tara High’s boys soccer team made an impressive run to the state quarterfinals a year ago, and the Trojans are positioning themselves for another strong finish this season.
Last year’s team, which picked up two playoff wins before being ousted by Ben Franklin, entered the playoffs as a second-place finisher in Division II, District 5. With virtually everyone back, this year’s team has stepped up its play and currently sits atop the district standings at 5-0, 13-5-1 overall.
No player exemplifies Tara’s upward surge more than senior forward Fred Parker, who has scored 45 goals so far. Parker had just four goals last year, missing half the year with an ankle injury.
He’s made up for lost time with a vengeance this season.
“At the beginning of the year I set a goal to score 20 goals,” Parker said. “Before midway through the season, I had passed that so I set new goals. I really never expected to score that much.”
In fact, Parker, who says being an all-around player is his biggest strength, has readjusted that goal twice. After setting his sights on and then passing 35 goals, he now wants to score 50 while helping his team “any way I can.”
Third-year Tara coach Tim Bain has found Parker’s scoring punch all the more impressive because of mid-season injuries that have forced him to shuffle his lineup.
Before a 2-0 win over defending district champion St. Michael, Tara entered the game without its starting sweeper, then lost its backup sweeper 10 minutes into the contest. As a result, Bain moved a freshman to midfield and left Parker alone out front.
“We had to leave Fred by himself up top,” Bain said. “He not only managed to score, but he won seven or eight corner kicks and had a lot of good shots. He still produced an amazing amount of offense considering he was by himself against four or five guys.”
Bain is quick to point out that Parker’s prolific scoring has not been inflated by extended playing time against weaker opponents.
“I know there are a lot of people with the mistaken impression that Fred just puts up double-digit goal counts on bad teams,” Bain said. “After he scores three goals in a game we usually take him out and put one of our younger guys in.
“He’s scored as many goals against St. Amant, Episcopal and Woodlawn as he has against anybody else this year. He steps up and performs the same against any competition.”
Parker’s individual success has been an integral part of the overall accomplishments for the Trojans, who have been ranked in the top 10 of the Division II polls all season. The success has also brought recognition and helped instill pride among Tara students and faculty.
Morning announcements at Tara have included soccer results and statistics as the team has gotten closer to winning the district title.
“It didn’t come easy,” Parker said. “We had to start winning games, and hearing about that on the intercom in the morning really helped. Once our record started going up, people started to notice that we weren’t playing soccer just to play, that we were trying to win and do something with our program.”
Bain said he believes the school’s passion for soccer is on the rise.
“I’ve had a lot of students come up and ask about the team whereas in the past they might not have known we even had a team,” he said. “I’ll get a thumbs up from teachers in the hallway. I’ve noticed that in general the student body seems to have a lot more respect for our program.”
Tara’s quest to win a district title continues Friday, when the Trojans play their second match with St. Michael. Last season, the schools split their two meetings, but St. Michael won the title by virtue of scoring more goals in its win. This time, the Trojans hope to avoid the tiebreaker by sweeping the season series.
www.2theadvocate.com/sports/preps/5302876.html?index=17&c=y
Special to The Advocate
Published: Jan 23, 2007
Tara High’s boys soccer team made an impressive run to the state quarterfinals a year ago, and the Trojans are positioning themselves for another strong finish this season.
Last year’s team, which picked up two playoff wins before being ousted by Ben Franklin, entered the playoffs as a second-place finisher in Division II, District 5. With virtually everyone back, this year’s team has stepped up its play and currently sits atop the district standings at 5-0, 13-5-1 overall.
No player exemplifies Tara’s upward surge more than senior forward Fred Parker, who has scored 45 goals so far. Parker had just four goals last year, missing half the year with an ankle injury.
He’s made up for lost time with a vengeance this season.
“At the beginning of the year I set a goal to score 20 goals,” Parker said. “Before midway through the season, I had passed that so I set new goals. I really never expected to score that much.”
In fact, Parker, who says being an all-around player is his biggest strength, has readjusted that goal twice. After setting his sights on and then passing 35 goals, he now wants to score 50 while helping his team “any way I can.”
Third-year Tara coach Tim Bain has found Parker’s scoring punch all the more impressive because of mid-season injuries that have forced him to shuffle his lineup.
Before a 2-0 win over defending district champion St. Michael, Tara entered the game without its starting sweeper, then lost its backup sweeper 10 minutes into the contest. As a result, Bain moved a freshman to midfield and left Parker alone out front.
“We had to leave Fred by himself up top,” Bain said. “He not only managed to score, but he won seven or eight corner kicks and had a lot of good shots. He still produced an amazing amount of offense considering he was by himself against four or five guys.”
Bain is quick to point out that Parker’s prolific scoring has not been inflated by extended playing time against weaker opponents.
“I know there are a lot of people with the mistaken impression that Fred just puts up double-digit goal counts on bad teams,” Bain said. “After he scores three goals in a game we usually take him out and put one of our younger guys in.
“He’s scored as many goals against St. Amant, Episcopal and Woodlawn as he has against anybody else this year. He steps up and performs the same against any competition.”
Parker’s individual success has been an integral part of the overall accomplishments for the Trojans, who have been ranked in the top 10 of the Division II polls all season. The success has also brought recognition and helped instill pride among Tara students and faculty.
Morning announcements at Tara have included soccer results and statistics as the team has gotten closer to winning the district title.
“It didn’t come easy,” Parker said. “We had to start winning games, and hearing about that on the intercom in the morning really helped. Once our record started going up, people started to notice that we weren’t playing soccer just to play, that we were trying to win and do something with our program.”
Bain said he believes the school’s passion for soccer is on the rise.
“I’ve had a lot of students come up and ask about the team whereas in the past they might not have known we even had a team,” he said. “I’ll get a thumbs up from teachers in the hallway. I’ve noticed that in general the student body seems to have a lot more respect for our program.”
Tara’s quest to win a district title continues Friday, when the Trojans play their second match with St. Michael. Last season, the schools split their two meetings, but St. Michael won the title by virtue of scoring more goals in its win. This time, the Trojans hope to avoid the tiebreaker by sweeping the season series.
www.2theadvocate.com/sports/preps/5302876.html?index=17&c=y
