Starting with a season opening scrimmage against Taft with a shutout, the team begins to build chemistry for their path to the Coastal Canyon League champion title. Ending the last season with an overall record of 7-5-2, Oak Park High School’s boys soccer concluded their run in the Division IV playoffs after the first round. With strong contesters such as Camarillo, Moorpark, Royal and Simi Valley, the boys reflect on their experience with competition in the league.
“The toughest part about playing in the Coastal Canyon League is the other teams are also out to get us, meaning that we are the odd one out, where the other teams are all somewhat near each other,” senior center back Noah Zweig said. “They have to drive 20-30 minutes to come play with us, vice versa, and they don’t take it lightly.”
The struggle of being at away games is the low energy in the stadium.
“That’s my favorite part of playing in the league,” senior midfielder Rastin Houshmand Azad said. “You go to away stadiums that make you uncomfortable to play there, but I think that that is what makes us all the better when we win the games.”
A new season marks a new team. They feel reborn and revitalized, with something to prove.
“I think a lot of fans don’t see how much it means to us, whether we are off the pitch, together, or alone, I think everyone in the locker room is fully bought in,” Houshmand Azad said. “Everyone is always thinking about the steps we need to succeed and I think that a lot of people don’t see that relationship that we have as teammates and coaches: all united towards the same goal.”
One goal remains the same in all seasons: win the Kanan Cup. Still, as always there are other games the boys look forward to.
“For me personally, Thousand Oaks at home and Moorpark away are the ones I am most looking forward to,” Zweig said. “Thousand Oaks specifically because we had a very bad performance against them and it did not adequately show who we were as a team, as we had some guys out and some guys playing while they were injured. The coach and their players were definitely letting us know and talking down to us. 100% looking forward to that game and showing them up. Ever since I joined the program, Moorpark and Agoura are the two teams that have it out for us and we need to beat. We didn’t win last year against Moorpark, so we are ready for this year.”
The boys have three goals: earn shutouts, win trophies and score goals.
“Going into Taft, we just got to set the tone early,” Zweig said. “By that game, we will only have had one week together, but that is no excuse, since I have been playing with some of these guys for three years or more. Even if we aren’t connected as a team yet or the chemistry isn’t as high, we still need to go out there and put in the highest effort as possible.”
OPHS students, parents and faculty can come support them at their first home game against Notre Dame on Nov. 19 at 5:45 p.m.
“It is going to take a lot of hard work for us if we want to win the Coastal Canyon league and make a deeper playoff run than last year,” Houshmand Azad said. “All we have to do is keep the momentum.”
