Even without a senior on the team, Mavs expect to compete for soccer district title
As Chris Curtin prepares to begin his second season as Anderson County High School’s boys soccer coach, he expects the Mavericks to compete in District 5-AA.
This, despite not having a senior on the 2023 roster.
“We don’t have any seniors,” Curtin said. “But we have some youthful experience, and the one thing we do have is depth. We have talent and experience on all areas on the pitch and we have some promising freshman talent.
District 5-AA features the Mavericks and Clinton, which both took their share of lumps last season, along with Scott and Kingston.
The Mavs went 1-3 in district matches during the 2022 campaign. But Curtin is looking for things to go a little better in 2023.
“I think we can be competitive,” he said. “I expect us to be competitive and compete with every team in our district.
“We have a schedule where we should be able to compete in every game. Some games are going to be more challenging than others, and potentially all of the games can be challenging. I expect to have a winning record this season.”
ACHS opens its 2023 season on the road at Lenoir City on Tuesday, March 21. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m.
Curtin said the team can accomplish good things because of a talented roster of returning players.
“We were more competitive toward the end of the season last year,” he said. “We have a core of talent and we have a good team chemistry.
“We have eight or nine freshmen and we have 22 players and we’ll have to bring them into the fold.”
Top returners for Anderson County include: Kaleb Wetherington (junior, goalkeeper); Muller Gudino (junior, midfielder); Martin Lechuga (junior, defender); Foster Madron (junior, midfielder); Gavin Higgs (a sophomore defender who is the reigning District 5-AA Freshman of the Year); Michael Curtin (junior, midfielder); Luis Aguilar (junior, defender); Kyden Torres (sophomore, midfielder); Jorge Valles (sophomore, midfielder) and Lucas Ford (junior, midfielder).
Key newcomers include Caiden Miller (junior, goalkeeper) and Cole Miller (junior, defender).