After graduating the bulk of its offense, the Geneva Eagles will look to lean on their defensive line to set the tone for the 2023 season.
The Eagles, who finished 6-11-1 overall and 3-3-1 in the Chagrin Valley Conference last fall, return just four starters and two other letter-winners.
“Almost all of my offensive players from the previous year were seniors, and talented ones at that. The boys that are stepping in will have to make up a lot of ground to fill those roles, but I’m confident they’ll be able to manage,” said second-year head coach Anthony Cardaman. “I think that if we are able to progress the ball quickly on transition, we will be able to cause teams some issues. I have strong and experienced defenders, so stopping attacks will be something we’ll be good at.”
Cardaman is working to find the right formations to maximize his team’s strength this season.
“We’re looking at some different formations with key players in different spots to both defend well and transition quickly,” he said. “We have to progress the ball quickly and transition quickly. We’re looking to play through some of our forwards and make plays happen quickly before the attack has a chance to fizzle out. On that note, defending as a team will be big to ensure that we can win the ball and move forward.”
Sophomore forward Paxton Galliazzo returns after scoring three goals last season and Cardaman will look for him to continue to progress and to play a bigger role in the offense this fall.
“Paxton is one of our younger players, but he certainly doesn’t show a lack of experience on the field,” Cardaman said. “Everywhere he moves during play, he is looking to create opportunities for himself and his teammates. He spent the offseason working on his skills as a player and that investment is sure to pay off this season. I’m looking forward to watching his creativity on the field as we look to play through him in the offense.”
Defensively, senior Adler Swartz and junior Kyle Opron will play key roles in protecting the net.
Swartz was a second-team All-Ashtabula County honoree as a junior while Opron earned honorable mention all-county honors.
“Adler is going to be key in our defensive game this year,” Cardaman said. “His ability to beat opponents to the ball will be crucial to help us to win battles early and look to transition into our offense quickly. While he may not be my loudest player on the field, his cohesiveness with his fellow defenders makes it difficult to get an offense going quickly. Kyle probably is my loudest player on the field, which for the most part is his greatest quality. His ability to lead and direct his teammates on the field is vital to our team as a unit. With a year of varsity experience under his belt, his understanding of positioning and movement on the field, combined with his constant communication is going to help us greatly this season.”
In the net, junior Kyle Hejduk returns after notching 101 saves last season.
“Kyle really came into his own towards the end of last season,” Cardaman said. “He is reading the field better than ever and positioning himself earlier to stop any threat. In addition to that, his ball-playing ability has gotten much better this year as well and we’ll be looking to use him as a key distributor much more often this year.”
Geneva is relatively young, but in high school soccer, success hinges on all 11 players understanding their roles and playing as a cohesive unit.
Cardaman is excited to help them jell and work toward achieving their goals.
“At the end of the day, soccer is soccer, and as much as I might try to play a chess game with the players, it will come down to their ability to learn and grow as a team to play the way that winning teams play,” he said. “The players that might be a little less experienced will have to learn where to be and when to be there. Those with experience I’m hoping step up as leaders and direct the team on the field a little bit. Overall, I’m excited for the season. I’m working with a great group of boys that work hard and listen well to instruction, now I just want to see them play.”
