Central Valley’s boys soccer team has extra motivation

There’s no shortage of motivation this spring for the Central Valley boys soccer team.

There was the early exit from the state playoffs last year, the always-high expectations for one of the top programs in the Greater Spokane League and finally, CV’s own girls team, the two-time defending State 4A champions.

“I tease them about that all the time,” joked Andres Monrroy, who coaches both teams. “It’s a tool to motivate them and say, ‘This is what we have to do to succeed.’ They’ve seen the girls’ success, and they want that too.”

For Monrroy, success doesn’t mean going unbeaten. Winning the GSL will suffice – for now.

So far, so good. The Bears are 10-0 overall and 6-0 in the GSL following Wednesday’s 4-0 victory over Mead This season they’re doing it on both ends of the field – with their usual tough defense, but this year with better passing and finishing.

For that Monrroy can thank a stellar group of forwards, including JD Hauenstein, Brian Choate and Noah Whitman, who’ve helped the Bears put up 14 goals in league play and 32 overall.

“Their chemistry has been amazing. They connect passes and they work with each other,” Monrroy said. “They’re doing a great job of finishing this season – we had a hard time finishing last year.”

Last year, the Bears dominated visiting Curtis of Tacoma in their first-round state match, but couldn’t put the ball in the net and wound up losing in a shootout.

“That didn’t sit well. We’re a hungry team,” said Choate, who along with Hauenstein and Whitman has been getting a steady diet of great passes from midfielders Evan Kern, Nathan Grinalds, Chase Reidt and freshman R.J. Stretch.

Last week, in a 5-1 win at Mt. Spokane, the Bears dominated possession – a staple of Monrroy’s game plan, which tries to emulate the tactics of Germany’s 2014 World Cup-winning team and Spanish club FC Barcelona.

“I want possession with a purpose, and the purpose is to score,” Monrroy said.

Hauenstein (six goals and one assist in GSL play) and Whitman (three goals, two assists) have served that purpose quite well.

Whitman, a sophomore who comes off the bench, “could easily be a starter on any other team in the GSL,” said Monrroy, who rotates all three.

Whitman deflected the praise, saying, “It all comes from our defense and midfield – we keep it strong in the back.”

With district less than two weeks away, Monrroy is pleased but hardly content.

“They’re all great kids and fun to coach. I’ve never had to push them. We have a very good team, and we feel that is we lose, we’re not doing something correctly,” Monrroy said.