By Joe St. Henry
Special to the Review
A second-place finish in the OAA Red Division and a trip to the state regional semi-finals last year have set high expectations for the 2009 Lake Orion varsity boys soccer team.
‘A lot of people have put a bulls-eye on our back as the team to beat this year,? said second-year Head Coach Matt Paukovits. ‘We may have a legitimate chance of winning a state championship, or we could lose in the second round of the playoffs in our tough district. To reach our goals, we need to play to our potential every game.?
The Dragons did just that in their opening two matches, with dominating wins last Saturday over Utica Ford, 7-1, and Holly, 6-0, on Monday.
‘Overall, I was happy with how we played, but there is always room for improvement,? Paukovits said after the first game of the season. ‘We had some lapses in concentration . . . but I think we’ll fix that.?
Paukovits? cautious optimism is fueled by the six starters returning on this year’s team, led by senior forward Reed Losee. Last season, Losee scored 24 goals with 19 assists for the Dragons.
Returning with Losee to the starting lineup are senior defender/midfielder Derek Schrauben, senior defender Zach Favaro, junior defender Jesus Ginez, junior forward Blake Skamiera and sophomore forward Jacob Sims.
‘With Reed, Derek and Blake, our strength obviously is on offense but, last time I checked, it was an 11-man game,? Paukovits said. ‘Those guys are good, but the best players and teams get everyone involved. That’s what will make us dangerous.?
For example, the coach explained, Losee is going to draw attention no matter where he plays, with teams regularly double- and sometimes triple-teaming him. That means