ARLINGTON — This year’s Eagles boys soccer team is saturated with experience.
As Arlington prepares for the spring season, it has 11 players on the roster who have started at least one game at the varsity level.
“I’m not going to say all of them have a whole season of starting, but they’ve been here before and they know what to expect,” said Arlington coach Mike Gudgeon.
The Eagles do, however, return a number of big pieces to their team, including almost the entire defense, starting with Nick Welch and Daniel Coleman.
“Those two bring a lot of experience and toughness to our defense which is going to be a big part of our season,” said Gudgeon.
Also returning is goalkeeper Corbin Anderson and defender Hunter Amundson.
Of course Arlington is going to need a top-level defense to help them maneuver through the Wesco North while trying to figure out just where its offense is going to come from.
“I think we’re going to be scoring by committee this year,” said Gudgeon.
More than half of Arlington’s offense in 2010 came from either Jake Smith or David Lopez, both graduated last year. But losing them isn’t all bad, as Gudgeon thought his team sometimes would rely too heavily on their ability.
“We got two goals from them almost every time we won last year,” said Gudgeon. “It was nice in a lot of ways because if one of them or both of them were on, it’d be a fun night, but if both were struggling we would have a hard time winning.”
To replace Lopez and Smith, Gudgeon expects a more possession-style offense that will rely heavily on the midfield, which includes returners Kevin Krogmann, Issac Ladines and Josh Scarth.
The Eagles finished 2010 with a 9-8 overall mark and a 9-7 record in conference play, earning fourth place and a spot in the district tournament.
Gudgeon sees more of the same success for the Eagles this season.
“I think we’re an upper-middle end team,” he said. “Nobody is leaving us out of the possibility to do something, but we’ve still got work to do.”
Gudgeon said he believes the top of the league will be similar to last season, with Lake Stevens, Snohomish and Monroe near the top.
“I’m not sure about Marysville,” he said. “But they always turn out a tough team.”
Arlington begins its season at home against Snohomish March 17.
