Big Foot soccer team eyes conference title
By Dan Truttschel
Correspondent
The goals for the Big Foot-Williams Bay boys soccer team before each season mirror those of every other program in the state.
And at the top of the list is a conference title, which Big Foot hasn’t brought home since 1996.
Whether that happens in 2012 remains to be seen, but the Chiefs are working hard toward that goal.
“My goal is always to win conference,” Big Foot coach Keith Blakeman said. “It’s been a long time for this program, and we work toward that goal every day.”
Big Foot took a 1-3-1 early-season record into a road match Tuesday night at Edgerton. Results were unavailable by press time.
Blakeman said, despite the struggles, he’s seen some good things that his team can build from.
“I’d say we are getting there,” he said. “Our season starts so soon after practice opens that we are still working things out a few games into the season.
“I think we are playing about as I expected, and we just need to improve our consistency and eliminate some errors.”
Helping to get the Chiefs where they and their coach want to be have been a pair of senior captains, Bryan Colby (defender) and Clark Luberda (defender).
“They drive the team in training and games by exemplifying hard work and team play,” Blakeman said.
Along with the efforts of his captains, another strength early in the season has been the play of the center midfield, Blakeman said.
Anchoring that spot on the field have been senior Billy Landers and juniors Brian Wolski and Payson Partridge.
“We have seven experienced, tough and creative players there,” Blakeman said.
Other goals in place for the Chiefs along with the elusive RVC title are for the team to boost its scoring average to more than one per game and also to play what Blakeman calls an “attractive, attacking” style of soccer.
Once those things happen, everything else should fall into place.
“We need to find a way to finish our chances on goal more often,” Blakeman said. “We’re still looking for a striker who will score consistently for us.”
Other members of the varsity roster this season are senior Martin Korsholm (defender); juniors Ricardo Ibarra (midfielder), Noah Matson (forward), Danny Hourigan (midfielder-defender), Nathan Freytag (defender), Alberto Huerta (midfielder), Servando Perez (forward) and Matt Watters (midfielder);
Sophomores Oscar Sanchez (forward-goalie), Christian Munoz (midfielder), Octavio Hernandez (midfielder), Danny Cisneros (forward) and Nicolas Tovar (goalie); and freshman Luke Bourneuf (midfielder).
Chiefs lose, tie at quad
Big Foot closed last week with a 0-1-1 record at the two-day Pewaukee Quadrangular Aug. 24 and 25.
The Chiefs fell 2-0 to Pewaukee in the first match, followed by a 1-1 tie with Waukesha South. Bourneuf scored Big Foot’s lone goal off an assist by Wolski, while Tovar had 13 saves.
Big Foot opened the season in mid-August with a 2-0 loss to Delavan, followed by a 4-1 RVC loss to McFarland. The Chiefs posted their first win of the season Aug. 23 with a 3-0 decision over Jefferson.
Following Tuesday’s match at Edgerton, Big Foot will host its own invitational Saturday, Sept. 1, beginning at 9 a.m. The Chiefs will face University School in the first-round matchup.
