By Kevin Cunningham
Correspondent
Delavan-Darien High School boys soccer was and still seems to be at its finest. A season ago, the team finished 23-2-2 overall and won the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Division 3 state final against Mount Horeb 3-1. This season, the Comets have not let up.
The team started the year in a road match against Big Foot and came away victorious, 2-0. Then, on Saturday, in the second and third matches of the season, the Comets scored 18 goals combined in the two contests, pushing its overall record to 3-0.
Coming into the season, though, head coach Mike Marse said he wasn’t sure how things would play out in the beginning.
“From last year we bring back three starters – Tigrio Huerta, Gerardo Rodriguez and Ricardo Nova,” Marse said. “This year we will only have six seniors (three starters) on the team, so we will be a young squad. I think we have the players to step into positions to play the same style of soccer we did last year. We will see in the first few weeks if we have to change things up.”
The 3-0 record and 20-4 goal differential through three games doesn’t seem to speak to having to change things up. In the first half against Big Foot, the Comets scored the only two goals in the game.
In the first match of the day on Saturday against Cambridge/Deerfield, Marse’s team scored five goals in the first half. In the second match, against Waukesha North, the team’s brilliance opening games continued as the team went into the second half ahead 6-0.
The Comets went on in both games to defeat Cambridge Deerfield 10-1 and Waukesha North 8-3. Tigrio Huerta scored four goals in each game, as well as one goal in the first half against Big Foot.
With not many starters returning, captains for the team seemed to be apparent for Marse. The only other player who started some games outside of the three starters from last season is Jose Lemus.
“We bring back one midfielder and one defender,” Marse said. “They will be young but talented. They just need to get varsity playing time in. Gerardo (Rodriguez) and Jose (Lemus) will anchor the midfield and Ricardo (Nova) will lead the defense.”
Between Tigrio Huerta scoring goals at will, Rodriguez and Lemus in the midfield and Nova on the back end, the Comets have started the season strong. To go along with the players with varsity experience are younger talents such as junior goalkeeper, Ricardo Huerta.
Marse said his goalkeeper doesn’t have much experience, but the team is confident in him. Through the first three games, Ricardo Huerta has allowed four goals and has made 18 saves.
The younger team surrounding the veterans has played well, not allowing many goals while supplying a powerhouse offense.
“Offensively we do well because as a team, we don’t care who scores, just as long as someone scores,” Marse said. “Tigrio (Huerta) works hard and is creative and very unpredictable which makes him hard to defend.”
Marse also talked about the game against Waukesha North in which the Comets were outscored 3-2 in the second half after leading 6-0. The coach said the team started with a different lineup in the second half, then after the third goal, changed back to the starters.
After the three straight goals allowed, the team answered back with two straight from Tigrio Huerta. The team’s leading goal-scorer was second on the state-winning team a year ago in goals scored and was tops in assists, scoring 33 times while assisting on 32 others.
“The reason we were so successful last year was our ability to play quickly and to make good decisions on and away from the ball,” Marse said. “Last year’s team was quick and soccer-smart. This year’s team has a lot of talent. We work on playing smart and fast every day.”
Up next for the 3-0 Comets are home matches against Dominican on Tuesday and against Saint Anthony at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. A quad tournament will conclude the week beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday at home against Kenosha Bradford, Milwaukee Lutheran and Racine Case.
