Demon boys turning to deep, young bench

There will be a fresh feeling on the pitch for the Washington boys? soccer team this season.

A young team, which features only five upperclassmen, will be led by a new head coach this season, as they look to rebound from a tough 2015.

Helping the team is an infusion of young talent, as the Demons will be bolstered by a multitude of freshmen.

?We have a big class of freshmen, so we want to get as many legs in the game as possible,? first-year head coach Sally Hart said. ?We want to use those fresh legs when we have them, and attack from the get-go. We want to be as offensive and possible.?

Hart, who served as the assistant under Steven Caulk last season, said that early, fast start is going to be a key for the Demons, who lost six matches by two goals or fewer a year ago.

?One thing we learned from last year was that it is really hard to find a way out of a hole once you get behind,? Hart said. ?Once the whistle blows, we want to push and get the first goal, so we don?t have to get out of a hole and our opponent does. We had a lot of games we shouldn?t have lost last year.?

A new head coach often signals a time for transition, but Hart noted that she thinks the process has gone well so far, because she was already accustomed to the players she is working with.

?Being the assistant last year really helped, especially at the end of last year when coach Caulk and I both knew what was going to happen,? Hart said. ?We worked through drills and I wrote down some of his drills so there was continuity from one season to the next. I think that transition period of being the assistant really helped. I couldn?t ask for a better head coach to learn from.?

With a young team, the Demons will look to its pair of seniors, Christian Mejia (five goals, three assists last season) and Giovanni Coronel (three goals in 2015), for leadership.

?As far as upperclassmen go, it?s a small staff, but they work hard and lead not only vocally but by example,? Hart said. ?We are looking for those guys to be productive and to encourage the underclassmen to be productive.?

Another big piece the Demons have returning is sophomore Thomas Zimmer, who spent the most minutes in net a season ago.

As a freshman, Zimmer made 129 saves, and allowed an average of 3.1 goals. Zimmer was in net for all three of Washington?s victories last season, pitching a pair of shutouts along the way.

?We are going to have Thomas in goal this year, and we have some other guys working with him in case he gets hurt, which we saw happen last year,? Hart said. ?He looks more confident, and he has a lot to look forward to as a sophomore, not only this season but the next two seasons.?

With a young team, the big focus this preseason has been on getting the team in shape for a long season.

?We?ve been doing a lot of conditioning,? Hart said. ?We want to be three steps in front of the other person before they realize it. We?ve been working on foot speed with agility ladders and jump rope, and there are some things that have kept the guys interested, and we?ll see it pay off.?

Washington will open its season on the road on Tuesday against Columbus, in a girls?-boys? doubleheader. The Demon girls will kick off at 5 p.m. against the Wildcats, followed by the boys? game.