RA girls soccer confidence needs to match skill: A young boys team looks to rebuild and grow

Published 12:05 am Wednesday, January 15, 2020

RESERVE –  The Riverside Academy girls soccer team has a winning combination of experience and athleticism, but a lack of confidence has proved to be a roadblock to turning competitive matches into wins.

Entering the week, the Lady Rebels were fielding a 2-3-4 record. Coach Ryan Zeller, who is splitting his time to lead both the boys and girls soccer programs, said the girls must realize their ability outweighs their performance in recent games.

“We tend to play down to our competition because we think that’s where we should be, and really, we should be beating these teams,” Zeller said. “We’re more athletic than a lot of the teams that we’re playing. As coaches, we want to see them get their confidence back.”

Injuries have been part of the challenge this season. Two upperclassmen, Jenna Beber and Chloe Simon, are sidelined by injury. However, there are other team members who have taken leadership roles.

Senior Jada Williams is leading in scoring, having made goals in every game except one. Junior Ashley Hymel has been kicking goals on the Riverside Academy girls soccer team since she was in eighth grade.

“We have some older people, and they do have some experience,” Zeller said. “Another senior who came out last year is Patricia Bell. She’s a quick learner. After that, we’ve got some juniors playing for the first year, and they’re stepping into their roles as older kids on the team.”

The Lady Rebels have collected wins against International H.S. of New Orleans and St. Martin’s Episcopal. The three losses of the season didn’t hit too hard because they were against bigger teams with a lot of girls who play club soccer outside of school. The ties were more frustrating, according to Zeller.

Assistant coach Robert Williams is working with the girls to help them achieve better results on the field.

“He’s done a really good job,” Zeller said. “He’s really working with them and teaching them to understand the game of soccer and what space and time means to them on the field. I wouldn’t be able to coach both boys and girls without him.”

The Riverside Academy boys soccer team is in a rebuilding year with a squad full of fresh faces. A seventh grader, several eighth graders and multiple freshmen receive playing time on the field.

“We have just one senior,” Zeller said. “We’re a JV team playing at the varsity level right now.”

Unfortunately, that translated to a 0-7 season record as of press time Tuesday morning. With seven regular season games remaining, there is still a chance for the boys to come together and add some wins to the record.

Senior Rhett Moore started out as a goalie. Now he’s playing the field and doing whatever he can to help his team. Junior Keiahz Bernard is another leading force on the team.

“There are a couple of younger kids who are trying to lead, which is hard to do,” Zeller said. “Enrique Delgado and Craig Matt are both trying to fight the young tendencies they have and be leaders on a team full of kids their own age.”

Since the team is so young, the main focus during practice is learning the basic fundamentals of the game. Zeller said the one plus of having a novice team is the chance to grow as a unit in the years to come.

“The next step is really getting them to stick together,” Zeller said. “The only way we stop the cycle of being a below average team is if we come back every year on this team as a core unit.”

Zeller focuses on what the boys can control. The Rebels have no control of the ages of the boys guarding the other side of the field, but they can control the effort they give in each game.

“I tell them all the time that I’ll never get mad at them for losing a game,” Zeller said. “I’ll only get mad if they walk around and give no effort and act like they don’t need to be here. If they’re giving me all they’ve got, I’ll never get mad at that.”

The boys team is rebuilding from the loss of Colton Wilson, a 2019 senior who is now playing soccer for Louisiana College. The Rebels also lost two-year starter and all-district player Devlin Darwin.