For three area scholastic boys soccer teams, the 2009-’10 season is one they hope will bring them a lot of kicks. At La Jolla Country Day (LJCD) School, veteran head coach Jerry Fleischhacker and the Torreys finished with a 17-5-3 record a season ago (5-2-1 Coastal South), losing in the CIF quarterfinals. With a number of four-year starters gone to graduation, LJCD will look this season to co-captains Alex Fleischhacker (midfielder), Alistair Dobke (versatile two-year starter capable of playing many positions), and defensive standout Lee Klitzner, a junior. Klitzner will be joined on defense by Philip Poyhonen (two-year starter), Dillon DuBois (back after missing the much of last season due to a knee injury) and Dan Rogers. According to Fleischhhacker, no one will appreciate this strong group more than junior goalkeeper Michael Bailey, who showed a great deal of improvement last season, his first as a starter. Elsewhere, Hunter Khaleghi, a talented junior playmaker, will start in midfield while scoring should be provided by senior forwards Ryan French (11 goals last year), Rodrigo Cuenca (nine goals, seven assists) and Dennis Roth, a talented multi-sport athlete returning to soccer after a three-year layoff. The last starting spot will likely go to newcomer Tyler Hong. Two other returning varsity players, seniors Max Ferre and Brian Trausch, and sophomore Noah Wolfenzon, moving up from the JV squad, and will likely challenge the starters for playing time. LJCD opened this season 3-0, reaching the semifinals of the Francis Parker Small Schools Tournament. Roth now leads the team with five goals and two assists in three games. Bailey, meantime, sports a nifty 0.4 goals against average. At La Jolla High School, first-year head coach Elliott Savitz and the Vikings field a team that went 7-6-6 a season ago, reaching the first round of CIFs. Key players this winter should include Sam Mahmood (center forward/center mid), Alex Jaziri (outside mid), Wyatt Cuddington (midfield) and Alan Ampudia (forward). “I expect us to be competitive in every game,” Savitz remarked. “Our possession has been excellent, and we are playing attractive soccer. If we continue to work for one another, and we make the most of our opportunities around the box, we will be a difficult team to beat.” At The Bishop’s School, veteran head coach Malcolm Tovey and the Knights come off a season in which they won the Coastal League South and lost in the CIF semifinals on penalty kicks. Key players this season include Tyler Evans, Justin Peabody, Stefano Vivaldi and Kyle Jesters. “This is a very young team, featuring six freshmen, that has the ability to improve and develop as the season progresses,” Tovey said. “I expect us to be in a position to challenge at the end of the season,” Tovey added.
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