SVSJ preview: Mount Si boys soccer looks to repeat last season’s success
Mount Si’s boys soccer program is getting ready for what hopefully will be another dream season. The Wildcats, coached by Darren Brown, who is in his seventh year this spring with Mount Si, are coming off a stellar 12-2-4 run which saw them win the Kingco championship for the first time and win their first ever state playoff game.
Many of the team’s top players have returned this season, led by senior Eric Baumgardner, who has signed with Humboldt State. Junior Davis Karaica, Dane Aldrich and seniors Michael Blackmon and Kyle Bauman also are among the top returners for a team which looks to be a bit different this season, according to Brown. “We’re a different dimensional team,” he said. “Last year we were strong and physical.” He continued, “We’re better than last year in the aspect that were a possession oriented team,” adding, “We have guys with a great first touch.”
Eric Baumgardner, seen here in action last season against Mercer Island, leads Mount Si's boys soccer team this spring as they look for a repeat of last year's championship run. Photo courtesy Calder Productions.
But there’s also a number of top newcomers, led by the young man who will be watching over the goal this season. Senior Dillon Oord takes over the goaltending duties, and Brown is excited about what he sees out of Oord. “Dillon Oord is a great, great keeper. He loves contact. He’s the kind of kid that you really root for,” Brown said. Oord takes over for fellow senior Ryan Herman, who signed with Santa Clara but decided not to turn out for the Mount Si team this season due to outside conflicts. Look for Oord to be a big factor in games this season, as he comes into the program with a solid club resume himself.
Another top newcomer to pay attention to is sophomore Alex Censullo. His feet will be key to his success. “He is a burner,” Brown said, referring to Censullo’s speed. Censullo ran cross country for Mount Si last fall and was one of the top boys in that program.
Herman and Baumgardner’s signings with colleges, coming off a strong 2010 class which saw three kids sign with colleges (with one of them, Sam Evans, having instant success in net at Chico State last fall), has increased this program’s visibility. Add to that the exploits of 2007 grad Gibson Bardsley, who had a stellar senior season last fall at Western Washington which earned him an invite to a Major League Soccer tryout, and you can see why this program is starting to be noticed not just around the region, but around the country. “We’ve had a lot of people in the very, very high levels comment about our program,” Brown said. Case in point, last year’s hoopla about Herman’s inclusion on a list of top high school players according to ESPN RISE magazine resulted in a spike of web traffic to Mount Si’s team website, one of several Wildcat-related sites run by local webmaster – and former Mount Si soccer parent – Dave Snead.
Brown anticipates a strong season from both Sammamish and Mercer Island, and he expects those two teams to compete with Mount Si for the league title this spring.
Mount Si opens the season this weekend with a game against Kingco 4A’s Issaquah, coached by Snoqualmie resident Jason Lichtenberger. The game is Saturday at 3:00 p.m. at Issaquah High School.
