Since taking the helm of the Greece Olympia boys soccer program four years ago, Rob DuPrau has preached patience. His results have proven his point, as the team has steadily improved each season going from one win in 2010 to two the following season and three last year.
“We are starting to get more soccer players, kids who are just athletes but kids who are dedicated to improving in soccer,” DuPrau said. “Our kids played in the winter league and summer tournaments. The more they played, the better they have gotten.”
The Spartans appear ready to make a quantum leap from a team who not only simply competes in games, to one who can notch a long-awaited winning record.
Olympia defeated School of the Arts/NW Prep 5-0 on Friday to improve to 4-1 on the year. In a season filled with milestones, the Spartans have already surpassed last year’s win total.
“The attitude has completely changed from last year to this year,” said Chris Stanton, Olympia’s senior goalkeeper. “This year it is all about hard work, all about the team. We have built up the chemistry in the offseason and in the season we are playing as a unit and working hard.”
The Spartans got a gorilla off their back two games into the season when they defeated Eastridge 3-1 to earn their first league win in three years. It was character building win for Olympia, who nearly gave up the tying goal on multiple occasions in the second half but secured the victory when Rider Rodriguez scored with 5:48 remaining.
For many of the players though, their success is measured by how they do against the other Greece programs. If the early season results are any indication, the Spartans appear to be closing the gap with their crosstown rivals.
After defeating Olympia 10-0 last season, Greece Arcadia needed overtime to defeat the Spartans 2-1 on Sept. 11 in their first meeting of 2013. Olympia scored twice in the final 10 minutes to defeat Greece Odyssey 2-1 on Sept. 17.
“Beating Odyssey was a big win for us,” said Mohammad Marini, Spartan junior defender and captain. “We came out stronger and we worked really hard to get the win. They have always been favored, so it was nice to outwork them.”
DuPrau and his captains credit a strong offseason for their regular season success. For the first time the team played and indoor league during the winter, which helped them build better continuity.
Working out in the offseason only added to the team’s strong chemistry, as they had only two newcomers and 11 seniors on their roster. One of those newcomers, sophomore Courtney Hill, has provided the team with an offensive spark leading the team with six goals.
“We did a lot of stuff outside of soccer, we would go out to dinner or breakfast, we would build up the chemistry on the team off the field and just get comfortable and know each other better,” said Paul Palmgreen, Olympia senior midfielder.
Olympia is one of Section 5’s most diverse teams with players from eight different countries on the roster including Vietnam, Yemen and Jamaica.
Palmgreen leads a talented midfield that also includes Hader Mohamed, Duc Dang and Fabio Sacco. Stanton and Marini have anchored a defense that has improved dramatically last year, surrendering multiple goals in a game only once this season.
“We are enjoying the success early but we know there is a long way to go,” DuPrau said. “There are a lot of good teams out there in our sectional bracket, but we want to get to the top of it and build success in the program on a year-to-year basis.”