Nado Select’s BU18 finished in first place in the BU19 Premier 1 bracket of the Presidio League (results). The team was really focused on accomplishing something special, after all it was their last year together before moving on to the next stages of their lives. Most of the players have been playing soccer together for over 6 years at Nado Select. Under the tutelage of the Nado Select Coaching staff, the team has won 10 summer and spring tournaments out of a total of 15 over the past 3 years. This team had also been the first Nado Select team to reach the CalSouth State Cup finals twice, in both 2008 and 2010.
In the Presidio season, the BU18 had finished with 9 wins, 2 ties, and 3 losses. With a total of 33 goals for and 11 goals against, the team had scored the most goals and gave up the least goals proving their strength in all aspects of the game. Even more proof of the team’s consistency and focus was the fact that they had won 6 out of the last 7 games of the season. One player that deserves mention is goalkeeper Gerardo Martinez. He had an outstanding season and made a difference in every game.
Prior to the start of the Presidio season the team had some successes over the summer, winning the Crown City Classic and the Charity Cup as well as finishing second in the Slammers Futbol Classic. Summer tournament play was really just a stepping stone for the team before moving into the Presidio season. The boys knew that if they wanted to win the Premier 1 bracket, every single one of them had to put in the extra work, including working on their days off. “Playing at that level of soccer is not an easy thing to do. In their previous season, the boys had won the AAA bracket to get into the Premier 1 bracket. There is a big difference between these brackets. The boys had to change their mentality as well as their approach to the game. Training sessions were very hard, and had to be to ensure that they would have success. As a coach you expect your players to respond and develop and they absolutely met that expectation.” said Coach Brian Hiatt-Aleu. This is Coach Hiatt-Aleu’s third year in a row to lead a team to first place in the BU18 Premier bracket, which is one of the most competitive in the nation. For the size of the Nado Select soccer club, this is a huge accomplishment at the Olders level.
“Nado Select is so proud of this team. The coaching staff did a tremendous job in developing these athletes. Not only are they excellent soccer players, but they are good kids who understand the importance of working hard in order to accomplish something great. In my 30+ years of coaching, I couldn’t be prouder of the work we do each day out on the soccer fields. The game impacts all of us, both on and off the field.” said Nado Select Director of Coaching, Manny Neves.
Although the season is over, you’ll get the chance to see some of these athletes play high school soccer. For some players, the end of such a successful season is just icing on the cake. Their love and passion for the game as well as soccer ability will result in some moving on to play at the collegiate level. Verbal commitments will be announced by Nado Select at a later date.
Featured Photo: BU18 pictured after a home game at the Cays. Back Row (L-R)Jerry Hernandez, Jose Luis Quiroz, Ruben Perez-Berton, Diego Alvarez, Victor Miranda, Matt Wright, Tommy Hart, Irving Nevarez, and Bryce Bell; Front Row (L-R)David Naranjo, Ricardo Flores, Diego Ornelas, Roger Eduardo Martinez, Gerardo Martinez, Roger San Roman, and Diego Galan; Not PicturedEduardo Martinez, Jonathan Melgarejo, and Gustavo Fajardo
To learn more about Nado Soccer, visit nadosoccer.com.
