Team chemistry helps Clark to unbeaten start

“He’s very valuable to our team. We’re very fortunate to have a striker that can finish well under pressure,” Soro said before being interrupted by a mock hug and some laughing from Bernal.

And that, more than anything, helps explain why Clark is off to such a hot start.

Thanks largely to their improved team chemistry, which has been three years in the making, the Chargers (8-0-1, 6-0-1 Southwest League) are off to an unbeaten start that has seen them rise all the way to No. 2 in the 4A coaches’ poll heading into Wednesday’s home game against No. 10 Western (6-1-2, 4-1-2).

“We’re good friends outside of the field,” Bernal said. “We know each other. We know how we play.”

In 2006, Bernal was part of a talented group of freshmen that went undefeated at the junior varsity level under coach Juan Chavez. The core of that team moved up to the varsity squad last season, one in which the Chargers missed out on the Sunset Region playoffs because of a loss in the season finale.

The sting of not advancing to the postseason has carried over into 2008 as a relatively young squad has thrived under Chavez, who is in his first year at the helm of the varsity program following the departure of coach Mike Sarabyn.

“I think it goes back to three years ago when we actually started,” said Chavez, who was an assistant last season under Sarabyn. “The group of freshmen we got showed great potential and is showing now what they were capable of. We saw the talent there so we said, ‘You know we’ve got to keep these kids together and just build from them.’ ”

While relatively young — the Chargers feature just three seniors in the starting lineup, according to Chavez — and lacking in overall height, Clark has made up for it with tremendous team speed, ball movement and the ability to adapt no matter what an opponent throws its way.

“One of the biggest things we implement is discipline. And I force into their minds that the only way to win is as a team,” Chavez said. “The other thing is you work hard and things will come out. It’s not always about winning, it’s about playing good. I think that’s the biggest thing I focus on them. Don’t worry about winning, worry about playing your game and playing the best you can, and wins will come.”

One of those wins came Sept. 23 when the Chargers knocked off two-time defending state champion Bishop Gorman. After his team fell behind 1-0, Bernal notched a hat trick to lead Clark to a 3-2 victory that opened plenty of eyes across the valley.

“In the Gorman game, everybody was concentrating on the game,” Bernal said. “Everybody played good, no mistakes. They scored first, but we came back. We didn’t give up. It boosted up the team, like, you know, we can do this.”

Bernal has been one of the stars so far for Clark as the speedy junior has tallied 17 goals in the first nine games.

“One of the problems he had last year that he has improved a lot, last year he would score probably 30 percent of the opportunities he had,” Chavez said. “This year he’s up to 60, 65 even up to 70 percent of the opportunities he’s had. He creates his own opportunities as well as the team creates for him, but he wasn’t a finisher last year. This year he’s a great finisher.”

Soro, a four-year varsity player, controls the midfield for the Chargers and is the team’s leader on and off the field. But Chavez said it’s been the defense of seniors Raul Castro and Oscar Manzanares, along with junior Miguel Gonzalez and 14-year-old freshman Leobardo Chino, that has been key.

After failing to make the playoffs in each of the past two seasons, the Chargers are focused on breaking that drought. And if that wasn’t motivation enough, their quick start has more teams gunning for them — something Soro and Co. embrace.

“We’ve got to make sure we are the team to beat, that nothing was a fluke, that we actually are that good. It just brings it upon ourselves to play even harder,” said Soro, who has scored seven times. “We have to make sure we’re solid throughout the whole entire year, not just the first half. That’s what happened last year. We just want to make sure that we have a solid spot into the playoffs. It doesn’t matter if we’re fourth or third, we just want to make sure we’re there.”