By MARTY JAMES martyjames.sports@gmail.com
There has been so much work that has gone into preparing for the 2024 season for the Napa Valley College men's soccer team.
There's the work in the spring time, with the Storm playing four matches, including those against Napa Valley 1839 FC, Vacaville Elite and Merced College. It's a spring class and an important time for players in the program.
"We got to play against quality teams and kept the boys training, kept the boys working toward their academic goals, and just kept the group going forward, so we can be as ready as possible for the fall," Storm head coach Rogelio Ochoa said on Thursday, in the NVC Athletic Department offices.
There were 27 players in the spring class.
"Most of the players that play in the fall were in the spring," said Ochoa. "It's keeping the kids driven, motivated, practicing, training. It works for them to be driven as well in the classroom, academically. So, not only do we do regular check-ins and making sure they're taking advantage of all the resources that the campus has to offer, it's just making sure that they're ready to go academically for the fall."
Before the fall season rolls around, there is also a summer class that NVC offers, with the team meeting three days a week, in the morning. There were 15 players, including seven of whom who are new, in the class.
"It was good for them to get to know the staff, get to know their other teammates, get to know the campus. So, definitely beneficial," said Ochoa.
From spring to summer, it's now the fall season for Napa Valley, which has eight nonconference matches that it will play, followed by the Bay Valley Conference season.
The season opener for the Storm is at home on Aug. 27 against Folsom Lake College at 4 p.m.
The Storm has additional nonconference matches against Modesto Junior College, City College of San Francisco, Santa Rosa Junior College, Chabot College-Hayward, Skyline College-San Bruno, Evergreen Valley College-San Jose and Lake Tahoe Community College-South Lake Tahoe.
The first day of fall practices for Napa Valley was on Thursday.
"We're excited," said Ochoa. "We have a good balanced group. I think we have a good balance when it comes to numbers, when it comes to experience, and when it comes to positions as well. It's good to have a variety in all positions, just because it's a long season. There's a lot of bruises, a lot of injuries. We want to make sure that we have the depth necessary to push us all the way through to playoffs and through playoffs as well."
Napa Valley (11-7-1 overall, 9-2-1 Bay Valley Conference) took second place in the BVC, ending the 2023 season with three straight wins and an 8-1-1 record over its last 10 games.
Napa Valley had seven wins by shutout. The Storm scored 44 goals, an average of 2.33 goals per game. NVC did not advance to the California Community College Athletic Association playoffs last year.
"We had some great games early on, but the results didn't reflect that. We kept working, kept pushing, and we had great results toward the middle and toward the end (of the season)," said Ochoa. "We were just playing extremely good soccer, and considering all the injuries, we still did really well.
"Some of the returners still have that in the back of their head, and hopefully have that little extra motivation for this season. We have to be as fit as possible and really try to make sure that we understand situations within the game, just making sure that we understand that we all have to be in the game plan."
Mateo Villanueva and Jonathan Preciado are two of the Storm's top returners. Villanueva, who plays an offensive position, missed the second half of last year's season due to a concussion. Preciado plays center back.
"It's always exciting to have a group that was with you a year ago, that understands what the program is about and where we're headed, the direction we want to go to," said Ochoa. "So, trying to get positive results early on in nonconference is going to be key. The players understand the impact and the importance of those matches, and then hopefully that will propel us to do well in season.
"They know that we were so close (last year), and they're going to learn from that experience. Hopefully, we can collectively start off well, control the conference early on. But it all starts now."
The NVC roster is still to be finalized, said Ochoa, adding that there are 12 returning players.
Ochoa's assistant coaches are Yami McHombo and Jesus Ochoa.
"It helps to have that group of returners, because they know that every game is different, every program plays differently, every program gives you different challenges. As a coaching staff, we want to prepare them as best as possible for each game," said Rogelio Ochoa.
"It's just great to have experienced players. They're healthy. They're fit."
Rogelio Ochoa is also an assistant coach with Napa Valley 1839 FC, which plays in the National Premier Soccer League and United Premier Soccer League.
* Marty James is a freelance writer who makes his home in Napa. He retired on June 4, 2019 after spending 40 years as a sports writer, sports editor and executive sports editor for the Napa Valley Register, a daily newspaper in Napa County. He is a 1979 graduate of Sacramento State and a member of the California Golf Writers & Broadcasters Association. He was inducted into the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Hall of Fame in 2016, the Vintage High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2019, and the Napa High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2022.