By MARTY JAMES
martyjames.sports@gmail.com
The Napa Valley College men's soccer team was facing some very stiff challenges going into Tuesday's season opener.
There was the Storm's opponent, Folsom Lake College, which finished second in the Big 8 Conference and advanced to the California Community College Athletic Association-Northern California Regionals as the No. 6 seed last year.
There was the weather, with sunny conditions and temperatures in the low 90s.
As if this wasn't enough, the Storm lost its team captain, Mateo Villanueva-Martinez, a sophomore midfielder, within the first minute of the match. He dislocated his shoulder.
"Obviously, you want to start with a positive result. But today, the attack, the effort, the togetherness, the defensive effort and offensive opportunities were all positive. It doesn't show the result. But again, this is positive," Storm head coach Rogelio Ochoa said.
Napa Valley was not able to convert on a penalty kick early in the match and lost, 1-0 to Folsom Lake.
It's the first of eight nonconference matches for the Storm, who were in a scoreless tie at halftime.
"We have a good balance of young and experienced players – experienced players that know what to expect, and young guys, I think, who after today know what to expect," said Ochoa.
"Proud of the team. We performed. We did well. We were in the game the whole match. Missed a PK. We have just got to learn from this and hopefully, next game, we have a better result."
It's a big week for Napa Valley, with the Storm continuing its season with a road game at Modesto Junior College on Friday at 4 p.m.
The Storm has been preparing for its 2024 season, with players in both spring and summer classes. Practice sessions for the fall season began two weeks ago.
"I think the guys understand that it's one game at a time mentality, and right now, we're just going to try to get the best result possible against this opponent," Ochoa said before the match.
"They're going into this game, obviously, excited. They're ready to start. We have a good group of second-year (players), and they understand what it means. And then we involve the first-year (players), starting in the summer class, so we know they're ready. It's the beginning of a long three months."
Starting for Napa Valley was Carl Osifo-Doe (goalkeeper), Gabriel Cendejas (defender), Mateo Villanueva-Martinez (midfield), Gedeon Ilunga (forward), Alberto Martinez Hernandez (midfield/defender), Tyler Collins (defender), Emmanuel Hurtado (midfield), Yair Rafael-Gaspar (forward), Jonathan Preciado (defender), David Duran (defender) and Jesus Medina (midfield).
"I think the heat is going to play a factor, not just for us, but also the opponent. So, we're definitely going to be using our numbers on the bench as well," Ochoa said before the match. "It's whoever needs to step up mentality right now."
Sergio Marcelo (midfield) left the game due to injury for NVC, but was able to return.
Ilunga took the penalty kick for Napa Valley in the first half.
"He took it and he wasn't able to put it away, but it takes a lot of courage," said Ochoa. "Not everyone could step up. He stepped up. He kept on fighting and creating more opportunities down the stretch."
Folsom Lake goalkeeper Danny Tejeda made a very nice stop on the penalty kick. Tejeda had three saves on the day.
"We're really proud of him," Folsom Lake coach Justin Johnson said of Tejeda. "He's good at PKs. He's got a great mentality."
Napa Valley was solid with its passing and ball distribution.
Also playing very well was Carl Osifo-Doe, Napa Valley's goalkeeper. Osifo-Doe was very active, making several stops and keeping the Storm in the game.
"He was solid," said Ochoa. "So, defensively, I'm very happy with how we played today. And even offensively, great chances.
"It's a tough loss, but a lot of positives, a lot of positive things that we can hopefully take for our next match."
Eric Herasymchuk, a center-striker, scored from six yards out in the second half for Folsom Lake, accounting for the only goal of the game. The assist went to Jonny Chavez, an attacking winger.
"We had to bring our own energy, our own atmosphere," said Johnson. "We step up to the challenges. We enjoy the challenges. We had to make some adjustments, and I thought our guys did well."
The win was the second in a row for Folsom Lake (2-0 overall), which opened the 2024 season on Aug. 23 by beating Lake Tahoe Community College-South Lake Tahoe, 1-0.
Napa Valley took second place in the Bay Valley Conference last year. The Storm closed out the 2023 season with three straight wins and an 8-1-1 record over its last 10 games.
NVC did not advance to the California Community College Athletic Association playoffs last year.
* 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.