GASTONIA — When Alfredo Cacho was in seventh grade, he thought he wouldn't have a chance to play high school soccer.
Cacho was at Bessemer City Middle School when the high school made the decision to cut the varsity soccer program. At the time, he thought he would just end up playing club or academy soccer once he got to ninth grade.
"I actually wanted to make it at Bessemer City. You know, it's where I'm from. They didn't have a soccer team so I couldn't do anything about it," Cacho said.
But some of Cacho's friends on his club soccer team, Strikers of the Gaston County Soccer Association, told him about Gaston Christian's program, and Cacho decided to come over to the school beginning in ninth grade.
Cacho is now a junior, and in his three years Gaston Christian has improved every season — from four wins to eight to an 18-2 record this year as they prepare for the first round of the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association 3A playoffs Tuesday at Charlotte Latin.
He said he was initially nervous about coming to a new school, but the transition went smoothly.
"My class is a small class. It's a small school, so they help you out to fit in perfect. I had never come to a new school before, and everyone was just welcoming," he said.
The Eagles are still young — they have just two seniors on the roster, three juniors including Cacho, and a talented class of nine sophomores. Coach Justin Huitt said last year's Eagles weren't able to match up physically against some more senior-laden teams, but he's noticed a difference this year, both in his players' physicality and speed of play
"Those guys are a little bit stronger, a little bit more experienced. They're able to do things a little bit quicker than they were last year," he said.
J.P. Rooney and Blake Cobb are the lone seniors on the roster for Gaston Christian. With such a young team, the pair have played a steadying role in the back and provided steady leadership for a team that conceded just 18 goals in 20 games this year.
"They're fantastic. J.P.'s huge in the back for us, he's played up top, too. Blake has played outside back since he was a freshman," Huitt said. "They are huge for us and we're certainly going to miss them going forward."
Many of the Gaston Christian players play club soccer together through the spring and summer. Cacho played with SGCSA, and some of the other players pair up with Gaston United or the Carolina Rapids. That time together outside of just the fall season has helped the team develop quickly, according to Cacho.
"Our chemistry is great. We know what to do, we don't have to overthink it," he said.
The Eagles enter Tuesday's game in Charlotte on an 11-game win streak. Their last loss came on Sept. 6 to Hickory Grove Christian. Those two teams faced off again in the Metrolina Athletic Conference championship game last Thursday, with Gaston Christian winning 6-2.
Charlotte Latin finished the regular season 10-8-1, second in their conference behind Covenant Day. Tuesday's game is scheduled to start at 6 p.m.
http://www.gastongazette.com/sports/20161017/gaston-christian-soccer-prepares-for-ncisaa-playoffs-after-18-win-regular-season
