Samo boys’ soccer sets sights high for the upcoming season
Manny Lopez / The Samohi
From [clockwise starting from center] Landon (’29), Kane Park (’27), Colton Miller (’28), Nathan Schlepp (’26), Will Komlos (’26), Ari Benjamin (’28), Sebastian Madero (’27), Adrian Gonzalez (’27), Mateo Castagna (’26), Gio Mesina (’28) huddle before second half of a Samo homegame.
Boys’ Soccer looks to build off of a successful ’24-’25 season, ending with a perfect 9-0 record in Ocean league and a 22-4-2 record overall, which qualified Samo for the open division of the CIF playoffs.
The team’s impressive season drew significant attention to the program, putting the entire squad under a much brighter spotlight. Ranked 23rd in the state and 85th overall, Samo had to learn how to handle the added pressure of increased visibility. Colton Miller (’28), Varsity goalkeeper, gave his thoughts on how the team deals with pressure.
“As a program we don’t feel that much pressure. Pressure is a privilege, and I think our goal is to rank higher than we did last year,” Miller (’28) said.
This season officially began on Dec. 1 with a home match against Palisades High School. Samo tied Pali 0-0, in a tightly contested match that had a lot of physicality.
To prepare, Coach Sandoval has set up a challenging preseason schedule. Boys’ soccer is scheduled to play against several top teams, including Harvard Westlake, Mira Costa, Jserra and Loyola, who all played last year’s open division and are all ranked top 10 in California. The team has their sights set high.
“We want to make sure that we continue to strive for excellence, and represent Santa Monica High School as best we can. And we want to add a third star (third state championship.)” Chapman said.
“Overall we were solid in defence, We worked together well and our energy was good for the first game of the season, Miller (’28) said.
Last season was marked by numerous successes, including winning nine games in a row from Dec. 12 to Dec. 21. The most significant point in their season was tying a game against Jserra Catholic, 0-0 on Feb. 19. The team’s strong run last year was partly due to their be attributed to chemistry and strong team dynamic, which they plan to continue prioritizing into this year.
“A strength was an overall support of each other and selflessness. Everyone took different roles, depending on the opponent, depending on the situation and what was needed. The selflessness of those players, we were able to keep a good balance the team effort, team focus, and the unselfishness, I think that was our biggest strength, “ Chapman said.