Texas High School Boys Team Spotlight – Cypress Lakes Spartans
The high school soccer season is underway in the state of Texas and until mid-April, then the State Tournament will be held, thousands of teams will be in action all across the Lone Star State competing for a spot in…
Access all of Prep Soccer
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThe high school soccer season is underway in the state of Texas and until mid-April, then the State Tournament will be held, thousands of teams will be in action all across the Lone Star State competing for a spot in the playoffs.
Prep Soccer will be following the action and constantly providing match reports on some of the most exciting duels and highlighting the players that are standing out for their teams. We’ll also be presenting some of the most promising teams that we get to watch live so you know them a little bit better.
Cypress Lakes Spartans
The Cypress Lakes Spartans from Katy are one of the teams that form the competitive UIL Division 6A – Region 2, District 16. The Spartans have been a perennial playoff team in their district, taking part in the postseason in each of the last 11 seasons. The 2013-2014 season is their most successful so far, as they advanced all the way to the Regional Semifinals.
Players to Watch
Andy Garcia
Andy Garcia
Garcia has been a stud between the posts for the Spartans all seasons. He had several clean sheets and has kept the team in games with big saves on numerous occasions. Garcia is long and very agile, which gives him a huge presence in goal. He’s always very calm and great with his decision-making, choosing safer moves over flashier ones all day. He’s also really confident and efficient when he needs to leave the goal and collect crosses inside the penalty box.
Samuel Vazquez
Samuel Vazquez
One of the Spartans’ captains, Vazquez plays a big leadership role with the team from his center back position. He’s very talkative on the field and does not hesitate in organizing the team’s backline. He has great positioning, uses his body well and is very strong in the air, clearing crosses and deflecting long passes. Vazquez is also solid on the ball, playing simpler, but efficient passes. He has good power on his right leg and does a very good job of sending long free kicks inside the opponent’s penalty box.
Josue Martinez
Josue Martinez
Martinez is a very strong two-way player, who wears Cypress Lakes’ No. 10 jersey, but plays as more of a No. 8 for the Spartans. He likes to get on the ball in deeper positions and is really good at progressing it upfield, be it with ability to make forward runs or with his accurate passes. Martinez reads the game very well and has great understanding of when he should try to attack through the middle or when feeding the wider players would be the best option. He works hard on defense too and is very good at finishing from distance and taking set pieces.
Fredy Paiz
Fredy Paiz
The diminutive Paiz plays a big role on the left side of Cypress Lakes’ team. He works hard on both sides of the ball and is an important creative option for the Spartans, but doesn’t slow down when playing defense. A lefty, Paiz has great talent in his left foot. He has good vision and connects good passes from his position, but also fires dangerous shots from distance and takes set pieces really well. Paiz also has good pace and dribbling and uses it to beat defenders and take the ball to the end line.
Ali Nundu
Ali Nundu
Nundu is often Cypress Lakes’ most advanced player on the field and uses his pace very well to be a goalscoring threat. Nundu is very quick, but what makes of him a very dangerous player is the fact that he times his runs off the ball very well and finds good spots to get the ball. He’s short, but uses his body well to shield the ball and anticipate defenders. Nundu is also very versatile, being capable of playing up top, on the sides and even a little deeper. He also does a very good job of tracking back and helping on defense.