Tony Rosa knows talent when he sees it.
The first-year Anzar High girls soccer coach has a lengthy coaching resume that includes stops at Mission College-Santa Clara, Gunderson High and San Jose High, which he last coached at several years ago.
So what brought Rosa back to the high school game? His granddaughter, Christina, plays at Anzar, and he saw this as a perfect opportunity after coaching youth soccer the last two years.
Anzar’s soccer program—boys and girls—hasn’t had tremendous success over the years, but Rosa feels that can change.
“Our goal is to make the playoffs,” he said. “It’s probably a tall order, but we’ll see. There are some talented girls on the team, a couple of girls who I see could play in college if they commit to it.”
Rosa said junior striker Charlene Tomiasini has college-level ability, a talented individual who can affect the game considerably. In the team’s season-opening 4-0 win over St. Francis Central Coast Catholic-Watsonville last week, Tomasini scored three goals to go along with an assist, and Tello added a goal.
“Charlene is fast, good on the ball and strong,” said Rosa, whose team was 1-1-2 through its first four games. “She’ll get really good as she gets older.”
Rosa counts senior midfielder Anna Madrigal as another player with college-type potential. Madrigal has solid ball-control skills, a vital component for a possession-based team.
Rosa plans to use three forwards at all times, which is a rarity in the high school game. However, Rosa said he’s done it before with success, and there’s no reason why it can’t work today.
“To me, playing with three forwards at all times opens up the defense and creates a lot of opportunities to score,” he said.
Other impact players include Karla Tello, a senior midfielder who has the capability to control the center of the field, and sophomore sweeper Ronnee Davis, who plays at top speed from start to finish.
However, Rosa said the team’s key position will be at goalkeeper—and for good reason. In the girls game at the prep level, the position can often make or break a team’s season.
A good goalkeeper can literally change the outcome of a game, and Rosa is counting on Yesenia Rios to make the routine stops along with the tough ones.
“Every drill we do is designed to make the goalie get better,” Rosa said. “They keep you in all games, and we need that position to be strong.”
Through three weeks of practice, Rosa said the team’s fullbacks were a work in progress, making Rios’ play paramount. Rosa also expects good things out of senior forward Valerie Perez and sophomore forward Katia Dizon, who should make a tremendous impact once she’s fully recovered from an injury she sustained during the volleyball season.
“Katia has one of the greatest throw-ins I’ve seen in a long time from a high school girl,” Rosa said. “She’s got incredible arms that allow her to throw the ball onto the field.”
If Rosa has his way, the Hawks will play a skillful game based on possession and a lot of crisp passing.
“We’re looking forward to having a good season,” Rosa said. “Our goal is to win league and challenge for a CCS playoff spot.”
