Harvard-Westlake entering Mission League play confident

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Harvard-Westlake‘s boys’ soccer team has been playing with a lot of poise this season and there’s two key reasons behind the Wolverines’ 9-3-2 start:

• Senior Chris Okano has offered the Wolverines more than just a boost in the scoring department. Okano’s ability to seamlessly switch from midfielder to forward has made him the team’s most valuable single asset. He has a team-leading 12 goals and has helped alleviate the scoring issues the Wolverines had last year. ‘He’s just a smart player and he’s got a great shot from the outside,’ Harvard-Westlake Coach Freddy Arroyo said.

• The Wolverines’ senior-laden defensive unit has played a tremendous role in pushing the team to five shutout victories, including Saturday’s 4-0 triumph over Campbell Hall in the finals of the Viking Soccer Classic (they also won this tourney last year). Senior fullbacks Halim Daniel, Andy Firestone, Charlie Hartwick and Matt Edwards are very talented defenders who have given the team ‘a tremendous amount of confidence,’ according to Arroyo.

This is why Harvard-Westlake believes it has a legitimate shot at challenging Mission League bigwigs Loyola and St. Francis for the league title. The Wolverines know everything will have to be working just right in the soccer machine to take on these two Southern Section titans, but don’t be surprised if the Wolverines become more than just an upset-maker.

-- Austin Knoblauch