Cardinal Mooney boys soccer hopes to play as a stronger unit

Most soccer programs would find the loss of their top goal scorer hard to overcome.

The Cardinal Mooney High boys team isn’t most programs.

Alex Turner, the two-time Florida Dairy Farmers Player of the Year for his class, did indeed graduate, and Coach Sebastian Marin will miss his striking. Marin also knows, though, that sometimes, spreading the ball around can benefit an offense.

Last season, the Cougars reached the regional final for the second year in a row but lost 6-1 to Berkeley Prep, which would advance to the state title game. It was not a senior-led group, other than Turner: The Cougars lose just two players from its starting lineup this year.

“That’s been our weakness the last few years,” Marin said. “We have never had a senior class dominate the team, and that always hurt us going into big tournaments. Yes, it hurts to lose Alex (Turner), such a great goal scorer, but we were always a young team. The tables have turned now.

“We get to play as a unit, and not have to depend on one guy.”

Cardinal Mooney will have seven starting seniors when the regular season begins Nov. 14 against DeSoto County High. The rest of the starters are juniors. If anything, Marin said, the team looks stronger than in years past.

The Cougars played their first pre-season match Nov. 7 in a Sarasota High tournament. They lost 2-0 to the hosts, but held a sizable possession advantage for much of the game. They also played without their two senior captains, midfielder Garrett Turner (Alex’s brother) and midfielder/forward Mychael DaPrato, held out because of minor bumps and bruises.

One Cougar who did see action against the Sailors was senior midfielder/forward Ryan Blechta. He created plenty of scoring chances despite a lack of practice time.

“This is only my second day back playing soccer,” Blechta, who doubles as a wide receiver on the Cardinal Mooney football team, said after the game. “I think it (the game) was about shaking that rust off and getting back to where we were last year.”

Blechta played with Alex Turner, now a freshman on the Mercer University team, for four years, and said it was “a little bit weird” not playing alongside him.

“At the end of the day, though, that’s just one player,” Blechta said, “and we can’t define ourselves by one player.”

Blechta said the team is using its preseason games to try combinations of players, so its playing style may not be determined until the regular season begins. 

Marin named Blechta, junior midfielder/forward Brandon Boynes, senior goaltender Matt Doyle and senior midfielder/defender Brock Nelson, other than his captains, as players he expects big things from this season.