'Phenomenal' Mustangs defense stymies opponents

In soccer, it's not about aesthetics. 

Lakewood Ranch boys soccer coach Vito Bavaro said his Mustangs are capable of gorgeous offensive performances, but his players also know how to grind down the opposition’s will by playing strong ... if somewhat dull for the spectators ... defense.

Defense might be the key to Lakewood Ranch advancing to the state championship game Feb. 24.

Last season, the Mustangs reached the Class 5A title game for the first time in school history thanks to a superb offense led by Pablo Vargas, now a senior, and Ricky Yanez, who graduated. In the championship game against Cypress Bay, the Mustangs offense was served a debilitating blow when Yanez received a red card and was ejected. The Mustangs couldn't generate any offense and lost 1-0.

This season, Vargas is back, and Yanez’s brother, junior Wilmer Yanez, has taken the elder Yanez’s place as a scoring threat. To protect against the possibility that one of those players goes down, the Mustangs have learned to get comfortable playing defensive games instead of a constant run-and-gun attack.

It’s not that they can’t score because they can, as evidenced by back-to-back 5-0 and 4-1 wins against Lake Nona High and Braden River High on Jan. 9 and 12. It’s that the team is ready for whatever is thrown at them, including defensive slugfests like their 2-1 win against Riverview High on Dec. 7, or their 1-1 tie against Venice High on Dec. 20. 

With four new players on the back line — junior Andrew Schagen, senior Ben Soto and sophomores Anthony Sablan and Garrett Wicks — and seniors Travis Freeman and Trevor Franko manning the midfield, among other players, Bavaro said the Mustangs have been "phenomenal" defensively. Franko said the Mustangs also have two of the state's top goaltenders in senior Josh Lavieri and junior Ryan Freeman.

"When we turn on those jets ... Move aside, baby,” Bavaro said. “A train's coming through. We have got it all."

Only two teams, Palmetto High and North Port High, have scored more than one goal on Lakewood Ranch. It's no surprise the Mustangs are 13-0-2 on the season and ranked 16th nationally by MaxPreps (No. 4 in Florida).

Bavaro utilizes a 4-4-2 alignment.

“We play in a diamond formation more than most teams do," he said. "Most teams play a flat-back four, with two sweepers. I never liked that. Growing up, we always played with a sweeper and stopper.”

In layman’s terms, this means the Mustangs put their four defensemen in a diamond, with one centered in front of the goal (the sweeper), one centered toward midfield (the stopper) and two in between them, playing the outside of the field. Other teams have their defensemen stand in a straight line across the field. Bavaro trusts his defenders so much, he often allows his stopper to join the attack. It’s a benefit less-talented defensive teams simply don’t have.

Mustangs players recognize how well they’ve been performing. Franko credits their success to many things, including hard work in practice. He said the team often practices six forwards against four defenders, forcing the defense to get its positioning exactly right and to communicate.

"I think the key is understanding each other on the field," Franko said. "Also covering for each other."

Despite their success playing a more defensive-minded game, the Mustangs admit they enjoy the wide-open style of play more. Defensive midfielder Travis Freeman said his teammates still would prefer to play a 5-4 game than a 1-0 game.

Of course, Bavaro loves when all aspects of the game come together. 

"When we turn on those jets ... Move aside, baby,” Bavaro said. “A train's coming through. We have got it all."