Boost in offensive firepower helps Cougars thrive

In the classroom at Coronado, Jordan Yergensen is a fan of his journalism class.

On the field with his boys soccer teammates, the senior forward is all about chemistry.

Led by Yergensen’s 23 goals and nine assists, the Cougars sit atop the Southeast League with an 11-1 record with two matches remaining. They have used team play, a possession-based style and midfield ball control to reshape a team that went 8-1-5 in the league last year into an offensive force.

“I think it’s our team chemistry. That’s something that we’ve had this year that I don’t think we’ve had a lot of in the past,” Yergensen said. “We’re able to find passes to each other and communicate like we haven’t in years past.”

Among the greatest improvements for Coronado (15-2 overall) is its midfield play, where central midfielders Chase Rinehart and Parker Rich anchor a unit that is deadly in the air at converting 50-50 balls into scoring opportunities for the strikers.

“As far as changing our outlook and style, we didn’t,” fourth-year coach Dusty Barton said. “We stayed with the same 4-4-2 formation, but we’re a much more possession brand, and the ball is really starting to fall in the net this year.

“It’s not a new style, but all the pieces are starting to fit together.”

Coronado has 67 goals, 14 more than last year, when the Cougars played seven draws and had five matches featuring one total goal or less. Barton said he knew a greater emphasis on scoring was needed.

“We’ve always focused on defense,” he said. “We’ve had very strong defensive teams. And last year, we had a ton of ties. We knew that this year, we had to do something different or we’d be in the same position with five (league) ties. A tie is nice against strong teams, but you’ve got to get three points more.”

Yergensen’s emergence has given Coronado a much-needed finisher, helping the Cougars to a 4.21 average margin of victory. The four-year striker has developed into a one-touch scoring threat from several angles in the offensive third.

His shoot-first mentality has rubbed off on his teammates, including forward Gitai Gazala, who has 12 goals.

“When it comes to goal scoring, it’s an attitude, a mindset,” Yergensen said. “When we start scoring, we keep scoring. One guy gets it, and another guy gets it, and another and another, and it keeps coming. That’s the mental aspect that we haven’t had in the past. It’s contagious.”

But even when one player has a brilliant run in front of goal for the Cougars, it’s team chemistry that keeps the momentum for prolonged stretches.

“It’s a great group of kids. The chemistry is unbelievable,” Barton said. “In the past, we were OK, but we just didn’t have all the chemistry. This year everybody gets along, everybody is friends off the field, and it makes my job a lot easier.”

Yergensen described the team as a “family.”

“This year, everybody is one,” he said. “This is one of the most family-like teams that I’ve ever been on. And that’s how we come through in games: we play as a team, we lose as a team, we win as a team. We do everything as a team.”