The562’s coverage of St. Anthony athletics is sponsored by Jane & B.I. Mais, Class of 1948.
Thanks to an influx of freshman talent and a new attack-minded formation, the St. Anthony Saints will have a different look in the 2024 season. As the Saints look to take a step forward under third-year head coach Rina Perez, she’s got high hopes for this year’s group.
“I will say, this will be a team you definitely want to watch,” said Perez. “I have a lot of seniority on the team but I also have a lot of youngsters, especially incoming freshmen.”
A handful of senior captains will provide the backbone of the team, not only with leadership but also with defensive prowess. One of the standouts in that senior group is defensive midfielder Isabella Cruz, who has been a four-year varsity player and a captain for Perez’ entire tenure at St. Anthony.
“She’s really been one of the players that encourages everyone,” Perez said of Cruz. “She definitely holds down the middle. She’s the gel of the team.”
“I think that our team is looking really good this year,” said Cruz. “We’ve got a lot of incoming freshmen that are going to make a really big impact on our team. I think that we have a really good team chemistry, that we all connect in a good way on and off the field, so it’s going to help us win more games because we connect more.”
With the Saints switching to a 3-5-2 formation in search of more offense, there will be more asked of defensive-minded players like Cruz this season. Fortunately, that’s where the more experienced players will be for St. Anthony which should allow them to keep shape and defend effectively with just three players–all seniors–on the back line.
“With the freshmen this year, we actually have the potential to score a lot more goals than we have these past few years,” Perez explained. “So I have a lot of trust in my defensive line to really hold it back as well. And they even told me they believe we need to attack more, let’s do three in the back.”
Perez is putting three senior captains on her back line: Olivia Olmos, Amaya DeSantos, and Aubrey Meza. They provide a solid base for the Saints defense with Cruz and talented freshman Xitlali Farfan protecting them as defensive midfielders. Cruz said that with the experience as well as Farfan’s talent that defense will lead the way for St. Anthony in 2024.
“I think our strength is our defense. We have three awesome defenders in the back, and we also have myself and an awesome freshman as the CDM this year,” said Cruz. “Most of our core players on the field are in the defense, so I think that’s what our strong suit is.”
They’ll provide cover for an inexperienced keeper in senior Guadalupe Cepeda, who stepped up to play in goal after sophomore starter Leila Meza went down with a knee injury. Perez is hoping that Cepeda’s volleyball skills can translate to goal and the veteran back line can help her settle into the new role.
A pair of freshmen will lead the attack with Paloma Toscano and Jeweliana Moreno playing up top for the Saints.
“Those two are quick and they’re goal scorers,” said Perez of her ninth grade strike unit. “Their first instinct is to go towards goal. That’s something we haven’t had since I’ve been here. These two freshmen up top, it’s gonna put pressure on other teams.”
Freshman Tatiana Callejas is expected to be a playmaker on the wing, playing crosses into the box looking to link up with one of the young forwards.
There’s some big changes ahead for the Saints this year, but with new talent on the roster and strong team chemistry, hopes are high for improved outcomes in the 2024 season.
