Fall 2019 Preview: Waynesville Soccer

By Denise Tucker (For OzarksSportsZone.com)

After a disappointing 2018 season, the Waynesville Tigers look to bounce back in the 30th year of the program.

“We lost a lot of players due to graduation (from the 2017 season),” said head coach Mike Armstrong, who is 122-136-2 in 11 seasons at Waynesville. “We knew it was going to be a learning year as we filled holes. We didn’t get the job done, but we were close in many of our games.”

The Tigers went 4-17 overall and 4-5 in the Ozark Conference before falling to Columbia Rock Bridge in the first round of the Class 4 District 9 tournament.

Lost from the 2018 squad include David Havlin and Ryan Wilburn. Havlin was an all-district first-team and an all-conference second-team selection, while Wilburn was named all-district second-team and all-conference honorable mention.

Key for the Tigers’ 2019 season will be varsity senior starters Isaac Swanson, Darien Grosvenor, Caleb Garcia and Reily Wright.

Swanson, a first-team all-conference selection, will return for his fourth year as the starting keeper.

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“Grosvenor has been putting in a lot of work as a striker and hopes to have a big senior year,” Armstrong said. “Garcia and Wright have been taking charge during summer workouts. I can see them leading this team in the right direction.

“Along with these players, I see (junior) Johannes Momoh’s passion really helping this team find its identity.”

One of the newcomers Armstrong will be looking at to contribute is Faheem Mujahid.

“We have several new players moving into the area,” Armstrong said. “We will have to see how they fit in. I’ve seen some real promise from some of our freshmen. If Faheem Mujahid keeps up his work ethic, I can see him challenging for a varsity spot.”

Defense and a “drive to be better than last year” is Waynesville’s strength heading into the season.

“You can always build around a strong defense and that will give us a good starting place,” Armstrong said. “Their drive will determine where we go from there.”

The Tigers will host a jamboree with Rolla and Washington on Aug. 27, and will open the season on the road on Aug. 30 at Republic.

“It will be a challenge to bring all these players together from so many different places,” Armstrong said. “We really can be great, if we all buy in and get on the same page.”