Allen men hope for 2018 playoff run

After a 4-11-1 record last year, Allen men’s soccer head coach Doug Desmarteau has a good feeling heading into the 2018 season.
“We’re definitely better than last year,” Desmarteau said. “We’ve got a ton of guys who are still kind of sifting through the weeds right now. We’re just waiting to see what we really have. We have some good returners in the backline and the mid-field that should help us.”
The Red Devils graduated their top scoring threat in Sami Sabrah but their second-leading scorer, Wilmer Canales, returns to help lead a team that’s fairly balanced between freshmen and sophomores.
Desmarteau also singled out sophomore Jose Trejo as a guy to look for this season.
“(Trejo) will be big for us,” Desmarteau said. “He kind of directs them out there and keeps our communication going. In addition to him, Wilmer Canales is another one of our better players from last year, he was an All-Region kid. He’s not really a vocal guy but he works hard every time he’s out there.”
Freshman Roshod Nembhard from Jamaica is one of the freshmen who’s jumped out at Desmarteau early on this year and should make a difference this year.
“He’s got really good pace and he’s really technical,” Desmarteau said. “He should score a lot of goals for us.”
Desmarteau and the Red Devils not only have their eye on an improved record but also are hoping for a return trip to the playoffs. With this group, Desmarteau thinks that’s more than possible.
“Our goal is always to make the playoffs,” Desmarteau said. “In the last several years we haven’t done that but I think this group has the potential to do that and then go from there. As long as we can keep it together and find the chemistry we need, it should be a pretty successful season.”