STUDIO CITY — Three seasons ago, Harvard-Westlake boys soccer coach Michael Erush asked his players for commitment. From the weight room to team meetings to being on the field — he wanted collaboration.
Those players are now seniors and as a result of their commitment, Harvard-Westlake could be looking at an appearance in the Open Division in the CIF Southern Section playoffs. The Wolverines (6-3 overall, 3-0 in Mission League) are currently on the Open Division’s watch list.
“They’ve bought into the program in our core values,” Erush said. “And now, hence why their junior year last year was amazing. And this year, hopefully, we can replicate it.”
The Wolverines went 21-1-1 overall last season, but fell 3-2 to Glendale in the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division 4 playoffs. They have three losses so far this season, but the focus is on long term success.
Two of those losses came in the SoCal Showcase to Servite, another team on the CIF-SS Open Division watch list, and Gulliver Prep, a top team in Florida.
“If we’re going to look at the positives from that game, it shows that we can really compete against anyone and there’s no opponent that’s too good for us or that we can’t match,” senior Josh Barnavon said.
Barnavon had a goal and an assist on Wednesday night in a 4-1 win over Chaminade.
Harvard-Westlake remained unbeaten in Mission League play, but the Wolverines were disappointed to not have finished the game with a clean sheet.
Chaminade’s Darius Rabizadeh scored on a set piece at the 70-minutes mark after a hand ball was called on Harvard-Westlake. The goal stung for the defensive-minded Wolverines.
“I personally love getting shutouts,” senior James Federman said. “I care more about it sometimes than winning. Sometimes you can’t control that, but we’re going to look back at the film and see what we did wrong.”
Harvard-Westlake has spent more time on film analysis this season. Erush and his coaching staff treat it as homework, sending players clips and asking them to develop questions and feedback based on what they’re seeing.
Cameras stationed at the top of the bleachers capture every triumph and mistake on the field during practices and games. The film analysis is done on an individual as well as a collaborative basis.
“They’re smart kids and they want information and we provide as much information as they can absorb,” Erush said. “In previous years maybe they wanted a day off or some light training, but I wanted to make sure their mind is always on soccer.”
That focus will be needed in the near future — the Wolverines have three games in one week coming up. They’ll play at St. Francis on Monday, at Crespi on Wednesday and return home to play Loyola on Friday, Jan. 12. St. Francis and Loyola are both unbeaten in Mission League play.
The schedule is welcomed though, since it mimics what Harvard-Westlake might see in the playoffs. The jump from Division 4 to the Open Division is steep, but the team is fearlessly ambitious thanks to the commitment the seniors made seasons ago.
“I want to show people that we’re a real program that’s extremely competitive and really talented,” Federman said. “We’re a really hard-working, blue-collar team and I think that’s helped us have a lot of success over the past couple of years.”