After an 11-4-2 season with the Wichita North Redhawks a year ago, center back Gilbert Parga-Rodriguez was named to the first-team all-league.
“Gilbert is our best defender,” head coach Curt Wullschleger said. “He is a savvy player with tremendous upside. He has a strong soccer IQ, is an incredible athlete, a constant communicator, and a threat on set pieces.”
Parga-Rodriguez scored four goals and had two assists from his center back spot last year but knows he can be even better offensively.
“My personal goal for this season is to create more chances and score more goals,” Parga-Rodriguez said.
The senior has also taken on some more accountability off the field as well.
“After these past couple of seasons I’ve realized we need to improve on a lot of things,” Parga-Rodriguez said. “As a leader, I will help my teammates stay on top of their work in the classroom. We have had some bad performances these past years due to low-energy practices, so I will make sure every day we give it our all and leave it all on the field.”
The center back has a lot of confidence and knows how special he can be this season.
“My confidence on the field makes me stand out as a player as well as being the loudest player on the field,” Parga-Rodriguez said. “My team goals are to win city league, regionals, and state. We will need to work hard and stay focused every day to accomplish our goals.”
