Warhawk soccer trio celebrates scholarships

mbrown@sunmulti.com
They could be considered the backbone of a rapidly growing Veterans High boys soccer program. On Wednesday, three of Matt Roth’s senior Warhawks – two midfielders and one forward – signed their college letters of intent in front of the entire team and a host of family members.
Two of the seniors, Joseph Faletto and Michael Bailey, are going to a Toccoa Falls College team that played in the NCCAA (National Christian College Athletic Association) national tournament last fall. David Gomez, along with Faletto a pivitol midfield presence in Roth’s system, chose to attend Georgia Southwestern State University in Americus.
“I’ve been playing soccer all my life, and it’s basically my life,” said Gomez. “I have fun playing in school, and I didn’t want to stop. The (GSW) coach was interested in me.
“We had a club tournament, and the coach came up to me and asked if I would interested in playing some college soccer.”
Gomez’ club is Sacred Heart United. This team won a NIKE tournament with Gomez in a penalty kick shootout.
“I just try to keep possession,” said Gomez about his midfield responsibilities. “Keep the ball on the ground, and try to stay relaxed and keep the game calm. I’m not a goal scorer, more getting assists.”
At Georgia Southwestern State, Gomez said he plans on continuing in that midfield role while studying engineering. He said GSW has a dual engineering program with Georgia Tech. As for ever transferring to the Atlanta campus, he said everything’s still wide open now and he will take things one step at a time.
Toccoa Falls head coach Rob Worsley was at Veterans Wednesday to welcome the two Warhawks to his upcoming roster. It’s one that won’t lose much from that national qualifier for the 2013 season, but he still feels Faletto and Bailey will compete hard for playing time as freshmen.
“We had them both at a workout last year,” said Worsley. “We’re excited about what they both bring. Joseph brings us a controlling presence in the inside mid, which is something we are looking for. He can settle the ball in the middle and has good vision and an attacking sense about him.
“We hadn’t seen anything on Michael last year. We’d seen game film on Joseph. When (Michael) showed up, we were certainly interested. What we see is a fast, aggressive goal-scoring forward with a sense for the goal. That’s something that makes you stand up and take notice.
“They will both compete for some good playing time and help us immediately. We only lose two starters from last year’s team. The playing time is going to be hard to come by; after this year we lose seven or eight players. But I think highly of these guys. I see both as instant contributors. We’ll see how that translates into actual minutes.”
“It’s in a nice location, a place where I can focus on my education, and it will be a privilege to play soccer,” said Faletto. He said the tryout, where he got to play with the current Eagles, was his deciding factor to sign.
“I feel like I’m more of a distributor,” said Faletto. “I keep the game in control. I’ve been playing since I was a kid, about 5, and playing competitive soccer since 10. It’s everything. I play year round.
“It’s awesome being a part of the soccer program at Veterans. We have a lot to prove out there in the state of Georgia. A lot of people underestimate us, but we show them who we really are.”
The Warhawks have done just that, winning a region championship last year and going to the Elite 8 two years ago.
Faletto plans to study biology with the goal of being a physical therapist.
Bailey also played with the Toccoa Falls team during the tryout. He said college soccer wasn’t in his plans until the Eagle coaches approached him about playing. He said he loved the mountain scenery and the coaches during his visit.
“They offered me a spot,” said Bailey. “I’m very happy with it.”
Bailey’s game is simple: either score the goal or pass it inside. He began his career at age 6.
“Soccer is my main passion,” he said. “Playing at Veterans helped me develop a lot. They let me play the forward spot and get a lot of experience. Now I get to play college for it.”
As a student, Bailey’s plan is to major in business and work his way to the role of Chief Executive Officer.
“To give guys a chance to do what they love at the next level is important,” said Roth. “These guys found a place where they are happy, where they wanted to go. They are definitely leaders on the team … important to what we do. It’s going to be sad to see them go.
“They will be able to contribute in a special way when they get to the next level. They are very responsible, very self-motivated. They are not boys you have to stay on repeatedly at practice. They know what’s expected of them, and they’ve done a good job for me living up to it.”

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