As far as returning top-tier talent goes, Inglemoor High has one of the most experienced squads in what appears to be a very tough 4A Kingco soccer league this year.

With third-year coach Kevin McGibbon coming off a disappointing 4-6-1 season in 2009, he returns six impact seniors this year and believes that it just may be the year of the Viking.

Leading the way on offense will be a pair of third-year lettermen, Vinicius Gomes and Graham Humphries, each shaped from quite a different mold.

“(Gomes) brings a calming effect on the team, a bomb could go off on the field and he would just stay cool and composed,” McGibbon said of Gomes. “He rarely makes mistakes under pressure.”

On the flipside, Humphries isn’t afraid to play with a little emotion.

“He can be a little manic, but he keeps people loose and light,” added McGibbon.

Key to the Vikings’ defense will be Andy Townsend, the “glue that holds everybody together,” according to McGibbon.

Being that foreign exchange students are fully eligible to play high-school sports, the Vikings were fortunate to pick up a phenomenal athlete in junior Tomas Jacob from Brazil, who scored two goals in the Vikings’ first game, a 2-2 draw against Sammamish.

“He brings a little bit of the Samba with him,” McGibbon laughed. “He’s very strong, good on the ball, but he listens and is a good teammate. He sees things a little quicker than the others do.”

Add to the mix returning lettermen in goalkeeper Jacob Vaughn and Andrew Veith, both seniors, and the Vikings look extremely solid across the field.

Vieth wrestled this year for the Vikings, something that his coach noted will help him on immensely on the field.

“It has made a world of difference in attitude, commitment and concentration,” said McGibbon.

After just missing out on the Kingco playoffs last year, McGibbon is ready to have the black and gold make a strong statement in 2010 with his crew of upperclassmen, many of which have played soccer together since junior high school.

“Our goal is certainly to be there in the top six so we can get into the Kingco playoffs with a shot to go to state,” McGibbon said. “Last year, it went down to the last game. This year we want our fate decided early in a positive manner.”

BOTHELL

Last year, Bothell’s soccer team enjoyed a bit of a resurgence after struggling for most of the decade with a 6-3-2 season that saw it tie for second in 4A Kingco.

In 2010, the Cougars return some of the league’s top talent in a trio of seniors: standout Yordan Rivera, sure-handed goalie Shane Lervold and state-caliber runner Alan Villavicencio, who look to help pave the Cougars’ way to a Kingco playoff berth.

“(Yordan) is a great playmaker, he made the new Sounders FC U18 team,” lauded Cougars’ head coach Alex Zahajko. “(Lervold’s) unbelievable hands and quickness make him the best goalkeeper in the conference.”

In the fast-paced game of boys’ soccer, stamina definitely comes into play, and nobody has more of it than Villavicencio, who has earned a berth into the 4A state cross-country championships in each of the last three years.

“He holds the ball extremely well, and wears down opponents by never tiring,” Zahajko said.

A Spanish teacher at Bothell High, Zahajko can often be heard yelling instructions in the native language of Mauricio Aguilar, a speedy forward always a threat to assist or score.

“He’s a quick, shifty forward that is difficult to contain,” noted Zahajko, adding that Aguilar is originally from Mexico City.

With many, if not most, teams in the conference returning many impact players this year, in addition to highly touted Crossfire Academy releasing its club players to play high-school soccer this year, the Cougars’ road to the playoffs will be far from a cakewalk.

“We don’t have any (Crossfire players), but many teams do and that will add to the high level of the league,” Zahajko noted. “The league is so tough, any slip-ups are punished.”

Last Friday, the Cougars and the Vikings battled to a 2-2 draw in 4A Kingco league play at Bothell High.

Humphries scored both Inglemoor goals, assisted by Gomes, including the equalizer coming at the 67-minute mark.

For Bothell, Villavicencio opened up the scoring with an assist from Rivera at 20:00, with Brandon Rise scoring unassisted at 30:00.

With the draw, Bothell’s season record stands at 2-0-2 while the Vikings remained winless at 0-1-2.