Hunger pains: Golden Valley striker Hubbard driven by past success, failures

World-class strikers lust for goals. All types, too: swerving long-distance shots, nifty chips and breakaway finishes. They call for every ball to be knocked their way, screaming and thrusting their arms into the air, and when they shoot...

They shoot to kill, hoping the ball rips a hole through the net.

By definition, they're predators, programmed to terrorize defenses with a me-first swagger.

And then there's Matt Hubbard.

The Golden Valley senior led the Central California Conference in scoring last fall and was named the conference's best attacking player, but he's still developing the DNA of a forward.

Compared to Octavio Murillo, Merced's super slick forward and a former CCC MVP, Hubbard, a converted defender with surfer boy hair, is tame.

He rarely takes on multiple defenders and doesn't possess the top-end speed that will leave a defense gasping for air.

Hubbard, by his own admission, is an opportunist; a product of the play.

"I think I make really good decisions on the ball. I'm looking for the easiest way to score a goal," said Hubbard, who finished with 14 goals last season, including 10 in conference.

"I'm not going to dribble three defenders and chip the goalie. If I see Daniel (Byrne), I'll feed him the ball down the line. I don't like the team that gives it to one player and lets him do everything. I like the team that passes and combines and does it all right.

"That's the team I'm hoping for this year."

Coach Lee Shaw has restructured his attack, moving pieces around the offensive third of the field in hopes of improving on last season's hit-and-miss offense.

Byrne is now a center midfielder, stepping in for graduated stars Hugo Hernandez and Elias Ruiz. Byrne will be paired with Edgar Villa.

Speedy Mike Gomez will join Hubbard up top after burning a path down the left sideline last fall.

Gomez will stretch the field, running down through balls and taking on defenders.

Hubbard will serve as point man, receiving passes with his back to the ball. His job is to facilitate the attack.

"We've all improved with our dribbling and shooting, and we work really well together at practice," Hubbard said. "Scoring won't be a problem this year."

Fast Start

It wasn't this past weekend when Golden Valley debuted its 23-man roster in a four-way scrimmage at Denair.

Golden Valley outscored Gustine, Hughson and Delhi 14-1 in three victories.

Hubbard had two goals and a handful of assists, using his footwork and vision to support an attack missing Gomez.

Tony Figueroa filled in for Gomez, scoring a team-high three goals in the three games.

Gomez will start alongside Hubbard in the team's final scrimmage at East Union today.

Golden Valley opens the season at the Pitman tournament on Friday.

"That combination is a huge part of what we need to get established this preseason," Shaw said. "That's what I want, and we're not there yet."

However, Shaw and others have noticed a change in Hubbard.

He's driven by success and haunted by his failures. Particularly, his misses.

Teammates often razz Hubbard about his whiffs last fall. For as many goals as he had, he realizes his total could have been somewhere in the 20s. The hat trick that eluded him against Turlock is especially grating.

"We know it's not easy to make a ton of shots," Byrne said, who, ironically, was nearly perfect from the penalty stripe last year.

"Whenever he misses one, for sure we'll point it out. He knows we're joking. We support him fully, but, yeah, when he misses he takes it as he needs to make the next one.

"That drives him to keep practicing hard and getting better."

Camper of the Year

Hubbard attended three collegiate camps in the spring and summer, and has traded e-mails with coaches at San Jose State, UC Davis and Cal Poly.

At each stop, he trained with other forwards in drills designed specifically for attacking players.

Slowly, the Burlingame Juventus (San Francisco) club player has shed his defender's skin.

"I'm looking to improve all the time," said Hubbard, who made the position change as a sophomore. "You can't stop and say, 'OK, that's enough.' You have to keep pushing yourself."

And it starts in practice, when nobody is looking.

Following an otherwise mundane early season workout, while the rest of the team slipped off into the parking lot, Hubbard lined up a couple of balls along the perimeter of the penalty box.

One by one, the striker fired on an empty net until he had satisfied his thirst.

That lust, Shaw says, wasn't always there a season ago.

"I think he's worked harder by himself than anybody else," Shaw said. "He's hungry for it. He knows last year he wanted to score more. Now he's driven to do that. He wants to fulfill his duty and job."

James Burns is managing editor/sports editor of the Sun-Star. He can be reached at jburns@mercedsun-star.com.