SEQUIM — Sequim boys soccer coach Dave Brasher never had to worry about the mindset and focus of senior captain Eli Berg.
“This was his team,” Brasher said.
“He was kind of the engine of the team as our center midfielder. Eli set the tone for the season with his work ethic.
“He’s a first guy to practice, last one to leave type of player who never took his starting position for granted.”
Even if he didn’t make an appearance in the score line of every game, Berg’s efforts were noticed by Olympic League coaches.
He was selected to the All-Olympic League 2A first team after notching two goals and doling out seven assists for Sequim (9-6-2).
Berg also has been selected as the All-Peninsula Boys Soccer MVP by area coaches and the sports staff of the Peninsula Daily News for the second consecutive season.
A talented student and member of a back-to-back state Knowledge Bowl team at Sequim, Berg found soccer afforded him a different outlet to reveal his creativity.
“Part of it is I just love playing soccer,” Berg said.
“It’s different than being in school or hanging out with friends. It’s a way to express myself artistically, I guess.
“I’ve also really enjoyed who I’ve been able to play with. It’s fun to be at practice.”
Berg’s ability to relish all aspects of the game stood out to Brasher.
“The other intangible for him is he finds a lot of joy playing soccer,” Brasher said.
“Eli gets out of the car at the field, gets his gear on, and he has a smile on his face.
“It would be as fun for him to be out there kicking the ball around with a 5-year-old as it would be with a world-class player.”
Berg said his role evolved during the season from an attacking approach to one that had him playing further from goal. This allowed him to utilize larger sections of the field to link up with Sequim’s scorers, while also being in position to make more plays defensively.
“[Moving back] into more of a defensive spot on the field was nice to me because it gave me more space to pass into,” Berg said.
Providing him that space allowed Berg chances to utilize his awareness of the game, Brasher said.
“His feel for the game is pretty unbelievable,” Brasher said.
“He’s very skilled with the ball, too.
“A lot of the time he’s anticipating two or three passes ahead, so he’s moving to where the ball is going to end up, rather than waiting for it to come to him.
“He was skilled at moving the attack forward and getting those passes into the spaces where our players needed to go offensively.”
His awareness also allowed him to break up plays defensively, create turnovers and regain possession — and Berg likes the ball at his, or at least a teammate’s, feet.
“One thing I like about it is controlling the game,” Berg said.
“You can dictate offensively where the ball goes and how the team plays.
“I am a fan of technical passing, but I also like to mix in a long ball over the air occasionally.
“But predominately, I prefer a possession-based style. My club coaches have ingrained that in me. It’s kind of gratifying to keep the ball, or win the ball back.”
Both coach and player agreed on their favorite moment of the season.
Berg’s brother Addison is a freshman who spent the bulk of the season on the junior varsity but was a late-season varsity call-up for a game at North Mason.
Because of their age difference, the brothers hadn’t had many chances to play on the same side.
“I think that was the epitome of his season,” Brasher said.
“It was getting late in the season and Eli had yet to score a goal. He got the ball in the middle did a one-two step on the defense and was wide open for his first score, but instead he laid the ball off to his freshman brother playing in his first game, and Addie drilled it.
“That was awesome.”
The moment also was Berg’s favorite of the season.
“We hadn’t had that chance to play on the same team together,” Berg said.
“On that play, we passed it back and forth up the field, and finally he said, ‘Leave it to me.’
“Honestly, it was kind of surprising to me. I didn’t expect to have him call me off, but it made for a cool familial combination.”
Berg will attend Occidental College in Los Angeles this fall. He’s spending time this summer at the school’s Multicultural Summer Institute and taking advantage of the chance to scrimmage with members of the college’s soccer team.
He’s spoken with coaches and plans to try out for the squad this fall.
“It’s exciting for me,” Berg said.
“I really like playing soccer. It’s a really big part of my life, so continuing to play competitively would be really cool for me.
“It’s something I’ve always thought about, but never seriously considered it as option. It’s kind of one of my dreams, so having the chance to fulfill that would be cool.”
He plans to remain in the game for as long as he can, eventually stepping across the sideline into the coaches box.
“My soccer coaches have had a big positive impact in my life, so I’d like to pass that along,” Berg said.
“It’d be weird to stop being involved with the game just because I’m done playing at a competitive level.
“I love it too much.”
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Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-452-2345, ext. 5250 or at mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
