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GCCC men's soccer player Caba an intricate part in team's success
Published 8/27/2009 in Sports : GCCC
By MIKE KESSINGER
When practice began in the fall of 2008, the Garden City Community College men's soccer program was starting over — almost from scratch.
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Brad Nading/Telegram — Ulises Caba is a sophomore midfielder for the Garden City Community College menÕs soccer team. Caba is a native of Guymon, Okla. and is a reigning All-Conference player and earned honorable mention All-America honors a year ago.
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Brad Nading/Telegram — Ulises Caba kicks the ball to a teammate during a drill Tuesday at Garden City Community College men's soccer practice at Tangeman Sports Complex.
Broncbusters second-year coach Stephen Gorton had revamped his roster. The list of newcomers included a rather large group from Miami, one of which was a sophomore transfer. There was a rejuvenated sophomore forward who had played on GCCC's first team in 2005, and there was one of the top-rated Kansas High School graduates to be recruited in the junior college ranks, who just happened to be from Liberal. Among the others who came from towns and cities scattered throughout the Midwest, there was a freshman from Guymon, Okla. — Ulises Caba.
Shy by most accounts, Caba was another piece of his team's puzzle Gorton felt comfortable inserting.
"I thought he was what we were looking for," Gorton said of recruiting Caba. "When he got here and started playing he was just consistent in every single game. He has a lot of talent."
Born and raised in Mexico before moving to Guymon in 2004, Caba was the Busters' perfect complement to the rest of the team from his midfielder position. In what could have been a situation easy to have been lost with the talent surrounding him, Caba flourished.
"Everybody trusts me," Caba said. "I put a lot on myself. I have to play good this year, and I'm confident right now."
If anything, the more confident Caba is, the better off the Busters are. A year ago the midfielder earned first team All-Conference and Region VI honors for his play. He was also an honorable mention All-America pick and the Jayhawk Conference freshman of the year. While Caba found his niche, so too did the Busters, placing fourth in the NJCAA national tournament in Phoenix. It was the program's first trip to nationals.
"He's just a hard working, humble kid," Gorton said. "He fits right in."
As he enters his sophomore season, Caba is ready for the challenge that awaits the Busters this season. A year ago, the program burst onto the national scene and Caba wouldn't have it any other way than for GCCC to once again make that trip again.
"There's a little more pressure, but we're friends," Caba said of his relationship with his teammates. "We see everybody every day. The goal right now is to win the (Region 6), then making it to nationals."
It's a goal the Busters hope to maintain as they head into Saturday's season opener at the Barton County tournament against Western Nebraska. Gorton's squad had earned a preseason No. 4 ranking in the nation.
Along with the players Garden City returns, Gorton added a recruiting class consisting of an NCAA Division I transfer, the Minnesota Gatorade Player of the Year, and most recently, a midfielder who has represented the United States on the U-18 national team. Put it all together with the returners and Caba is all the more anxious to get the season started.
"Right now, we're doing good," Caba said. "We're training hard as a team. We're like a family."
On the Web:
Listen to a podcast previewing GCCC's fall season at GCTelegram.com/podcasts.
How do you think the Busters will do this season? Talk about it at SWKTalk.com.
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