Coaches don’t always measure success and progress by scores or records. Include Herriman boys soccer coach Marcello Gasperini in this group. 

The fourth-year coach, who guided the Mustangs to the 2022 Class 6A state title, is pleased with his team even though it got off to a 1-4 start. Herriman assembled a diverse team and have started coming together and learning to play as a unit.

“The team has performed very well, but it won’t show on the scoreboards,” Gasperini said. “High school soccer gets two weeks before we have our first game. We have pulled players from six different club teams and have to find the magic in a very short period of time. We are playing in different formations than we have in the past, so there is a lot to cover and very little time. [Our losses] taught us about who we are and how hard to push to play at the next level.”

Herriman lost at Farmington 2-0 to open the season March 7, followed by an identical 2-0 loss at Weber March 13. The Region 2 opener on March 20 went well, with Herriman earning a decisive 4-2 win at Corner Canyon. Losses of 2-1 to Mountain Ridge on March 22 and 2-0 at Bingham on March 25 followed. 

Gasperini has lofty goals for the team—not just for what happens in games but with the preparation it takes to play well. He wants his players to practice hard, stay focused and have a strong commitment to themselves, the team and each other. 

“I always have extremely high expectations for this team on and off of the field,” he said. “Wearing this jersey and representing Mustang Soccer requires character, hard work and selflessness. The game gives us so much more than wins and losses, and it’s our job to take advantage of it. If we do a few things right, we get to take advantage of it while winning. My expectations are to focus on progress before perfection. We believe in striving to be better than the last. Every time we take the pitch, I expect every player to play better than they did the last time they touched the ball. When we do this, we peak at just the right time and become a dangerously good team right as we approach playoffs.”

This formula worked to perfection two years ago when the Mustangs had an up-and-down regular season, going just 5-8 but then reeled off an impressive five victories in the state tournament. The streak culminated in a 1-0 victory over Davis in the finals. 

Of course, achieving the team goals won’t happen automatically. The Mustangs need to play as one and build upon their wins. 

“We need early season wins,” Gasperini said. “The wins confirm that the hard work, blood, sweat and tears are worth it. More importantly, the wins gel the team together. The players’ roles and relationships take purpose and meaning, and they start to see themselves as a team—as a Mustang and not just a player from a different club. We are asking very high-level players to make adaptations to the successful ways they play the game. When these roles click, literally you can see it, you can feel it. If we win early, it paves the way for player bonds to take fire. We can still be successful without the early wins, but it’s a riskier path and much more difficult to overcome.”

Gasperini also has a different view of what success could look like outside of wins and losses. 

“The season is a success when I can send 40 players back to their club teams or off to college with something new that they didn’t have before,” he said.   

 One strength the Mustangs have is how well the players know the game. Gasperini said his team has a high soccer IQ. Herriman also has a lot of depth, which is a huge asset. 

“The talent of the starting 11 and the next best 11 is insane,” he said. “We have a deep bench with so many different styles of talent. This allows us to put different textures on the game and keep the element of surprise against the competition.”

It also helps that the players get along so well. Gasperini loves that his players are friends and that they have developed excellent camaraderie. 

“In addition to technical talent, these boys are brothers—on and off the field,” he said. “If they aren’t training together, they are hanging out, going to support other Mustang sports, battling it out in FIFA [video games]. They are constantly together and around each other and having fun together. The Mustang brotherhood is alive and well with this 2024 team.”

Herriman has a host of contributors, both starters and reserves. In the senior class, goalkeeper Jayden Newman, defender Carter Hoskin, defender Caleb Houston, defender Jeffrey Smith, midfielder Jarrett Harbaugh, forward Atticus Coons, midfielder Josiah Henderson and forward Bennett McEwan are great leaders and performers. The junior class has several standouts, too. Players to watch include midfielder Alex Dunham, defender Avery Price, goalkeeper Kahler Speyer, forward Elijah Conley, defender Tyrell Curry, defender Ryan Pulsipher, forward Blake Peterson, defender Miles Jenson and  midfielder Josh Burrup. Gasperini also likes the play of juniors Sergio Torres and Harry Quealy. 

It’s a true team effort. Herriman doesn’t even have traditional captains as most squads have.

“We are a team,” Gasperini said. “We rely on 10 other guys on the field with us at any given point in time to carry us through our best and worst performances. We don’t need superstars or individuals to win games; we need the herd. It takes 11 guys to win, not any individual. We don’t have full-time captains; that role is earned every week by the players who stand out as leaders and who make the guys around them better. This keeps ego and entitlement out of the game.”

Herriman hosts Copper Hills May 3 to wrap up the regular season after playing each Region 2 foe twice. The state tournament starts May 10. 

“This team is a special one,” Gasperini said. “I love being a part of their learning process.” λ