New Grays Harbor College head soccer coach Alan Carloza doesn’t look at the team’s lack of recent success and see a program in peril, he sees an opportunity.

Carloza accepted the job as the Chokers women’s soccer coach in mid-May and is faced with the tough task of turning around program that has won one game the past two seasons.

Carloza said he’s embracing the underdog role that comes with coaching at Grays Harbor.

“I’m a competitor. I’ve been playing soccer all my life and when I was on a small team playing against bigger teams it got me excited and pushed me more. That’s the same mentality I’m going to have with coaching,” he said. “Our program hasn’t been successful since its been around, but I enjoy challenges. I’ve seen some video on some teams that we’re playing and that’s given me even more confidence.”

This isn’t Carloza’s first attempt to get involved with the Chokers. The former Ocosta assistant coach was also looking to get involved in the program the last year when Dave Brown led the team.

Carloza also expressed interest in working with Ian Connell, who coached the team in the 2017 season. Carloza will be the fourth head coach in five years for Grays Harbor, but he is looking to change any negative stigma linked to the program.

“I found out how hard it is to recruit locally just because of our reputation. Everybody already knows a little bit about the program, so I find that to be a little more difficult,” he said. “That’s one of the things I want to change. I want to help the locals stay and stick around so we can build a program that’s successful.”

Though he got off to a late start in the recruiting season, Carloza is doing what he can to make up for lost time. In less than a month on the job, he has signed five players and will inherit Ocosta graduate Kristi Raffelson, who signed on weeks before Brown resigned in late March.

The goalie position will be up for grabs as Raffelson figures to compete with Kiana Wright, who Carloza recently signed out of Todd Beamer High School in Federal Way.

Carloza also got a commitment from Lexi Sapegin, a speedy forward from Yelm who competed at the WIAA State Track and Field Championships in the 300-meter hurdles and the 4×200 relay.

Carloza has figured out pretty quickly that filling out a roster means sending a lot of emails.

“I’ve probably sent out about 350 emails and about 100 text messages,” he said. “(Recruiting) is a learning process, but I’m a really good people person. To go out and speak to somebody and get them excited about the program won’t be too difficult.”

As far as returning players, only three of last season’s 12 freshmen will return for their sophomore year. Ocosta graduate Adriana Huerta and Aberdeen alum Taylor Cocker will return for their sophomore years along with Mya Heard.

In a somewhat unusual circumstance, the Chokers will also welcome Tayler Housden back for her second year of eligibility after playing for Grays Harbor in the 2017 season and skipping the 2018 season altogether.

Grays Harbor has about 11 players committed for next season with three recruits from California and one from Nevada scheduled to make their official visits later this month.

Once the roster is solidified, Carloza envisions an aggressive team with three defenders at the back that puts a priority on creating scoring chances.

“The best way to defend a team that’s attacking is to attack them yourself. Looking at our previous scores, it looks like the other teams are just attacking us,” he said. “We play with three defenders so our main goal will be to create chances for our forwards. We have some good, exciting forwards coming in but we won’t be able to make anything happen if we don’t create chances for them.”

Though the roster is under construction, the coaching staff has been selected. Allie Oropeza will stay on after serving as an assistant for the past three seasons and Rafa Jimenez will join the staff as a goalie coach.

Carloza said he wants to facilitate collaboration with his assistants.

“All the coaches want to be head coaches one day. Bringing them in so they can gain that experience is huge. We’re a team at the end of the day and they’ll have their freedom to do what they have to do while we’re training. I’m ready to listen to them and I’m excited about all their ideas.”

With most of his roster set and his staff ready to go, Carloza is looking forward to Aug. 1 when preseason workouts begin.

He said his love for the game has him excited for the coaching opportunity other coaches have shied away from.

“A lot of coaches would ask ‘Why would anyone take the Grays Harbor job?’ My thought was always, ‘Why not?’” he said. “If you love soccer like I do, then these are the challenges you want.”