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01/02/2019 11:00 PMChris Morales didn’t sign up to play soccer at Valley Regional as a freshman, but he joined the Warriors the following season, and made a big impact on offense throughout his tenure with the team. Chris recently completed his high school career by helping Valley post a record of 10-4-4 and finish second in the Shoreline Conference standings this fall. The senior earned All-Shoreline Conference First Team honors for his performance as a forward.
Chris took great pride in helping the Warriors when it mattered most. Chris wanted to be the type of player who made his mark on a game by delivering for his club in the clutch.
“From a young age, I’ve always liked scoring goals and making an impact on the game,” says Chris. “I like being in the position of needing a goal and being the one who gets it to help out the team.”
Chris used his foot skills to emerge as an offense threat at Valley. During the 2018 season, he scored 13 goals to go with four assists. In order to score, Chris typically confused defenders by moving his body one way, while sending the ball in the opposite direction. Chris wasn’t afraid to get a little flashy whenever he had the opportunity.
“It’s all about positioning and finding the open spaces within the defense. When I get a one-on-one situation, I work the ball and try to get past the defender,” Chris says. “I try to use skill moves like body feints and pass fakes. I used to really like hitting the ball through the defender’s legs. I think it’s called a nutmeg.”
Off the field, Chris liked lending a hand to his Warriors’ teammates, especially the younger athletes. As a senior who had plenty of experience, Chris knew that Valley’s underclassmen would value his input.
“I like to help out my teammates. I try to tell them how to position themselves on a play,” Chris says. “I want to teach them ways to be better. Sometimes, that information is easier to hear coming from a teammate, instead of a coach.”
Chris got an early start on the soccer field by picking up the sport when he was in 2nd grade. Chris’s family is from Ecuador, where soccer is extremely popular. Chris’s father Crystian introduced him to soccer and, after falling in love with the sport, Chris played for a variety of travel teams.
Even with all the time he spends playing for organized soccer squads, Chris is always ready for a casual match. After working a shift at his parents’ restaurant—Moravela’s in Chester—Chris finds his way to a field to play with his co-workers.
“I played with my dad a lot. I did a lot of traveling with different teams. I’ve traveled to Massachusetts and played teams from Maine. I even went to Pennsylvania,” says Chris, who lives in Deep River. “We all play soccer after work. We’ll just head to a field, pick teams, and play.”
Chris plays soccer to have fun. Of course, Chris wants his teams to win, but most importantly, he’s looking for everyone to have a good time. While Chris enjoys the competition, he doesn’t want there to be any animosity after the final whistle.
“I really liked playing with my friends. I’ve known these guys for like 10 years since we’ve played on the same teams growing up. It was better for me to have fun and play the game,” he says. “That’s how it is in Ecuador. We set up two goals at a cookout and just have fun. Everyone’s trying to win and score goals, but no one wants to beat each other up at the end of a game.”
Head Coach Mick Fearon appreciates what Chris brought to the offensive end of the pitch for the Warriors. Fearon says that Chris had a knack for finding the back of the net in the most pivotal situations.
“Chris scored important goals in big games for our squad. After not playing his freshman year with the team, he came back his sophomore year,” says Fearon. “Chris became an important part of the team, and he had a big role on the offense this season with his 13 goals and four assists.”
Looking back at his final year at Valley Regional, Chris feels that his team had a successful season. Even though Valley didn’t win the Shoreline Conference title, Chris says the Warriors gave everything they had in the tournament, and he believes their semifinal game against Haddam-Killingworth could have gone either way.
“I feel content with where we got to. We wanted to win Shorelines, but we made it pretty far, even though we lost in the semifinals,” says Chris. “All this year, we were really good at coming back and keeping our head in the game. If we had a chance to play another game against H-K, it may have been a different story.”