He wanted to hear cheers; now he hears plenty.

Coupeville High School senior Abraham Leyva was a defender when he first played soccer years ago. It didn’t take him long to notice that the cheers of the crowd went to those who scored goals.

“That made me want to play up top,” he said. “My coach gave me a shot in a game and I scored my first two goals.”

The goal scoring continued in high school — at a record pace.

Leyva, who Coupeville coach Kyle Nelson called “an offensive weapon the likes Coupeville boys soccer has never seen before,” scored 11 goals as a sophomore, 14 as a junior and 20 this year. No official record has been kept, but those involved with the program believe Leyva’s 20 goals this spring and his 45 career goals are school records, easily outpacing any efforts from the past. His career total would most likely be higher, but he returned to Mexico for a time and missed his freshman season at CHS.

In addition to adding punch to the Wolves’ lineup, Leyva “brought a deep knowledge and experience base of soccer to our team, more than kids get exposed to here on Whidbey Island,” Nelson said. “He has brought great moments of brilliance to the game.”

Leyva began playing soccer in Tijuana when he was 4 and continued when he moved to Coupeville two years later.

“I tried rec basketball for a season but didn’t really like it and decided to dedicate myself to soccer and school,” he said.

His parents helped him develop as a player. His father, Ben Leyva, introduced him to the sport and offers “constructive criticism,” and his mother, Patricia Elenes, encourages him whether he has “a good game or a bad game.”

John Freitas and Dan D’almeida also had a strong influence by “opening up the world of competitive soccer.”

Through the years, Leyva has taken advantage of his innate and refined skills to excelled on the field.

“My strongest assets, I would say, are my quickness and my vision,” he said. “Quickness — when I dribble I can beat defenders easily. Vision — (I am) able to realize where my teammates are and giving them passes so they can either run through or to know where opposition players are.”

Leyva’s success goes far beyond Coupeville’s Mickey Clark Field, having played for a select or premier team each season leading up to this spring.

After playing for North Whidbey Soccer Club’s U13 and U14 teams, he returned to Mexico and played for a youth academy. Once back in Coupeville, he played on a division two premier team and, finally, for a select team out of South Whidbey.

After high school graduation, Leyva plans to  attend the Unversidad Autonoma de Durango Campus Los Mochis in Mexico where he will study to be a doctor.

While there, Leyva will tryout for the Diablos Azules de Guasave, a third division team. If that doesn’t work out, he may play for his hometown team.

“So, there is definitely soccer in my future, whether it’s semi-pro or for fun.”