With eight underclassmen on the team, varsity soccer begins its season anew.
“This is the youngest team we have ever had in my 16 years of coaching here,” head coach Mr. John Theobald said.
With six sophomores and two freshmen on the team, the underclassmen play a larger role than ever before.
“Other than being young, they are all really good players,” Theobald said. “They bring a very positive vibe to the team, which is always
important.”
Very rarely do freshmen make the varsity team, according to Theobald, but due to the loss of a large number of seniors from last year, two freshman have managed to make the cut.
“It feels great to be a freshman on the varsity soccer team,” said freshman Zach Goldberg. “All the guys have treated me great and are very welcoming.”
Although they bring a positive attitude, there are a few uncertainties about the season.
“Honestly I think we are still trying to figure out what our strengths and weaknesses are,” Theobald said. “Sometimes they are challenged by their size, or lack of it, you could say. We are also a young and inexperienced team, but we know that will improve as the season goes on. There will definitely be some bumps along the way.”
Still looking to do better, the team has gone 3-6 so far this season, as of press time.
“I hope that as the season goes on we improve as a team in all aspects,” sophomore Quinn Conlisk said. “I think that if we do that, we will have a great season and a pretty good shot at making it to Districts.”
The underclassmen have been making plays; sophomore Tyler Kendrick scored the game-winning goal in a double overtime win against Parkway West on Sept. 26.
“It felt amazing to score the winning goal,” Kendrick said. “The game was really close all the way to the end, but we played hard as a team and we came out on top.”
The final score was 3-2.
“I think that shows just how we are improving,” Kendrick said. “When you consistently put in the time and the effort, you will eventually get results and that is what happened.”
The team still has more than half of its schedule to play.
“Our hopes are that we continue to improve and work hard in every game,” Theobald said. “We do not need to get caught up in the results. I want to focus on our style and our play, and then we will focus on our results at the end of the season.”