The Boy’s Varsity soccer season ended last week after a hard fought game against Parkway West. Central fell behind early in the first quarter of the game, putting them down 1-0. But Central came out flying after halftime with an early goal by sophomore, Luca Vezin. With twenty minutes left of play, West earned a corner kick and capitalized on the opportunity, putting them ahead. Central was unable to answer West’s hard fought goal, which resulted in an end score of 2-1. This win by would break the five year winning streak Central soccer had against Parkway West had since 2008.
The team’s record may not represent the team’s strongest season, however this year brought a different dynamic. The team had three upcoming freshmen, making it a younger squad than ever before.
For seniors, the district loss concludes their high school soccer career. Although this year was not as successful as their past seasons on the varsity squad, the boys will miss it just as much. Some of the seniors have been contributing factors on the team since their sophomore year.
The squad will definitely feel the absence of their leading scorer Ben Mendel. Mendel has been a crucial part in the team’s success over the past years.
“I’m really going to miss it,” Ben Mendel said. “Nick Helmbacher, Ryan Levens, Evan Willenbrink and I have been playing together for the past three years. It’s crazy to think that it is over.”
As a contributing factor since his sophomore year, senior, Nick Helmbacher’s defensive talent and long throw cannot be replaced.
“It really would have been really cool to go further in districts my senior year, but in the end it was a great season.” Helmbacher said
Although the seniors wished for a more eventful way to end their soccer career, they can all agree that it has been a great four years with the soccer program.