William Eimas-Dietrich
Staff Writers
Boys Soccer
A tough start could end up being a great finish for the Varsity Boys Soccer team. The team started the year 0-5. Just five weeks later, they are now going into the sectional semifinals after a 2-0 win over Fowler on Oct. 10. Not only has their season turned around, but they are on an eight-game win streak, which included a win against No.1 seed East-Syracuse Minoa. Coach Joe Roach said that he “knew they were better then (their starting record).” After making it deep in the section playoffs last year the team believes they can make another run and go even further. Senior Captain Andrew Barclay thinks that they “have the ability to win sectionals and go to the state tournament.”
The team has found that bonding off the field has made them a stronger unit on the field. “Out of all the teams I’ve been on, this one is the closest,” says Barclay. They had a lot of team dinners during the season which helps the juniors and seniors mesh together. None of them knew each other very well in the beginning and now they have become fairly friendly. “I didn’t know half the team at the beginning of the season,” says Austin. This bonding also helped them build their success late in the year. “I believed that we banded together throughout the year and that led to our success,” said senior Joe Fazio.
With a 7-3 record in their OHSL Freedom National division they are co-league champions. Some of the players find this helpful when they think about how their season began. “The fact that we have clicked at the right time really helps us when looking at what the playoffs brings,” said senior Jack Austin. They hope to carry this league championship with them and succeed in the playoffs as well.
As for the fourth seed in the sectional tournament, the boys are both happy and disappointed. Senior Jake Brazie says “I am not too happy with the seed,” but also said that with the rough start to the year he thought they did well. Coach Roach says that he wasn’t disappointed and actually “surprised” by the seeding. Others look at it as a positive because it allows the team to be the underdog going into games. “It allows other teams to sleep on us, hopefully all the way to a state ship,” said senior Jake Socia. After the quarterfinal win, they now play East-Syracuse Minoa on Oct. 26.
