A multitude of recurring wins. An unbeatable winning streak. A question remaining in the back of everyone’s minds: Will our boys soccer team uphold these victories through districts and State?
This spring sports season has been an exciting one, with our boys soccer team crushing each game, multiple of them being won by as many as eight points. It remains to be seen if the team will surpass last year’s record, when they made it to State before being beaten by Mercer Island High School.
“Last year, we made it to the State final…I think having that belief that we can make it that far, and that we barely fell short… is why we’re doing so well,” said Jack Delachapelle, senior member of the team. “We kind of have that belief that we can actually win this time,” he said.
Further than just the outside motivating factors, two of the team captains, Daniel Bruno and Nikola Genediev, said that the team members have put a lot of effort into giving it their all, even when they’re just training. “If we’re pushing ourselves in training, it’ll come off in the game… We push ourselves every day, and I think our training is sometimes even better than our games,” said Bruno. Growing and improving as teammates during practices and giving it your all even when the score isn’t being counted ultimately shows up during games when it actually matters.
Even in the face of obstacles, the team has turned it around in the end. “Against Shorecrest this last time… our first half was pretty terrible, we went down two to zero,” Bruno said. “But the second half was good. We responded well… [there was] a good spirit from the team in terms of responding to adversity.”
Challenges are just a part of the process; the real effort and work put in shows up when it comes to facing those challenges. The team won that game against Shorecrest four points to two, and Bruno even said it was one of their best games. “We showed a lot of resilience to come back, for the second half,” Genediev said.
Given that there are 13 seniors and 9 juniors on the team, it has become more tight knit this year. Because of the closeness in age, these players feel less divided and more like a collective team. As teammates, they’ve worked to push each other. “I think the ability to push each other and grow as brothers on the field [has brought the team together],” said Genediev. “When it comes to game time, everyone knows we’re fighting for the person next to us.”
The hopes are high for the boys soccer team, and the outlook is quite promising. “It’s a team effort,” Genediev said. “Obviously there’s playmakers on the field, but as long as everyone keeps playing their role…we’re bound to go far.”
