Fans will notice something different about this years Boys Soccer Varsity Team right from the opening kickoff.
There will not be a single freshman or sophomore on this years roster to start the season. The 22 man roster is composed of eight seniors and 14 juniors.
‘There is a definite line between varsity and JV. It has never really happened this way before,? said Varsity Soccer Coach John Thaler.
Gone are seven members of last year’s district title team. In their place are a veteran group of seniors and juniors that are ready to repeat as district champs.
‘It looks promising this year. I got a deep bench this year so if one of the players gets injured or needs a sub we can do that,? Thaler said.
With six games before the school year begins, the bench and off-season conditioning is going to be key if the boys want to get off to a good start.
‘They have been conditioning all summer long, and now the boys know that the position isn’t solely theirs, that they have someone fighting for their spot,? said Thaler. It is that competition Thaler believes is going to push his boys to compete harder.
‘I pride my teams on being well conditioned and physically in shape. I tell my boys that not only should you be able to run two 40 minute halves, but also an extra 20 if we go into overtime or something else,? said Thaler.
Coach Thaler is excited to work with this year’s group that prides itself on being a team and not individual players. He doesn’t think that one or two players are going to step up, but that the whole entire team will.
‘What I’ve watched and seen the past two days, I think the whole entire team will have a break-out season,? he said. ‘It’s a great improvement…the boys are well conditioned. Were going to get them into a well-oiled machine and when they work as a team it is going to be fantastic.?
Captains Corey Olsen, Travis Roth and Mark Hirsch look to lead the team not only by their play on the field, but off the field as well.
Coach Thaler also expects the seniors on the team to provide leadership on and off the field.
‘My Seniors know what I expect out of them day in and day out of practices, games and at school. Out in the community I expect them to lead this team and set good examples,? Thaler said.
The Wildcats took on Waterford Kettering on Monday, Aug. 24 and they used a second half surge to pull away and beat the Captains 6-0.
Senior Captain Mark Hurrish got the scoring going in the 61st minute to put the Wildcats up 1-0. Thirty seconds later Sophomore Mike Kitchner scored, and the rout was on. The Wildcats scored four more goals in the next 18 minutes, getting contributions from Senior Steven Ferguson, Junior Christian Lopez, Sophomore Alex Juntti and Olson.
It was a much better performance after a 2-1 loss to Davison on Friday, where Senior Captain Matt Versteeg had the only goal.
The Wildcats next chance to get on the field is Saturday, August 29 at Fenton in a Flint Metro League Tournament against Clio and Flint-Kearsley.