For Oxford Boys Varsity Soccer Coach John Thaler ‘this season has been by far the most memorable.?
‘The boys kept improving and played every game like it was their last,? Thaler said.
The boys finished in second place in the OAA Blue division with a 5-1 record and ended their season with an overall record of 12-3-1, making it to the MHSAA Districts where they lost to Lake Orion 3-1.
‘We played well in the first half, but lost some steam in the second,? said Thaler. ‘If a few plays had gone our way, it would have been a different game entirely.?
However, the loss doesn’t take away the terrific season the boys had, which included scoring 50 goals and only allowing 15 goals against during the season, creating a new school record.
‘Having the fewest goals scored against us was a testament to our defense,? Thaler said. ‘They worked extremely well together as a unit and complemented each other quite well.?
Other achievements included having only three losses, which is a best since 2005, earning eight shutouts , tieing state rank team Stoney Creek 1-1, as well as having five players earn All-OAA first team selections (seniors Travis Simat, Chase Garavaglia, David Kitchner, Junior Noah Skrzycki and sophomore Greg Knox) and three players earned All-League first team selections (Simat, Garavaglia and Kitchner).
Also, Kitchner was named Team MVP and junior Travis Alderman was the Team’s Most Improved Player. OAA Academic Scholar award’players that maintain a’GPA of 3.5 or higher’throughout the season included Connor Bandel, Michael Dobies, Emmanuel Ibarra, Matt Reed, Andrew Knox, Andrew Connelly, Joseph Hurford, Devan DeJong, Justin Westphal, Francisco Rivera-Reyes and Greg Knox.
‘This has been one of my favorite teams to work with as a whole. They were motivated, respectful and challenged themselves to get better every day and it has been a pleasure working with these 20 boys,? Thaler said. ‘I’m already looking forward to next season and having great success.?