The Boys Varsity Soccer team is building a new culture of dedication to inspire its players. Over two-thirds of the way through the season, the team has achieved impressive results with a 5-5-2 record, which is already equal to the number of games the team won last year during the whole season. The boys look to finish strong against challenging New England Class A competition.
This year’s squad is led by new Head Coach Marcus Christian, and Assistant Coach Mario Williams ’12. They have implemented a new formation and rely on a very young team to reinvent soccer culture here. Coach Christian outlined the new ideas he is implementing: “For me, we’re really trying to change the culture of the team into one that is…committed to working as hard as we can on a daily basis. We are trying to hold each other accountable. We are also trying to be really perfect [at] doing the little things right.”
The team has shown a lot of fight in the face of obstables, such as injuries and deficits early in games, in the team’s way. In its game against Berkshire, a tough competitor, the team was faced with a multiple goal deficit only to bounce back and work even harder to come away with a draw.
This year, a goal for the team is to strike first and to come ahead after the first ten minutes of every half. This mentality allows the team to set the tone early. This tactic has translated well into its games, as the team has won every game in which it has scored first.
Co-captains Asa Tuke ’21 and Kyle Roshankish ’20 are focusing on carrying out Coach Christian’s message and are leading by example. They are encouraging all players to be as professional as possible and to make soccer a larger part of their lives. Whether it is showing up to practice early, regularly holding team meals, or frequently texting in the team group chat, the captains want to foster devotion to the sport and the team. Roshankish commented on the competitiveness of new players, saying, “everyone was eager and happy to be on the team. There were a lot of guys who wanted to join the Varsity level, and from then on, it has always been this constant fight to maintain their spot and get better. It’s great.”
This enthusiasm has kept the team from becoming complacent, and has helped the chemistry by creating a competitive atmosphere in practice.
In addition to setting team goals, players have signed individual contracts and set personal objectives. The team is holding each other accountable to those goals and working to get better together. Tuke said, “We all signed that knowing what we were getting ourselves into. We signed to all strive for the same goal and to be locked in to fight and work for that goal.”
Players want to finish games and practices knowing they gave it their all for every minute. Roshankish said, “Whether it is a practice or a game, whether it is a win or a loss, it really does not matter.”
This mentality has led to success for the Boys Varsity Soccer team, and it looks to carry its momentum into the final stretch of the season. With 5 games left, the team has the opportunity to not only finish with a winning record but qualify for the playoffs.
The team’s next game is on the road against Loomis Chafee on Saturday, October 26th.