Benny O’Neill ‘25
The Boys Soccer program has seen success in the past few years, earning third place in the MAC tournaments for the 2022-2023 season. This year’s team is no different, placing a larger emphasis on younger talent in the team than in previous years.
The team’s younger players have gotten experience due to the loss of some key players from last year. As Coach Alex Haight said, “It is pretty typical that ninth graders do not get a lot of playing time, so I’m actually pleased that we got ninth graders who are getting quality minutes.”
This attention shift towards younger players is essential to the team, as they expect to take a big hit following the class of 2025’s graduation. After this season, the team will lose its entire defensive line: including captain Elijah Chambers, Nalin Andrew, and Zain Sy. The team will also bid farewell to offensive powerhouses Kir Zajmi and Lucas Zandamela at the end of the season. This makes it absolutely necessary for Coach Haight to get the younger players’ “feet wet.”
However, the gloom of anticipation regarding the class of 2025’s imminent departure from the team has not hindered their overall success. As Senior leader Kir Zajmi said, “The young guys are good” and they “hold their own” on the field. In fact, it seems that the younger players have come to match their predecessors in reliability. For example, Senior Zain Sy said that Sophomore Blake Cohen is “one of the best goalies I have ever seen.”
This year, team culture is strong and team spirit is up, which has bolstered the team’s performance and energy.
“The chemistry’s better than it’s ever been,” Zajmi said. “On the bus rides we are playing Brawl Stars…we are having a good time.” This has made it easier for the team to give their all in games.
However, despite so much talent, and such cohesive team chemistry, the boys soccer team has had a roller coaster of a 2024 season. For instance, on September 26th, the team won against GDS, which players have said is one of the best teams in the league, then later lost to St. James, one of the weaker teams in the league, the very next game. Members of the team said, “We play to the other team’s level, ” which has contributed to losses against teams like St. James. They are currently 8-5-3 (5-4-3 in Mac conference play).
When asked about the cause for these inconsistent results, Zajmi said, “It has been a big theme after every loss that we just talk about not letting it get to us, or like even when we have a big win, not letting it get to us,” but even with this mindset, the team struggles to win the mental battle in between games.
As junior Jonah Paul said, “We have the talent to beat the best team in the league” and Freshman Ade Sodeinde said, “When we are one hundred percent, we can beat any team.”
When playing against Potomac, both games resulted in a tie, despite playing like the better team. Additionally, the fans and players all agreed that the referee was not helping the Lions hold their lead. An early red card and controversies regarding the referee’s decision to delay his whistle blow after Potomac’s game-tying ruined the team’s chances of winning.
The team is confident in their chances of winning the MAC tournament and we are all rooting for them. As junior Adam Grumet said: “There’s no reason for us not to win the MAC.” Show up to their games and cheer them on. GO LIONS!
