As the 2021 soccer season continues, the boys varsity team is bound for success.  With 15 seniors rostered, the team is full of players ready to give it their all in their final season. This senior bond has been the propellant that has shot this team off to a solid undefeated start, and they do not plan on slowing down.

“We start 11 Seniors, so I think we kind of have that grit. We all work hard, we all know it’s our last rodeo,” said the captain Franklin Markel.

This hard-working attitude is the key to finding success as the season progresses.

Markel also mentioned the teamwork and bond that this team thrives on: “Everyone’s coming out to pasta parties, hanging out in school, outside of school and on the field. When I look at the 22 teammates I have, I’d take a bullet for every single one of them and I think they would do the same for me, and I think that’s what makes us so strong.”

This selfless, team-first mindset is what keeps things running smoothly. Everyone is willing to sacrifice themselves for the team’s good, and thus the team operates at peak efficiency.

Head coach Craig Barclay referred to this when he spoke about how he motivated the team:  “Honestly, I don’t have to do too much, this group are hungry for it, they know what they’re capable of and they know and they set their own standards.” 

Despite getting off to a good start, there is still work to be done to further the team’s success.

Another crucial part of this team was the addition of four freshmen. All four of these players have gotten varsity minutes, which will prepare them for their subsequent years in the program. Two of the freshmen, Ethan Barrington and Elis Sanders, have gotten significant minutes on the year and have been large contributors in many games.

“They’re very very composed and very very good. They come on in important times for us and they’ve played well for us and there is a reason that they are on the team,” Markel said.

These freshmen not only are proving to be weapons this year, but will undoubtedly be large parts of the program in the future.