Boys’ Soccer Rounds Out Young Squad
After a successful season of hard work that ended in a disappointing loss to Andover last year, the boys’ varsity soccer team is determined to reassert their dominance on the field this fall. With a total of nine wins, five losses and three ties last season, the team already holds a competitive position in the league and has the potential to improve significantly over the course of the upcoming season. A strong performance in their first game against Milton Academy, against whom they lost 2-3 last year, will be crucial for them.
The team as a whole is much younger than it was last year, during which over half of its members were postgraduates or seniors. Consequently, it has “a pretty different look” this year, according to senior and co-captain Quentin DiStefano. “We lost about half of our team and brought in lots of new and talented guys,” lower Jonah Johnson said. Despite many of last year’s key players graduating, the team is making up for the loss with renewed focus and energy. “We’re looking to switch up the way we play a bit, fitting our gameplan to the players we have,” DiStefano explained.
With so many new members, developing chemistry both on and off the field will be essential for the boys’ success. Senior and co-captain Tarek Khartabil hopes to foster a team that “blends well.” Likewise, DiStefano described building “a strong team chemistry that’s fully inclusive to all our teammates” as one of their main goals and further explained that “strong chemistry equals a happy team which equals good play.”
We saw our on-field chemistry grow with each time we played.
Johnson agreed, citing team chemistry and “getting a better understanding of who everyone on the team is as a player,” as two important challenges for them to conquer in order to attain the results they want. However, senior Collin Shapiro felt that this could be initially difficult given that only a few of the starters are returning players. Johnson remarked that “the first couple of games of the season are going to test how well we overcome this challenge.”
DiStefano observed that the team has already started to grow close at prep camp, saying, “We saw our on-field chemistry grow with each time we played.” Similarly, upper Lucas Stevens noted that their team chemistry “has been developing quickly” and suggested that the first few games will likely reflect this achievement. Johnson also expressed confidence in the team’s ability to perform in their first games “because we have a focused and hardworking group of guys with the common goal of winning.”
Nevertheless, Khartabil predicted that the first games will be “battles,” since Exeter is up against an array of strong teams early in the season. He recognized that it can be easy to “psyche ourselves out prior to big games,” and stressed the importance of approaching each game with the same confidence and competitive drive. DiStefano stated, “We’re going into every game with the notion that we can and will win.” With that mentality, the team will have a good chance of dominating this season and hopes to “come out hard in every game,” according to Johnson. Echoing this desire, Shapiro said “I expect us to compete hard and try to come away with a few wins in our first couple games.” .
One goal in particular for the team will be making the playoffs and progressing in them as far as they can. The team also has their sights set on defeating Andover in their final game of the season; after last year’s crushing 2-3 loss, the players are resolved to redeem themselves. “I’m most excited for E/a because it will be our only chance to beat Andover after last year’s tough loss at home,” Johnson said.
Many players expressed excitement at seeing how the team develops. “It will be interesting to see how we stack up against our competition,” Stevens commented, going on to say that their success “will come from playing well as a team.” Though Shapiro listed Khartabil and goalkeeper and senior Max Gross as two key players for the upcoming season, Khartabil emphasized that he does not see key players as a real part of a successful team. Adding that he is excited for “another great season with an outstanding group of guys,” Khartabil concluded that “with chemistry and working together, all players on and off of the field are key.”