Boys’ Soccer Optimistic after Scrimmages

Rain pours onto the soccer field. The Exeter boys’ varsity soccer team, led by co-captains Jack Baker, Silas Lane and Dolapo Adedokun, makes the hour-long journey to both the Brooks School and Belmont Hill for this season’s first few scrimmages.

After three hard-fought games on Friday and Saturday, the boys came came away with two ties against Brooks (1-1) and Belmont Hill (0-0), as well as a loss against the Buckingham Browne and Nichols School (0-1).

As the scores in each game show, the team’s defense was solid, made up of post-graduates Christian Glover, Tiago Schwartz, Arian Pilja and Co-Captain Baker. Lower Jamie Lowell played a key role in net, which helped the team succeed on the defensive side.

One of the main challenges that the team faced in these games was getting the ball to the back of the net. Upper Nick Tilson noted that the team had many chances to score, but did not. However, Tilson looked on the bright side, and was optimistic in saying that, “at least the chances were there.”

Complementary to Tilson’s positive attitude was co-captain Silas Lane’s bright outlook for the season. Lane noted that the team’s ability to win games was present, and just needed some mental toughness to seal the deal. 

Upper Jonah Johnson agreed that the team would need to improve its mentality, suggesting that consistent focus during the course of season would be essential in the journey to playoffs. He remembered that, “Oftentimes last year there was a lack of passion and focus and our goal this year is to keep that passion and focus high.”

The team’s strategy for the season this year is very different from recent years. In previous years, the team has relied on their size advantage to defeat their opponents.  Both Adedokun and Johnson observed that this year, the team is physically smaller, resulting in a more technical approach to game.

“I think our strength will lie in clean build up play from the back along with quick switches of the field,” Adedokun said. “We can move the ball around well, and we can possess around our opponents.”

With a few “warm-up” games to kick off the season, the boys are confident that by spending more time on the field together, they will be in optimal shape for future games. “The talent is there individually, but we just need a bit of time for the whole team to really gel,” Tilson commented.

This year, like every other year, the boys have one goal and one goal only: to make it to the NEPSAC tournament. “We are a team, and we want to win,” Adedokun said.

With strong leadership and determination the team will find success this season.