The recognition ceremony at tonight’s Senior Night for the boys’ varsity soccer team could take a while.
With 12 seniors on the roster, this year’s Patriot boys’ soccer team is set up to redeem itself for the previous season, and currently boasts a record of 10-4. Tonight the Patriots are hopeful to get another win against the Seckman Jaguars, whom they had already beaten on Sept. 16, with senior Max Bollinger scoring 2 goals.
Last year was a disappointing season for the Patriots as they finished the year with a record 0f 12-10 and a loss to Lafayette in Districts.
Despite being named Athlete of the Week on Sept. 17, by STLtoday, many still believe Tommy Horejes is an underdog because he is the only sophomore to start Varsity, which has led him to become a surprise threat to other teams.
“Biggest underdog, I’d say, is Tommy,” assistant coach Dave Davis said.
Junior Drew Birkenholz agreed.
“Even though he’s a sophomore, people still underestimate him just because he’s a lower-classman,” Birkenholz said.
Junior Patrick Arce added that Horejes has become a surprise threat to other teams.
“He’s been scoring a lot of goals, and not a lot of teams know about him yet, so he’s able to come at teams pretty hard,” Arce said.
Davis believes the team’s goals this season reflect both individual desires and shared motivation. He emphasized the importance of focusing on defense and ensuring the team plays together.
“Playing good team defense and also making sure these guys are playing as a unit together every game,” Davis said.
For Arce, personal performance also comes into play.
“My hope is to have at least 5 goals and 5 assists, and try to make first team all-conference again,” Arce said.
Currency Arce sits at 3 goals and 2 assists on the season, leaving him with only 2 goals and 3 assists left to reach his goal.
Of course, staying motivated isn’t always easy. Birkenholz admitted it’s tough, but he pushes through by reminding himself that his time is coming.
“Not playing good or not getting the playing time that I want. I overcome it by finding ways to believe in myself and telling myself that I will get my moment,” Birkenholz said.
Arce believes it’s hardest to stay motivated when the team is down at halftime.
“Going into the half down a goal, it’s always hard to stay motivated, but our team and coach kind of push us through. In the Eureka game, when we were down 3-0 in the half, it was pretty hard to stay motivated but we were able to come back,” Arce said.
According to Birkenholz, the team not only overcame a 3-0 lead but also took down one of their biggest rivals.
Davis made it clear the win over the Wildcats wasn’t all about the score.
“Most importantly, it wasn’t as much about the win as it was about how we held our composure. Things got a little chippy, but the guys did a fantastic job at not reacting; they fought hard,” Davis said.
Birkenholz summed the game up simply.
“It felt pretty good because we were down 3 nothing, but we somehow came back, and they’re one of our biggest rivals,” Arce said.
Arce was stoked after the win, pointing out how it brought the team closer together.
“It felt amazing, honestly. The comeback was crazy, we all got really hype up, after the first goal we knew it was possible, and it brought our team really close together,” Arce said.
This year’s squad also has its own unique personality; With 12 seniors, the team is more experienced than usual.
“Usually we don’t have that many, so it feels different,” Birkenholz said.
Davis emphasized the strong chemistry off the field.
“There’s a bond that these guys have been showing, it’s just pretty strong,” Davis said.
As for the team’s strengths and weaknesses, Davis said the biggest thing was staying consistent.
“The weakness is just being consistent; the strengths are going to be varsity and defending,” Davis said.
Drew highlighted skill and chemistry as positives, but admitted the team sometimes struggles to stay positive through an entire game.
In terms of tactics, both Davis and Birkenholz said a new formation has given the team more attacking chances without sacrificing defensive stability. So far, injuries haven’t been a major setback.
Looking at the bigger picture, Davis believes the team has matured compared to past years.
“We’ve grown and become a little more cohesive as a whole program, and the team itself has realized that every game is important, even when we play the weaker teams,” Davis said.
With underclassmen stepping up, seniors taking charge, and the team refusing to crack under pressure, the season looks promising, according to Davis.
Senior Ethan Carroll’s game-winning penalty kick against Eureka has the team’s confidence at an all-time high.
“[After scoring the penalty kick] It felt like I was on top of the world,” Carroll said.
