The boys varsity soccer team played against their rival, Niles North, on Thursday, Sept. 11. After a hard-fought game against the Vikings, North took another win with a final score of 2-0.
Playing against Niles North always brings out a higher level of intensity and competition for all sports. Head coach Thomas Villamil noted that while the team came out solid on both the offense and defense, their energy at the beginning of the game was not reflected in the final score. Villamil still acknowledges the team’s effort put in the game.
“I think we handled the pressure to the start very well, actually. The first half, I truly thought we dominated, and I think we took control of the game. I think our frustrations got the best of us because we were doing so well and we didn’t see results coming for us,” Villamil said.
In the beginning, the wolves dominating was felt by the whole team. Not only was the excitement felt from their teammates on the sidelines, it was also strongly felt by the players on the field. Although the team started strong, their momentum started to decrease after the Vikings scored their first goal. Senior Kenan Orman played for the entirety of the game. He reflects on how he felt about the game.
“I think the game went good, we kept the ball a lot more than they did. And they had no shots, just two unlucky goals,” Orman said.
Captain Alex Navarro motivated his team throughout the game. He continued to check up on his teammates individually after North scored and pushed them to keep putting their best efforts forward. He had similar thoughts about the game and recognizes what his team needs to improve on.
“We need to work on understanding how to adapt mid game. I feel like we always have the same playing style and tactics so once other teams understand what we do, it’s easy to use it against us, but besides that I think we played well,” Navarro said.
The game against the Vikings did not go how the Wolves had hoped, but they plan on learning from their mistakes and improving as much as they can for the remainder of the season. They plan on watching film before games and learning how to handle the pressure when the game gets difficult. Good luck to the boys soccer team in the games ahead!
