The boys varsity soccer team is fired up and ready to succeed this season. After making it to the quarterfinals of the playoffs in 2023, they’re looking to get back to playoff condition.
Before this season started, no one was sure how prepared the team would be to compete with the big dogs. But draws against two top teams and a huge win proved that they were looking up.
“This is a state season,” senior Ben Bower said. “We got, you know, a new coach, a lot of new players; we thought it would be rebuilding, but we’re going for playoffs.”
Even with new players, they have focused more on team bonding and keeping morale between players up.
“Last year, what killed our team was the lack of bonding,” Bower said, “it was a fractured team, there [were] multiple people kicked off.”
The team is mostly just trying to have fun together, a group of buddies on and off the field. They’ve gotten together on weekends to play pick-up games, and went to other events.
“Last year’s soccer talent seemed a lot stronger, but we’re out there and we love each other, you know?” Bower acknowledged.
Bus rides have also been an opportunity to bond and create memories, especially for Bower and his varsity debut this season.
“It was like in the movie Inside Out, you could just feel their strands connecting and glowing…Core memories,” Bower explained.
Senior Hans Lanners continued the banter with an analogy explaining the connection between the bus rides and important team memories.
“It’s like the bus, the wheels were just like the core memories just rolling in,” he said.
When it comes to improvements on the field, there has been more of a focus on defense. Last season, even with three wins, the opponents got at least one goal in every game.
“The emphasis has really been about being defensively solid, especially in defensive transitions,” head coach Alex Kinlaw-Brabson said.
One name comes up as the star player to look out for most on the field: junior Judah Ostrand. Ostrand, also a captain, is a key element of the Mountain Lions’ defense, not allowing the opposing team to score many goals.
“Obviously, he’s gonna be first team all-PIL,” Bower remarked. “Last week, two clean sheets; we didn’t have one of those from the previous 20 games. Judah is a rock at the back.”
As for forwards, Emerson Albarran is also mentioned as a top player, who Bower referred to as a “star striker,” and sophomore Enzo Arias, who’s been “banging in those goals.”
As for more general team objective, Kinlaw-Brabson mentions “the idea that we compete for 80 minutes in every single game this season.” He explained that this means the team needs to keep a consistent effort throughout the game, even with high pressure.
“When another team scores, or you score, you can’t allow those things to affect the effort level or the approach and the process of the game,” Kinlaw-Brabson said.
Even with all the star-power, there is still importance to be found in the bench. More than half the seniors are in reserve most games, providing guidance for the sophomores and juniors new to varsity.
“Deep on the bench is where you’re gonna find some gems,” Bower said.
Lanners had another deep analogy to share, this time regarding the bench.
“The greatest answers lie in the most stagnant waters,” he said. “The bench players, you know, they’re the stagnant water. It’s just an infinite well of wisdom, of maturity and of answers that just pour out of them.”
There is still one more pre-season game, but the PIL league games are sure to be the most exciting.
“It’s the best league in Oregon. It’s gonna be a competitive league. It’s one we wanna compete for,” Bower said.
Both Bower and Ostrand agree that the senior night game against Lincoln on Oct. 21 will be the one to go to.
“We’re gonna need some support on that one. They’re a good team this year for sure,” Kinlaw-Brabson said.
