After a long and hard-fought season, the KO boys soccer team reflected on their first season back in action since COVID-19 shut them down last fall. The 26-man team, led by Head Coach Hikmet Aslan and senior Co-captains Aaron Rotter and Aidan Dillow, ended the season with an impressive record of 6-7-1, even though Coach Aslan had higher expectations.
As Coach Aslan mentioned in the annual fall sports assembly, he was disappointed in the number of ties, but he was pleased with the team’s resilience and ability to hold off higher-ranked teams.
According to Rotter, the team was a lot of fun this year because of their drive to improve. “We got better at adapting to good competition as the season went on,” Rotter said.
The team’s most notable performance was on Hewett Day when they played Marianapolis Prep and won 1-0. “We loved having the support of the school,” Rotter said. “It really pushed us and was the reason we were able to win that game.”
With the leadership of their 12 seniors, the boys found great success throughout the whole season, but most notably in their first six games, where they went undefeated. Their seniors ensured to set the tone from day one. “We had a great group of seniors this year who led the team and contributed in big ways on the field,” Rotter said.
Their hardest games of the season were the matchups against Choate Rosemary Hall and Williston-Northampton. Choate had a strong and aggressive offense that the Wyverns were able to hold to two goals at the half. The boys fought hard the duration of the game and showed their character as a team. Unfortunately, the team ended up falling short.
The Williston team, ranked third in NEPSAC, was a solid and dominant team. The Wyverns fought hard the whole game and were able to find success in staying positive and working hard. Despite this, the wyverns were still unable to come up with a win.
Rotter had a few words of advice for next year’s team. “Take advantage and make the most out of every time you get on the field,” Rotter said. “Work hard, have fun, and win.” Looking forward to next year, the boys hope to continue to build on the success of this season.
