The fall season has begun, and the boys varsity soccer team starts with a tough 0-5 record, with no wins for the Wyverns.
The season opener on Wednesday, Sept. 16, was against a tough Hotchkiss team, full of strong and technical players. The first half saw a small mishap at midfield that resulted in the team conceding their first goal. The Wyverns fended them off for most of the rest of the first half until the very end, when two more goals were scored quickly at the end of the half, sending the team down 3-0 going into the second half. At the start of the second half, sophomore defender Reid Burtman put the ball in the back of the net while taking a free kick; however, the goal was unfortunately taken away due to a foul. Hotchkiss was able to gain momentum and score three more goals, resulting in a 6-0 loss for the Wyverns.
The Hotchkiss game was not all negative. With a small glimmer of hope from Burtman, and other players contributing as well, the team brought out some positives. Senior goalie Co-captain Daniel Rivera mentioned that sophomore midfielder Jake Schwartz was a workhorse in the middle, and freshman defender Mason Orm had a strong debut.
Next, the Wyverns traveled to St. Luke’s School on Saturday, Sept. 19, where the boys put up a good fight. Sophomore forward Isaiah Shabola said the team played phenomenally in the first half, letting in one small goal.
Senior goalie Co-captain Priyam Chokshi had a great performance as well. “He made it a tight game and calmed us down as a veteran leader on the team,” Schwartz said. Rivera mentioned that Shabola had a great game in addition to junior defender Hudson Walters and senior forward and defender Quinn Heal. In the second half, the Wyverns unfortunately fell short, losing 4-0 in the end. Assistant Coach Josh Shafer mentioned that the physicality of the team could have been a factor in the KO loss, and Shabola mentioned that fatigue the Wyverns faced could have also played a role.
On Wednesday, Sept. 23, the Wyverns headed to Canterbury hopeful for a win, but they were soon met with a strong team. Their forward was very good at capitalizing on his chances. “They did not get many chances,” Rivera said, “but the ones they had, they were very clinical with, and they put them away.” In the first half, Canterbury had four shots on goal and was able to score three of them. Rivera believed this stemmed from the overload created in the middle. In the second half, the Wyverns failed to gain momentum, and Canterbury ran with theirs, scoring five more goals, resulting in an 8-0 loss for the Wyverns.
Coach Shafer believes that the team looked great, especially Schwartz, who hit the crossbar, barely missing a possibly game-changing goal. “I think it was our best technical soccer all season,” agreed Rivera.
After a cancellation on Saturday, Sept. 26, the team’s next game was against Greens Farms Academy on Wednesday, Sept. 30. The team came out strong; however, after just a few minutes into the first half an unlucky goal was scored against the Wyverns putting the team down 1-0 early. The team never recovered after that and Greens Farms Academy was able to take advantage of their momentum and ended up taking the Wyverns down 5-0.
Next, the boys traveled to Trinity Pawling on Saturday, Oct. 3, and they were hungry to score their first goal of the season. The game was tight with great defense from eighth-grade defender Jack Ritter, junior defender Aaron Anstead, sophomore defender Shane Whalen, and Burtman. Schwartz played at striker during the game, constantly trying to score. The boys went down early due to an unlucky mishap in the center of the field; however, the Wyverns bounced back. Anstead tied it up towards the end of the first half from a cross from Schwartz, sending the boys into halftime with new energy. The second half proved to be difficult. The game was very close, and Trinity Pawling was able to find another goal, putting the Wyverns down 2-1. The rest of the half was very intense; however, the boys were unable to get another goal, resulting in a 2-1 loss.
Even with the rough start, there are still positives to be emphasized. With a young squad, there have definitely been some younger players who have had to step up. Coach Shafer mentioned the sophomore class has done a great job in particular. Rivera mentioned Burtman and Schwartz as players who have stepped into leadership roles. Coach Shafer also uplifted Shabola and sophomore midfielder Joe Baek as great leaders. Schwartz mentioned that Anstead has done a great job in his new role as center back this year, along with Ritter. “I would say the goals don’t account to how hardworking Jack and Aaron are,” Schwartz said. Ritter and eighth-grade midfielder Juan ‘Bosco’ Nanclares have really stepped up as the youngest players on the team. Ritter and Nanclares are both a part of the starting lineup and make great impacts in games.
The team looks forward to playing Westminster on Saturday, Oct. 10, and Pomfret on Hewett Day, Saturday, Oct. 17. Both of these games are at home, and the Wyverns would love some KO support!
