For anything, it takes years to form the kind of chemistry that allows people to flow together well. This year, the varsity boys soccer team has found that chemistry.
Most of the players have played soccer together for upwards of ten years on both club and school teams.
“All the boys know each other. We’re all super close, and it’s a great time. We have fun on the field,” junior Mike Hatfield said.
The team has ten seniors and 16 upperclassmen overall, out of the 18 on the varsity team. Their close bond this year helps the team keep a strong front on the field, with a 5-5-2 regular season record.
Senior captain Davis Noblat and sophomore Thomas Nguyen are the top scorers this season, both with eight goals. However, this year’s team holds a lot of depth.
“We have a lot of good players, not one or two people who have carried us. It’s a team effort. We don’t have a lot of weaknesses, and we’re strong in every position,” coach Darren Tremblay said.
The depth, team chemistry, and success so far on the field is giving the team a positive outlook moving into postseason. The difficult part will be making it through the district tournament. Liberty is in the toughest district in the state, where the four moving on from our district normally take top three in the state. If they do well, they could end up playing six games in only 11 days.
“The state championship is possible with some hard work and practice. We probably need to focus up a little bit more, but the team can definitely get there,” Hatfield said.
With seniors making up the majority of the team, this will be the last season of soccer for a lot of them. Whether it’s remembering how they scored two goals in one of the last minutes of extra time against Sammamish to win the game or coming back from behind to win on senior night against Interlake, this season will provide the team with meaningful memories to walk away with.
“I think everyone’s proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish, especially in the wake of our loss of Dillon,” senior Kyle McCarthy said. “That’s pushing a lot of people to work harder and work well together.”