When you’ve already made it to the top, where can you go from there?

Last year, the boys varsity soccer team won the State Championship against Newton North. This year, the team is grappling with their new identity and the challenges that come with it.

Junior Eamon Boshell said that the loss of many graduating seniors has led to some difficulty within the team. He said they have had trouble scoring, an issue that returns from last year.

“It’s difficult to compare to a season like last year because of the difference in personnel. A lot of players from last year were once in a generation guys, so I think we’re struggling a bit with coming to terms with our identity as a team now,” Boshell said.

Junior Jackson Magee said that because of this new team identity, the team dynamic has shifted and this is something the group hopes to work on.

“We’ve been struggling with chemistry all around the board because we’re not used to each other in certain positions. I think the team dynamics right now are a little off, but we’re working on trying to get them back to normal,” Magee said.

Junior Gabe Spagat said he believes that they can be champions again, but it will take hard work to get there.

“Everyone wants to play for each other. Everyone wants to win for each other, but we’re still getting to know each other and we’re still trying to get to that level,” Spagat said.

Boshell said that one of the main challenges they have been facing is the pressure of being defending champions.

“Every game we play, we’re getting the other team’s best game. Every team wants to take us down and now we have to find a way to rise to that and not play as the overdog,” Boshell said.

Because of these new challenges, the team has many goals for the season that they hope to achieve. Magee said his goal is to improve the connection between fellow team members.

“One of our goals is to try to become more bonded as a group. Last year, we had a really great bond and that helped us make it so far. So this year, if we can get that kind of bond again, I feel like on the field it becomes much easier as a team to be organized and have fun,” Magee said.

Although winning games is an obvious goal of the team, Spagat said that it isn’t just about winning.

“I think what’s even more important than winning is leaving with no regrets,” Spagat said. “Even if we don’t win everything, as long as we end this season on a high note with everyone playing as hard as they can every single day, then even if we lose, we’ll lose with no regrets, knowing that we did everything we could and went as hard as we could.”