By Kristin Frank – Sports Editor

The girls and boys soccer teams have kicked off their season in high hopes for a successful turnout.

Before returning to school for their tryouts, both teams have prepared themselves over the summer.

The girls soccer team is looking to improve their record from last year which was 2-11-3.

“We have to learn our formation and make sure we are all doing what we are supposed to be doing on the field,” senior captain Bethany Edwards said. “We are striving to make it a winning record.”

The senior captains of this year’s team are Edwards, Colleen Rice and Kristen Passaro.

Edwards, Rice and Passaro all have one common goal this season: to make states.

The players realize what they need to accomplish during games to make to states.

“The team has to really work hard this year and get down our formation on the field,” Rice said.

To go along with their goal, the girls have expectations for their teammates as well.

My expectations are that we work hard and push each other so that we can have that chance of making it to states,” Edwards said.

The seniors of the team have a lot of faith in the underclassmen and are thrilled for the season.

“We have a really promising season and I believe in my team,” Rice said. “I am mostly excited for a great last season, as a senior.”

The varsity coach, Mr. Rhode, knows what it takes to have his players have a successful season.

“Every year the girls prepare themselves over the summer,” Rhode said. “It is helpful to get in as many pre season games and scrimmages before the actual season starts.”

The key players consist of a lot of previous girls from varsity. The seniors include all three captains, Jillian Davis, Catie Rice, and Cassidy White. These girls are expected to set the pace for the entire team during games and practices.

As for the underclassmen, junior, Maddison Butts, sophomore, Samara Thacker, and Jocelyn Wirth are anticipated to contribute a lot during the season as well.

Besides their formation on the field, there are other aspects the girls agree on that they need to do in order to improve from last year.

“Working hard under pressure is important,” Passaro said. “ We have to work on not giving up once a goal is scored against us.”

The boys team is planning on achieving the same goals as the girls team.

“Our main goal is to make states,” senior captain Dennis Sweeney said. “We definitely feel that we are able to attain that goal so we are working very hard in practice.”

The captains consist of seniors Zach Anderson, Jucar Lopes, and Sweeney.

Anderson has many positive predictions for this season.

“We have a really good chance on making it to states,” Anderson said. “We have a list of goals on how we plan to approach the state tournament.”

Two of those goals are beating rival Foran twice and winning at least one game in the state tournament.

Senior Owen Paiva believes they can improve their 4-11-1 record from last year.

“We have a lot of team chemistry and play better together this year,” Paiva said.

The boys have been exceptionally excited for the season to begin.

“I’m ready to win games,” Anderson said.

Sweeney believes his team can have a great year if they work hard enough.

“We are giving it our all whether it is in drills or during scrimmages within the team,” Sweeney said.

UPDATE: The boys had a successful start to their season with a win over HMTCA on September 12. The final score of the game was 8-0.