Soccer starts off strong

The soccer team has hit it’s mid-season stride in a familiar winning fashion with a 11-1-1 record. The program is looking ahead after leaving the  Jesuit Classic with their first loss, to Marquette, and tie, to Regis Jesuit.

After Milwaukee, the team came back to win several games including one against perennial local rival, St. Thomas Aquinas, 2-0 in which junior Jim Brazel scored both goals.

“We are taking our season one step at a time. We want to focus on becoming better as a team and the wins will follow,” senior forward Daniel Hare said.

The season has had some difficulties amidst their success such as a strong senior class departing last year and crucial injuries. The team took a hit when senior defensemen Brett Huber, had to be hospitalized due to an infection in his hipbone. Huber will most likely be out for the season.

To fill the large void that Huber left, sophomore Sam Joseph has stepped up to cover the position and help bring the defense back to full strength, according to junior Brendan Marquart, defensemen.

The soccer team will travel to St. Louis this weekend to participate in the Gateway Classic. While there, they will get the chance to really gauge where they are in comparison to the big St. Louis teams according to Hare. This will be the biggest test of their season until districts.

“The Gateway Classic is one of the top tournaments in the country. We will get to find how far we have come along, and how much further we will need to go,” Mr. Chris Lawson, head soccer coach said.

According to Hare, the soccer team could potentially face some of the best competition in the Midwest. Less then a week  after the tournament, they play SLUH high, another tough team on their schedule.

The Jefferson City Classic, which takes place mid October, is another important tournament.

“By the middle of October you usually have worked out most of the kinks. Your offense is much better, your defense is much better and you get to asses that against high level competition,” Coach Lawson said.

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