Why the HSMSE boys varsity soccer team fell short of the playoffs

HSMSE Boys' Soccer Team / Mateo Galeano

The High School for Math, Science, and Engineering boys’ varsity soccer team put up a great fight during the 2013 season, just missing the playoffs. Although the team faced many challenges, they had a successful season. A major hardship for the team was finding players to fill in for the seniors who graduated.

“We’ve lost a lot of spots like Raven [Roberson] and Harry [Cummins] and Jeremy [Hirschberg],” senior Kofi Kordie said.

Having to fill the positions of six starters, the team had to recover quickly for the season. The teams’ collaboration improved from last year, using more teamwork than in past years.

“I think as a team, they shared the ball a lot better,” said coach Nicholas Diunte.

 Replacing players was not the only struggle for the team, they were bit by the injury bug.

“We had a lot of difficulty replacing players that were injured throughout the season,” Diunte said.

Another challenge this season was having players at new positions. Many of the boys played in positions that they had never played before. Much of the defense was rearranged due to graduation. Kordie went from playing an offensive position to a defensive position. Sophomore, Alexei Ohotin, not having much previous experience in goal, pursued a new position as goalie.

"If the team needs me in goal because the loss of seniors, I’m happy to play that,” Ohotin said.

The team has also taken into consideration what is necessary to reach the playoffs next year. This season was a learning experience that will help strengthen the team for next years’ season.

“It’s better to lose trying than to lose giving up,” junior co-captain Steven Limeta said.

Written by: Asimina Hamakiotes & Harry Smith