The boys soccer team defeated Crossroads High School 3-1, Culver City High School 3-0 and Beverly Hills High School 1-0 on Dec. 6, Dec. 8 and Dec. 10, respectively, after losing the first game of the season to Palos Verdes High School 0-2 on Dec. 3.

The squad finished the 2020-2021 season with an 8-7-2 overall record and an 8-3-1 record in league play, losing to Downey High School in the first round of the CIF Division I playoffs.

In its preseason, the team lost to Cathedral of Los Angeles High School on Nov. 17 and defeated Animo High School on Nov. 23. Team captain JT Federman ’24 said the team’s early matches and practices make him optimistic for the season ahead.

“What excites me most about this team is the energy, competitiveness and cohesiveness [we] have exhibited in these first two [scrimmages],” Federman said. “These are qualities that I believe good teams need to succeed. Our team is also full of extremely talented players, ranging from seniors to freshman, along with a great group of experienced coaches who have lined this boys soccer program up for a lot of success in the future.”

After the initial loss, Federman said the win against Crossroads High School allowed the team to rebuild confidence in preparation for the restof the season.

“It felt great to come back after a loss and earn a big 3-1 win over Crossroads [High School], especially considering that we tied them the previous year,” Federman said. “I think this win was big for our confidence and we’re going to continue this momentum as we get ready for an extremely busy upcoming schedule.”

Having only ever reached the first round of CIF playoffs , striker Jaydon Faal ’22 said he thinks the players’ thorough conditioning this preseason will allow the team to advance through the CIF playoffs.

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“The goal for this year is to win [the league championship] and have a great run in CIF [playoffs], ideally winning it,” Faal said. “Most of our team members are seniors, and for our last year we’re really focused on ending the accolade drought the [boys soccer program] has [experienced].”

Faal said the loss against Palos Verdes High School encouraged the team to make adjustments like applying heavy pressure to opposing defenses. Faal said the team’s strategic changeshelped the team win the past three games.

The loss against [Palos Verdes High School] was unfortunate, but we played really well, so everyone had a chip on their shoulder to make sure that didn’t happen again,” Faal said in an email. “We pressed [the teams] hard and took advantage of their mistakes; we also did a great job of transitioning back on [defense] to stop their [counter attacks].”

Boys Soccer Program Head Michael Erush said the team’s upperclassmen display strong leadership skills.

“The upperclassmen are leading by example, taking underclassmen under their wings and showing [them] what it takes to be successful at the high school level,” Erush said. “They’ve made sure the kids know what it takes, [like] showing up on time, making sure they work hard at practice and challenging them on the field when it’s about competing at practice.”