The boys’ soccer team started their season 2-1 with wins against Cathedral High School on Dec. 2 and Palos Verdes High School on Dec. 5. Last season, the team won the Mission League Championship and made it to the second round of the California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section (CIF-SS) playoff. Though the group is missing a few juniors due to preseason injuries during these games, most of the squad returned and will compete for the remainder of the season.
The team’s leading scorer last season was Forward Theo Ottoson ’25, who scored 22 goals over the course of the season. Ottoson said he feels a greater responsibility to look out for younger players given his seniority.
“There is a bit more of an expectation for not just me but all of the older guys to make sure the younger guys on our team can succeed,” Ottoson said. “It’s not just about [my] own performance. It’s about leading by example and explaining what needs to be done.”
A few members of the team were injured over the summer but expect to be back this season. Midfielder Micah Rossen ’25 suffered a shin injury during a penalty kick over the summer, but said he expects to be back by the middle of December and is excited to get back onto the field.
“I just want to play,” Rossen said. “This is the most I’ve wanted to play soccer in my entire life, and due to the injury, I think I’m going to be working a lot harder. The best piece of advice that I got from last season was to play 100% the entire game, so I’ll definitely take that with me this year.”
Most of the students who helped lead the team last season graduated. Forward Race Serota ’25 said though it is difficult to know if the group will be able to recreate their past success, he is impressed with the camaraderie he’s seen so far.
“There is a lot more team morale this year,” Serota said. “The seniors and juniors are connected, and the juniors bring in the sophomores and the freshmen more than the seniors did last year.”
The squad is led by Defensemen JT Federman ’24, Nathan Casamassima ’24 and Spencer Casamassima ’24. Federman said he is not worried about injuries given the team’s past experience with them and is glad to be leading the team with his co-captains.
“We’ve dealt with injuries before, so we know how to handle them,” Federman said. “We’ve got a lot of depth on this team, so I’m confident we can overcome these injuries. Once we have our guys back, the team will be really strong. There’s more responsibility as a captain, but I’ve got the two Casamassimas with me as captains. We also have a good foundation with seniors who care about this team.”
