The boys’ soccer team has achieved second place in the Mission League with 7-3-1 league record

“The most important thing for us to do is to simply show more intensity with the way we play,” goalkeeper Michael Gaven ‘18 said, “We need to give 100 percent the whole time, and we need to hustle to every ball. We lost a couple of games where we really couldn’t find that intensity, but we will find it.”

The squad has achieved a winning record this season behind the goal-scoring of Myles Pindus ’15 and Henry Quilici ’15 and now stands at 12-3-1.

Quilici currently leads the team in goals with 15.

Despite winning its first eight games, the team’s inconsistent play has defined the second half of its season as it has gone 4-3-1 in its past eight games.

“I don’t make much of stats like that,” midfielder Theo Velaise ’17 said. “When the playoffs come around, I know we will perform.”

In spite of the squad’s inconsistent play to close out the season, this year it has won four more games than last year’s team did.

Head boys’ soccer coach Lucas Bongarra credits his team’s success this year to its dedication.

“The commitment of the boys, the coaching staff and the parents [as well as] the philosophy established early in the season has given us more direction as a program,” Bongarra said.

This season, the squad’s depth has been a factor in its success.

“All of [the players] at different times in the season have contributed to the team’s success,” Bongarra said.

The team’s matchup against Loyola today will not affect its second place league finish. However, the Wolverines are confident in their abilities and will take no opponent lightly.

The game plan won’t see any changes as the squad prepares for the playoffs.

“The boys have practiced and prepared really well for all of the games,” Bongarra said. “I think we have given them enough training and scouting reports about our opponents for them to come out to the field very confident.”

The team hopes to prevent injuries during its playoff run despite the fact that injuries have been prevalent in its season already.

“Injuries seem to be our biggest challenge,” Bongarra said. “Milo Sini and his staff have been amazing. They have helped resolve many issues and the boys have always been ready to play despite some painful injuries.”

Additional reporting by Nico Brown