To say that offense was an issue for the Fox soccer team last year would a bit of an understatement.
The Warriors scored just 20 goals in 2016, nearly half of which came in a 9-0 win over University City. Fox was shut out 14 times en route to a 6-19 record.
“Offensively, we just didn’t come together,” Fox coach Nathan Niehaus said. “We were on a little bit of a down year last year.”
That was exacerbated, Niehaus said, by personality conflicts within the team.
“We didn’t really mesh, and it showed on the field,” he said.
Niehaus said early indications are that chemistry shouldn’t be a problem this season, giving Niehaus reason to feel optimistic about the team’s ability to find the back of the net.
“I knew it was going to be an area of improvement for us,” Niehaus said. “This group works well together, and you can already tell that there’s a difference in team atmosphere. These kids fight for each other, they’re battling, sticking up for each, covering up on plays. Last year, there was a little bit of a blame game going on, but that’s much improved this year.”
Fox failed to score in its first three games of the season, with two of them ending in scoreless draws. Although the Warriors have opened with a 1-4-2 mark, they have scored goals in each of the last four games, including a 5-2 win over Pacific, and Niehaus said he likes what he has seen.
“Our offensive attack has already increased from last year, and I think we’re going to have a larger scoring output,” he said.
“For one thing, our skill level as a team has risen, and when you couple that with battling for each, helping each other out, that creates a better atmosphere on the field, and the kids are able to work together better.”
Two players that Niehaus said have been instrumental in forging that positive atmosphere are senior midfielders and team captains Jake Sterzik and Jamie Bradley, who led the team with five goals last fall.
“Those two bring the leadership, and they bring the possession style of play that I like,” Niehaus said. “They’re able to hold on to the ball and find those through balls that lead to a quality offensive attack.”
Sophomore Isaac Hoog has been a welcome newcomer in the midfield, and both he and Bradley will see playing time at forward as well.
“Isaac is strong on the ball, and he’s definitely got an eye for the headers,” Niehaus said.
Other midfielders include senior Elliot Cook and sophomores Luke Kos and Connor McGoogan.
“We do have some skill in the midfield,” Niehaus said. “Those guys are able to beat people one-on-one, get some crosses off. They’ve been helping us out this year already.”
Senior Mitch Williams and junior Jack Weis will lead the defense from the center-back positions.
“Those are key players back in there that we shifted to solidify defense, and they’ll kind of run things, help the other players,” Niehaus said. “They’re both smart players, they’re able to get in there and challenge at the right times.”
In goal, the Warriors are replacing a four-year varsity starter in Sonny Alunovic, who holds the school records for wins and shutouts. Sophomore Jake Deaver has gotten most of the playing time so far, while McGoogan stepped in for a half. Niehaus said junior Eduardo Aguilera, a foreign exchange student, just became eligible and could help solidify the spot.
“Stepping into Sonny’s shoes is really a tough job to do,” he said.
Rounding out the roster are seniors Blake Westenberger (back), Sean Johnson (back), Chandler Greene (midfielder) and Allen Unterreinher (midfielder); juniors Alex Davies (forward/back), Matt Abeyta (back), Cameron Niemeyer (back), Blake Miller (midfielder) and Joshua Kraus (back); and freshmen Austin Burch (midfielder) and Carson Trometer (midfielder).
Jags hoping seasoned group will be more consistent
A tough start turned into a strong finish for last year’s Seckman soccer team. Head coach Tim Bookstaver said he hopes his Jaguars will be strong from beginning to end this time around.
Seckman won just three of its first nine games last season, including five straight losses, but rallied to win 10 of its final 13 regular season games. The Jaguars then rolled past Northwest 8-0 in the Class 4 District 1 semifinals before ending the season with a 4-1 loss to Jackson in the district championship game.
“It took us about half the season, but then we really started clicking,” Bookstaver said. “We were asking a couple guys to make position changes, see what would work for us, and once we got used to the rotation, we just took off.”
Despite losing several “big pieces” to graduation,” Bookstaver said he has six starters back in the same spots that they finished last campaign and will mix in other key players.
Seckman has opened the season 2-3.
“We definitely have more pieces in place this year at the start than we had last year,” Bookstaver said. “We’re already starting off in a good spot, and we have good senior players who should be able to lead us.”
Two of those seniors are forward Ryan Berhorst and midfielder Cody Eakins. Berhorst led Seckman with 19 goals last season and added 10 assists, and with seven goals through the Jaguars’ first five goals, he now has 51 for his prep career, making him the program’s all-time leader.
“Ryan has got a lot of natural physical ability,” Bookstaver said. “He’s got good size, good speed, he’s a tough guy to knock off the ball, and you put that natural, God-given talent along with the fact that he puts in all kinds of time to improve his ball skills, and he’s just the total-package type of player.”
Eakins, meanwhile, has two assists so far this season to give him 25 overall, which Bookstaver said is tops in Seckman history.
“Cody is just a great playmaker,” Bookstaver said. “He’s got very good field vision, he’s able to make passes a lot of high school players can’t make, and he’s taken it up a level. He’s always been a very good player, but this year coming in as a senior, he’s got more drive, you can see his energy, and he’s a dual threat for us. Not only can Cody make plays though passing, he’s also got a great shot, and with both feet.”
Matt Huster was elected the team captain, and Bookstaver said the senior has shown his leadership by embracing a position switch, from forward to defensive midfielder.
“It takes quite a guy to be willing to give up the goals, give up the offensive numbers to do what the team needs from you,” Bookstaver said. “Matt has good size, he’s tall, he’s been in the weight room, he can be physical, and he has excellent speed and foot skill. He’s really a key cog in slowing down the counterattack for the other team and allowing our defense to organize and get ready.”
Bookstaver said the return of Alec Buol helped allow Huster to switch to midfield. Buol scored two goals with eight assists as a freshman on the varsity. He transferred to Vianney as a sophomore, and after sitting out his junior year, is back at forward for the Jaguars. He has three goals with four assists so far.
“Alec, with the kind of club experience he brings, that just makes us dynamic up front,” Bookstaver said.
Senior Zach Bates is another select soccer veteran who will play at midfield and also see time at wing-forward.
“He’s a bulldog defensively,” Bookstaver said. “When we lose possession, he works as hard as anybody to get the ball back for us.”
The Jaguars boast a senior-laden defensive backfield led by Donny Shoemaker, Aaron Larkin and Luke Lauter, who is also the backup goalkeeper to senior Trent Haegele.
“I’m just excited about the group I’ve got, and I think we can get even more out of these guys than we’re currently getting,” Bookstaver said.
“With these seniors, I feel like they see this as their last chance to have a special year together, but we just need to take it to another level. Right now, they’re just enjoying being out there together, but I’m waiting for it to click, waiting for that drive to click in. Enjoy that last year together, but hopefully they recognize the amount of talent we have and push it to another level.”
The roster also includes seniors Zach Icenhower (back) and Michael Simpson (back); juniors Brandon Sweeney (back), Nathan Rellergert (midfielder), Brandon Helfrich (forward), Jacob Peer (midfielder) and Chris Chandler (midfielder); sophomore Dawson Eaton (forward) and freshman Sam Brewer (back).