For Inglemoor High’s boys varsity soccer team, the 2012 season has been anything but predictable. Coming into the first game of the preseason, the boys were positive that this year, they would be the team to beat. Victory proved more difficult than the Vikings had anticipated, however, when they started their season 0-5.
“We had to move around positions a few times,” senior captain and midfielder Jacob Kavanagh said. “Plus we’ve had injuries. Now that we’ve settled in our roles, though, we’re beginning to play the way we expected.”
The rocky start to the season did not dampen the team’s spirits, but instead encouraged the boys to practice harder and play stronger. Their season turned around in late March during a rematch with Newport, which had earlier beat them, 6-3.
“Newport was ranked fifth in state and first in (4A) Kingco at the time, so we decided to play strong defense,” junior centerback Ian Schweickart said. “We targeted their star and won, 3-0. It was our first shutout of the year.”
Following the game, Inglemoor achieved three more wins and two ties, bringing its conference record to 5-3-2 (and 5-8-2 overall) at press time. With these numbers, Inglemoor is likely to obtain a top seed in the Kingco tournament beginning this Saturday.
“One key thing we have is patience,” head coach Kevin McGibbon said. “Like a good recipe or meal, sometimes it takes a while to get the ingredients together. We just need to maintain our focus after we score and defend better.”
A key source of the team’s motivation throughout the season has been the goals the Vikings made prior to their first game. Included in these were finishing in the top two of Kingco, giving up a goal or less per game and possessing the ball for at least 55 percent of the 80 minutes.
“With each game we’ve played, we’ve improved,” junior centerback Baxter Hagen said. “We’re playing with the best of them now and I think we can make it to state. That’s something that I want to bring back to Inglemoor since we haven’t been very good in the last few years.”
Now that the team is effectively applying the skill that it’s always had, the state tournament is within its reach.
“We’re peaking right now,” junior captain and midfielder Mehron Abdi said, “And that’s good because it’s at exactly the right time. Our next games are important.”
With great leaders and a strong chemistry between the players, the team is confident of its chances in the coming postseason. They are playing at the top of their game and jiving on the field as a single force, which is a strong factor in the success of the group.
“We need to be careful not to be overconfident in our abilities so that we don’t repeat our preseason,” senior captain and offensive midfielder Justin Li said. “We’ve been winning a lot, but we can’t get ahead of ourselves.”
Li leads the team with 15 goals and Baxter follows with 13.
The lesson learned from the beginning of this season will continue to help the Vikings stay on track as they advance through their next games. Things change fast in high-school soccer and the Vikings aren’t prepared to let their slow start beat them.
“We want to perform and I think everyone is pretty excited,” McGibbon said. “Our back line is solid and we have some great guys up front, but there is no time to relax. We just have to keep playing hard and that will be enough.”
