Finishing their season at Timber Creek High School and facing off against Keller High School, the boys soccer team was unable to beat the competition after several near scoring chances, with Keller finally taking the 2-1 win on March 20, 2018. Made up of a majority of seniors, the team’s last game also served as their Senior Night, not only depicting their final game, but also the final memories of the high school soccer program for the graduating players.
“When the final whistle blew, it hit me that that was my final game of my high school career,” said senior Ben Molen. “Although we didn’t meet our goal of reaching playoffs, this has been the most fun and memorable season I have personally played in….In one word I would describe my last game as emotional.”
With the entire team playing their hearts out throughout the season and especially attempting a comeback within their final playing minutes, the team was able to make an assist by Geoffrey Balkcom, leading junior Kayden Gomez to score the team goal. The early lead was not enough however to tide over the game, with Keller scoring twice as the game proceeded later on. With the boys soccer team falling short of playoffs for the past few years, the loss serves as both a trial and a lesson for the young student-athletes, learning to not only develop mental and physical toughness, but friendships that will outlast any game they’ve played.
“It feels almost unreal that I’m leaving Timber in about a month. The program has provided me with friendships that will last a lifetime and taught me how to work hard and handle intense pressure,” Molen continued. “This school and the soccer program have become such a vital part of my life over the last four years that it’s hard to imagine life without either.”
Working hard both on the field and off, the soccer athletes made an effort to work out moreso in the weight room than past seasons. Breaking up into position specific drills in hopes of helping individual performance, with the the coaches making a focus on improving on their finishing, as well as keeping their concentration in dead ball situations. With hopes high to exceed past performance, teammates like Noah Thurber made a goal of helping the team improve throughout the season, helping in any way possible, whether on the field or bench.
“I have mixed feelings about the season,” said Thurber. “I feel like we left something on the table and the results didn’t accurately reflect on our teams talent. I know we played our hearts out but we still didn’t get the results we needed.”
With most of Varsity graduating this May, the team prepares to start anew with the next season, leaving the disappointment or feelings of missed opportunities with the past year. For the next team coming up, the program looks to train hard to create a dynamic team that can exceed expectations, hoping to make the 2018-2019 season the year that they finally make it into playoffs.
“Even though a lot of key players are graduating, I still think our team will have the potential to compete for playoffs next year,” said Thurber. “Underclassmen will have to step up.”