Gallery • 4 Photos

Ellie George

Senior Jack Brennan quickly breaks through Mundelein’s midfield, charging towards the goal.

In the first game of their shortened spring season, boys varsity soccer took home their first win of the year, with a nail-biting 1-0 win over Mundelein on Thursday, March 18.

The team had less than a week to prepare, due to a Covid-positive player who attended the second day of JV and varsity tryouts. This resulted in the players having to quarantine for two weeks, losing time off their already shortened season.

“It was [definitely] a little heartbreaking knowing we’d have to wait a little longer,” senior Connor Hay explained. “We just texted the team, and just said ‘hang in there’ and ‘stay safe.’”

Despite not having much practice together, senior Colin Watson felt that the boys soccer program “fosters good chemistry” and that’s “all [we] really needed.”

This chemistry was reflected in their first game and became crucial to the very end.

Even with a 0-0 tie at halftime, energy in the stadium was high. Although all players are only allowed four spectators each, the stadium felt full.

In the last 3 minutes of a very cold night game, senior Griffin Goebler had a strong shot but it was deflected by the Mundelein goalie. Sophomore Andrew Philips quickly attacked the deflection and scored the game-winning goal.

Parents and friends, delighted by the win, filled the stadium with cheers and hollers. The look on their faces was not just from that night’s victory, but because it had been 506 days since the last varsity boys soccer game in the stadium.

This is Hay’s second year being a varsity player, and he explained that he is looking forward to “build up good team chemistry and make a family environment again.”

Senior Christian Engfer added that another goal they have as a team is to “win as many games as possible, since [we] don’t have a state championship.”

Engfer made varsity for the first time this year and explained that although the season “isn’t ideal,” he and the team are “excited and going in expecting good things.”

Watson, a first-year varsity player, explained before the game against Mundelein that the team had to discuss and prepare for the fact that “Mundelein had two more weeks of practice than us. We had to go in knowing they might be a little more prepared in [that] sense.”