By John Orrell, Contributing Writer
Shrewsbury – There is a definite youth movement under way in the ranks of the Shrewsbury High boys’ varsity soccer program following the team’s 15-4-1 record and a trip to division semifinals in 2014.
With success often comes loss of key players. Such was the case with the Colonial squad that lost 13 players to graduation, four of whom attained All-State recognition.
Early indications for the 2015 season are more than positive as the team retains a number of experienced players that will merge with younger ones, including a significant number of sophomores who appear poised and ready for the rigors of varsity competition.
“We have a lot of young talent but we’ve developed a sense of winning that this program hasn’t always had,” said third-year Head Coach Matt Wheeler, who will be assisted by Neil Belanger and Sean Russell. “Winning is contagious. It’s fun. The kids saw that last year so they’re hungry.
“I like this team’s willingness to learn. They’re here every day, working hard soaking everything up. We’re not the biggest team around in terms of our size but they’re aggressive. We move the ball around pretty well and we’re pretty technical so that’s nice.”
The 2015 squad will be led by a trio of junior captains in Martin Davis, Kevin Murphy and Kyle Simmons. The absence of at least one senior in the captain ranks is rare, acknowledges Wheeler, but he and the team leaders are more than qualified and motivated to take on the role of guiding this young team.
“I really like the energy that this team has shown so far, especially in our first scrimmage,” said Davis. “I thought everyone would be nervous and right off the bat we scored a goal. It was good, positive energy.”
“We’re a young team but I think we came out really strong in our first scrimmage,” noted Murphy. “We came out really well as a team. Ball movement was good and our defense was strong. I just think if we continue advancing, I think we’ll be pretty good.
“We may not be the biggest team but our mentality is to out-work the other team so we’ll come out working hard and being strong on the ball even if we’re not the biggest.”
Expected to contribute considerably are seniors David Crutchfield and Owen Nash along with juniors Mike Filiere, Abdul Frederick, Jason Haji, Kevin Hummer, Brandon Hutchins, Cristian Ionete, Kameron Kristen, Kyle Orciuch and Paolo Sandoval. Sophomores that have made the squad are Alex Maiorano, Cameron Morris, Conall Persechino, Andrew Perugini, Alex Purple and Jan Sokolowski.
“Our sophomore players look really good,” said Simmons, who has been impressed with the team’s underclassmen. “They played a lot in our scrimmage and that’s a big number of sophomores for a varsity team. Getting back to where we were may take some time but hopefully we can do well this year.”
Team goals remain the same, said Wheeler, whose team debuted at Westborough High Sept. 8. The ever-present drive to make the playoffs may be a challenge, but the team and coaches are more than ready to move forward.
“It’s important to get off to a good start especially with a group of younger kids. We need to build confidence every game and try not to take any steps backwards.
“This league (Midland A) is so tough. There’s never any game you can just step into and expect to win. Every team is good. They’re talented. They’re well-coached so we’ll need to bring it every time.
“Our goal is always to make playoffs. That’s what a winning program should always have as a goal. We know it’s going to be tough and a lot of hard work but we feel like if we put the effort in and train hard, we can get there.”