The 2016 Schalmont Varsity boys soccer team will play their first game next Tuesday. I will be covering this team on a day to day basis and I am very excited to report on them this season.
Coach Beck, the head coach, adds a lot of experience to this team. It gives the Sabres an advantage that all teams want. Dan Dicocco (Jr) said, Coach Beck gives a lot of great advice.
“The best advice anyone has given me is that hard work beats talent. When talent doesn’t work hard, coach Beck told the team this last year and it helps us realize that we can accomplish anything if we put our minds to it.”
This soccer season, the team has a few players who are striving to earn a starting position. There are positions that need to be filled. These positions are open due to the fact, that player’s, Cam Lavalle and Chris Hamilton both graduated in June.
Earlier today, Senior Schalmont Soccer player, RJ Hayden (Senior) said,“I wouldn’t say it’s going to be hard without them, but it is definitely going to be different because now we are going to have to work more as a team to score and win”.
The team played a scrimmage game in Oneonta this past Friday against a very well put together Oneonta High School team. The Sabres made some mistakes, but recovered from them which is the most important thing in a scrimmage. Scrimmage games are just practice games, but it is always good to see what teams need to work on. Ultimately, this scrimmage set the tone going into the regular season of who is starting once you hear the whistle next week.
For the Sabres, the season starts this coming Tuesday, against rivals from LaSalle Institute. Andy Masullo, who is a senior, and the whole team are looking forward to this game.
“As a team we are definitely looking forward to our first game on Tuesday against LaSalle. It will be a very good test for us, as they are a strong team”.
Masullo couldn’t have said it better. This first game of the season could be one of the most important games of the season. If the Sabres win the first game, they start the season with the momentum they had last season, and if not the Sabres will need to rebound against Albany Academy two days later.
Schalmont Sports definitely have a tremendous resume when it comes to the playoffs over the course of the past few years. So, is this the year the Varsity boys soccer team wins it all? Masullo had a perfect answer when I asked him what the team can and hope to accomplish this season,
“As a team we all have the same goals, first the Colonial Council, the Sectional title, Regional title, and ultimately the State Title. We’ve got an old, strong team this year and I know we are capable of reaching all our goals if we continue to work hard”.
I have only been covering this team for a few days and from what I can tell, this team is a family. I asked Hayden, who is also a senior, the question that everyone loves to asks a player, what does he love about this team? He stated,
“My favorite thing about Schalmont soccer is the feeling of family that we get. Whether we are on the field playing or simply on the practice field.”
Like Hayden said, this team is a family.
- Alex Feuz(@AlexFeuz)
Originally published on SportsFeuzion.com
