The boys varsity soccer team has had a remarkable season, earning an 11-1 record (4-0 in CVC) and going undefeated until Saturday, Sept. 23 when they lost their first game 2-0 to Cardinal Mooney, the same team they lost to in last year’s regional finals.
The most impressive Bison wins this season have been against Orange and Chagrin Falls.
Senior Straja Dimitrijevic, who plays center back, commented on the 3-1 win against Chagrin Falls Sept. 7 at the Tigers’ home pitch.
“We hadn’t beaten Chagrin at all since 2006, and we hadn’t beaten them at their home field since 1999,” Dimitrijevic said. “It feels good to be part of the team that finally beat them again.”
Furthermore, the Bison dominated rival Orange on Sept. 14 with a score of 4-2.
Brian Greene, head coach of varsity boys soccer since 1996, feels that this year is special. He spoke to the Beachcomber after the Orange game, when the team was undefeated.
“We’ve never been 9 and 0,” Greene said. “In past years, we’ve always come out the gate and tripped up. We’ve had good years, but never any like this.”
Greene was particularly proud of the team after the Orange game.
“Orange is a very good team,” he added. ”But they weren’t prepared for what we could bring offensively.”
The Bison focused on protecting the center of the goal by positioning themselves near the center to force Orange to attack from the sides, splitting up Orange’s offense and making it easier to defend the goal and focus on offense ourselves.
However, there’s always room for improvement.
“We’re trying to get better at connecting our passes, to get some better plays,” Dimitrijevic said. “Right now, it’s a few people that keep scoring, like Grant, our highest scorer. I’d like to see some more connecting plays that look good on tape.”
Captain Grant Keilin, who plays center midfield, scored all 4 points against Orange, including a penalty kick
“I hope I can get more goals this year than I did last year,” he said. “We’re on pace to do that.”
“Grant is a tremendous player, and he makes a difference when he plays,” Greene said. “The other players rise up when he’s being covered or marked, so there’s quality all around him.”
”That’s what makes the team different. We’re not just one person,” he added.
The players are already excited for this year’s playoffs.
“I want to see how far we can get,” Dimitrijevic said.
However, the rest of the season will not be a walk in the park, according to Coach Greene.
“We have a very difficult schedule–especially us being D3, and having D2 and D1 schools on our schedule such as Hawken coming up, as well as Twinsburg, who beat Saint Ignatius, and Kirtland who is always a top team, so it’s not like our schedule’s padded,” he said.
“However, we have a great group of guys who work hard and have great chemistry with each other,” he added. “You need to have kids that really buy in and dedicate themselves to have a program like this.”
The team is ready to bounce back from their tough lost to Cardinal Mooney.
“They are a very solid team,” said senior Jonathan Mo, who plays center mid. “We were missing two starters, but the bigger reason we lost– they created and finished more chances on goal than we did.”
The Bison seem on track to surpass last year’s historic season.
The Bison face Hawken at home this Thursday at 7:00.
