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Botkins hopes 13 is lucky |
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Wednesday, 05 September 2007 |
Boys soccer team primed for tournament run
By JOSHUA KEERAN
Sports Editor
BOTKINS — When a soccer program boast 13 returners from a year ago, expectations are bound to be high which is exactly the case for the Botkins varsity boys soccer team.
So exactly what are the expectations for the 2007 Trojan squad?
Varsity coach Kevin Lynch summed it up with one small, but very powerful word – win.
“We are not settling for moral victories this season,” he said. “We need to start putting W’s on the board.”
The Trojans have done just that so far this year with a record of 3-1.
The lone loss came at the hands of West Liberty-Salem, 1-0, in a game Lynch said his club should have won.
“We outplayed them and outshot them,” he said. “With our team having a bunch of juniors and seniors, we should be winning those kinds of games.
“Our strength should be our experience because these kids have been there before and have seen a lot of game time. We just got to get over the hump.”
Returners to the Trojan roster include seniors Jared Boyd, Jesse Brown, Miguel Rodriguez, Tyler Schneider and Zane Wildermuth; juniors Foster Billing, Alex Hemmert, Nicholas Hoelscher, Justin Russell, Tyler Schmerge and Scott Schneider; and sophomores Kent Boyd and Kurt Egbert.
“I’m expecting another good season since these same kids have been playing together for three years now,” Lynch said.
Newcomers to the roster include sophomores Tyler Brown, Jamie Lotz, Brad Schmerge and Jordan Steinke as well as freshmen Kevin Esser, Nathan Freisthler, Dylan Newman, Jordan Paul, Wesley Powell, Brent Schmerge, Doug Schmerge and Nathaniel Stutsman.
With so many experienced players back, Lynch has the luxury of allowing his newcomers to gain valuable experience from the sidelines, instead of having to throw them into the fire with little experience.
“I really don’t see any of them playing considerable time, but they do give me depth,” he said. “I have a couple nice freshmen that will see some time.”
As far as goals are concerned, the Trojans have their eyes set on making it out of the second round of the postseason tournament.
“Two years in a row we have been beaten in the second round,” Lynch said. “This season we would like to take the next step and get into districts.
“I think we can compete with anyone out there. It just comes down to whether or not the ball bounces our way or not.” |
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 06 September 2007 )
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