The Leesville men’s varsity soccer team is starting the first half of the season strong with a 8-4 (4-2 in conference) record.
Paul Dinkenor, coach, said, “I am quite pleased so far, but we have a long way to go.”
“We have talent all over the field; in the defense, in the midfield, in the strikers, and especially in our goalkeepers,” said Robert Allison, senior.
Dinkenor says translating their hard work on the practice field into the games is a major contributor to their success. A close-knit camaraderie also attributes to their victories.
Scott Kreis, senior, said, “There are different cliques on the team, but when it comes to the games, everyone comes together.”
The varsity team has many new players this year and some say might be the reasons behind their loses.
“I think our biggest weakness would be our lack of experience,” said Allison.
Kreis agreed. He said, “We lack experience in certain parts of the field, but we also need to improve on not being too selfish during games.”
On the other hand, the new players have aided the team a tremendous amount. Re’mon Schutt, junior, is a foreign exchange student from the Netherlands has scored many goals this season.
The team hopes for their success to continue as they keep moving towards the conference tournament and state playoffs.
Kreis said, “Every year, we always lose in the second game and it would be great if this year we could break through that.”
Based off their season so far, it appears that the Pride’s goals might not be too far off.
Dinkenor said, “What we get we will earn through fitness, hard work, and a true spirit.”
The boys next home games is Monday, Oct. 8 against Enloe.
Anne Cushman is a staff writer for The Mycenaean and resides in North Carolina. Her hobbies include petting horses, hang-gliding, and soccer. Some of her numerous aspirations are to climb Mount Everest, kayak the Colorado River, and write well. Also, she loves One Direction.