The Gales are off to a rough start this season, winless through thirteen games so far. Their focus is on getting their first win of the season on senior night. The boys’ team is back in action on September 30th against Mount Vernon High School.
The Gales have a young and inexperienced team. While they have eight seniors on the team, the starting lineup has some underclassmen in it. Every game they are getting more comfortable competing with each other.
¨At the beginning of the season we struggled because we had some guys that have not played together before. So seeing them come together and start to figure some things out defensively and offensively has been one of the highlights,¨ Head Coach Graham Roan said.
Senior Jayden Goodyear expressed the tough matchups they have with opposing teams so far. The Gales have a hard schedule this year but have embraced the challenge.
¨A lot of these teams have older kids, so trying to match up with physicality does not always work out. There are hills and valleys to it and a lot of challenges to overcome. In the end, we all find the best out of it,¨ Goodyear said.
Junior Ethan Graham has kept a positive attitude after the losses. He believes this team can finish the season strong.
¨Even if you are having a hard season you still have to come in and work every day. Do not give up, keep faith in your teammates that eventually things are going to turn around,¨ he said.
Senior Xavier Nihiser is a three-year varsity letterman for the Gales. This season has not gone how he had hoped but ending his career with a win is huge for him.
¨It has not gone amazing, I want to get wins, but it is not that bad, it is a lot of fun. I would really like to end it with a win, senior night is coming up. I would like to win on that night,¨ he said.
Coach Roan has his eyes set on a win as well. Week-by-week progression is key in the team’s search for their first win of the season.
¨We are looking to win a game, I think that is a goal for everybody. And then again see improvement. I have seen more success recently than what we had in the beginning of the year.¨
Graham is one of the leaders of this team and the team’s goalie. A goalie has a lot of pressure on them and his actions swing the momentum of the game.
¨You certainly need a strong mentality, because it is the type of position where your mistakes can matter a lot more than pretty much every other player on the team. Every time you let one in you always feel you could have done more. A lot of stuff happens so fast that it is purely reaction,¨ Graham said.
Coach Roan praised Graham for his hard work this season. He has stepped up for his coaches and teammates.
¨He has been a huge help for us this year, he has improved during the offseason. He has been a strong leader in the back, in goal,¨ said Roan.
In the Gales matchup with Teays Valley earlier this season, the offense was non-existent in the first half. Goodyear described the switch his team flipped in the second half.
¨We had a big moment, came out in the second half as a different team, we got a goal, and saved a few,¨ said Goodyear.
Coach Roan is focusing on building the boys’ program the right way. That starts with spreading his coaching philosophy.
¨One of the things I wanted to do is stress the core values of the program. One thing was accountability and I think the guys have been more accountable for their actions. They are moving the program in the right direction, and getting the younger guys to understand what we are looking for to help us succeed in the future,¨ Roan said.
Seniors Xavier Nihiser and Jayden Goodyear hope to continue their soccer careers into college, even if it is for a club team for fun.
