Middle school boys commence soccer season with match against Wellington

November 3, 2018 admin

The Middle School Boys began their soccer season with a home game on October 18th, opening with a hard fought, but unfortunate 7-2 loss. There was a sense of novelty amongst the team, since this was the players’ first game, and it was Coach Jamie Hutt’s first time coaching. Despite their loss, the boys displayed a strong work ethic. Coach Hutt stated, “I’m satisfied with the [outcome of the] game because they showed teamwork and sportsmanship.” He did, however, point out areas of improvement: “I think they can improve on their positioning and passing.” Coach Hutt added that he loved being able to improve each of his players.

Wesley Hong (7A) dribbling through the defenders of the opposing team Photo Courtesy of Justina Kim

Wesley Hong (7A) played as a striker. Though he was nervous before the match, and his partner continued to fall behind, he was content with his involvement in the game. During the game, he learned that his team needed to press their opponents more, and not allow them a chance to attack. “Our mistake is that we always move backward, so the game was always [being played in] our [half],” he explained. Wesley also strived to improve himself, stating, “I [always] rely on my speed, so I would have to practice my [dribbling].”

Coach Hutt watches on as his team plays Photo Courtesy of Justina Kim

Yash Mhapsekar (7A), Ethan Jeng (7C), and Zunzun Shu (7A) believed that though they played well in beginning of the match, they were too relaxed towards the end. However, a highlight in their performance is that they played together effectively. They identified that the team needed to improve on maintaining possession of the ball, playing more aggressively, as well as improving on their passing, positioning, and speed. “First, we need [to increase] our speed because compared to them, we were [slower]. Second, we need to be more aggressive. They pushed us [back], pressured [us], and took the ball [away from us]. [Every time this happened, they] scored,” said Ethan Jeng.

There is a middle school soccer home game against SAS Pudong coming up on Thursday, November 1st. Let’s attend the match and cheer for the Middle School boys team!

Featured Image – The team having a discussion about their game Photo Courtesy of Justina Kim

by: Justina Kim