After experiencing a 1-0 loss to Minneapolis Washburn, the boys’ soccer team was disappointed but inspired. Head coach Chato Alvarado said he was pleased that the team showed perseverance throughout the game.

“(The team) did well, I don’t think they played as well as they could’ve,” Alvarado said. “Sometimes we play well and sometimes we don’t, but I’m very proud of the fact that they kept fighting in spite of the fact that the team we were up against was strong.”

Assistant coach Pat Hartman said the team showed resilience despite members of the team getting hurt during the game.

“Some of our captains got injured, so I was impressed with how well the boys played the second half considering two of our strong players were injured and had to be taken off,” Hartman said. “I thought that showed some character.”

According to junior captain Bennett Kouame, Minneapolis Washburn scoring in the first half caught Park off guard.

“We started off pretty well, but the momentum shifted to the other team, and they ended up scoring late in the first half which kind of threw us off,” Kouame said.

Alvarado said that the team excelled with its defense and stayed centered mentally. 

“In the past, we struggled with covering for each other especially in defense, but today they did really well,” Alvarado said. “They covered everything today, and we kept our composure. We talked about not losing focus on the game and they all did pretty well.”

According to junior Joseph Mcgurgan, the team remained consistent throughout the game.

“We really played hard until the end of the game; we were really trying to win. We were both really good teams, but they just came out with the win,” Mcgurgan said. 

Alvarado said this game made him realize the team needs to work on achieving certain skills for a stronger season next year.

“One thing we need to improve on is scoring goals,” Alvarado said. “When it gets to sections, probably the majority of games are decided by one or two goals, they’re pretty close. So our ability to score goals needs to improve.”

Kouame said this section’s game made him realize they need to work on taking advantage of the chances they get during games next year. 

“The main thing we learned from this game is that next season we can’t give away silly chances and goal-scoring opportunities,” Kouame said.