As boys’ soccer started off the season strong with a 3-0 shut out, sophomore Amanuel Shetaye said the team played great, but hopes they can create more opportunities during the next game. 

“It went really well, since we won by three goals,” Shetaye said. “Everyone played really well, but we could have had a lot more (goals) if we didn’t miss as much.”

According to assistant coach Pat Hartman, he was uncertain about how everyone would play due to the difficulty of predicting the opponents strategy. However, the boys were able to hold them scoreless. 

“It was good, the first match is always a little weird. You don’t know how certain people are gonna play and we kind of have to get our rhyme,” Hartman said. “But at least we kept the shut out and scored three goals. We hit the post a few times and we saw some good stuff from some of our new varsity players.”

Senior captain Alex Ruiz said that everyone was staying active throughout the game and they were playing smart against the other team. 

“We came out really strong, all of our players were really fit today. We definitely tired the other team out,” Ruiz said. 

According to Shetaye, for the next game, they’ll focus on more accurate shooting and finishing rebounds.

“Just making sure we don’t miss as many open goals because we had a lot of open chances and making sure we’re finishing,” Shetaye said. 

Hartman said the team has been preparing all week to play on grass instead of turf, as well as adjusting the new players to their approach to the games. 

“There aren’t too many stadiums now that are natural grass, so we’ve been training at Louisiana Oaks instead of the stadium to practice on the natural grass a bit for this match,” Hartman said. “Also, mainly prepping the new players for our style of play and how we like to move the ball.”

According to Ruiz the team made sure to stay healthy and prepared prior to the match. 

“We have been preparing for the whole week,” Ruiz said. “We have been talking about how we should get a good night’s rest and drink a lot of water before the game.”

The next conference match for the boys’ soccer team is 5 p.m. Sept. 1 at Chaska Middle School West against Chaska.