By Cole Cahill
Staff Writer
The varsity boys’ soccer team faces a challenge this upcoming season to reach the same, if not higher, level of success it achieved last year. After losing over ten seniors to graduation, the remaining teammates will have to work hard to fill those shoes.
The Tigers awed the South Pasadena community last season with a Rio Hondo league title and a CIF run that took them all the way to the championship game against Monrovia. The team was more successful than it had been in years, proving that South Pas is still a force to be reckoned with on the soccer field.
“We had really good chemistry as a team [last year] and a lot of encouragement,” incoming senior James Tulin said. “We hope to keep this characteristic as a team and expand upon it.”
Along with summer practices starting last week, the recent increase in the number of players on off-season club teams has the squad hopeful for another winning season. There is talk of the Rio Hondo league moving down a division for next year, possibly resulting in easier competition. The players remain positive despite their smaller stature. However, there is still much work to be done before November, which marks the opening of the regular season.
“We need to work on our defense and finishing, as well as our overall fundamental skills,” Tulin said.
Competition from powerful Rio Hondo teams like La Cañada and Monrovia will also be tougher than ever. These teams lost fewer senior players to graduation than did South Pas, starting off their campaigns with experienced teams. Regardless, the Tigers are coming onto the field with tenacity and eagerness to excel yet again.
“We’re all really excited – we all really want to do well in CIF. We hunger to finish off the postseason gloriously by getting a CIF ring,” Tulin said. “If we work hard and get enough support from the community and the student body, we can probably do it.”
