At the beginning of the North Allegheny Boys’ Soccer season, both the challenges and the focus were in place.
“We are still warming up, we have a couple lingering injuries right now, so we are not at full strength, but we are getting there,” said senior Lucas Henderson.
The team has proceeded into their regular season games with a tie for their first game against Plum and a series of wins against Upper St. Clair, North Hills, and Norwin, before losing a tight match against Pine-Richland earlier this week. Henderson scored the game-winning goal against Upper St. Clair in the second half.
“We are a very senior-heavy team, but the underclassmen on the team have done a really good job filling in this season,” said Henderson.
Leading the team and filling in the gaps this season for the Tigers are senior team captains Ryan Eck, Zach Nash, and Nathan Katari. All three captains have been topics of conversation this season.
“As team captain, my role is to lead by example, especially for the younger guys,” said Eck, “as well as keeping the team under control and levelheaded in any given scenario.”
The new season has brought in a variety of new players, but it has also begun with the absence of impactful seniors from last season. Yet, the changes have not stopped the Tiger team from battling on.
“Our team is looking strong across the board. We lost some key players from last year but have a much deeper roster this year, so we are very confident,” Eck said.
The collaboration of the team is one of the most important functions of success in and out of gametime. The Tigers have consistently shown this in their playability so far this season.
“Our chemistry on and off the field really pushes us to be our best selves during the game and played a big role in our success last season as well as this season,” said senior Ben Hickel.
Hickel has been on the North Allegheny soccer team all four years, seeing firsthand how the team builds energy each year by bringing up new players.
“The competitive environment we create for each other every day helps all of us improve. We have a very tight bond as a team and that also really pushes us to be successful,” Hickel said.
Veteran leadership may be a defining factor in how to defeat the more competitive teams in their division. Last season, the Tigers faced off twice with the Seneca Valley Raiders, the first game with a tie and the second with a loss against their rivals from the north.
“For us, Seneca always poses a threat. They have good players and a good program overall,” said Hickel. “But the rivalry between NA and Seneca always lights a fire in us and makes us especially hungry for the win.”
The boys’ next home game is Tuesday, September 17 at Newman Stadium. The opponent: Seneca.
