Kicking into a New Season

As the soccer preseason ends, the start of a new season brings excitement and hope to many of the players on the varsity boys soccer team.

Alec Smail, the right wing on the varsity soccer team, says he is “excited to bounce back, and catch a dub.”

Unlike last year's soccer season, the varsity boys soccer team had the opportunity to have a preseason. Alec states that having a preseason creates “more time to build up the team and to play how ‘the coach’ wants us to play.”

In addition to preseason, an increase in soccer players brings hope for a successful soccer season. Due to a declining number of soccer players last year, the boys soccer team was unable to divide into a JV and Varsity soccer team. “Having a JV team gives new players more playing time and allows them to build their skills,” Alec says.

Currently the varsity boys soccer team has only had one game. The team played against Green Mountain and lost 3-1. Ezra Lockhart scored the only goal for Woodstock during a freekick. As Alec looks back at the previous game, he admits that the loss was caused by a lot of small mistakes. At times Alec says he would “panic, take a bad touch, or make poor decisions when passing the ball.” However Alec isn’t ashamed of the mistakes he made, instead Alec says he “feels pretty good” about his next game.

The next game for the boys varsity soccer team is against Brattleboro. Alec says in order to win the game the team “can’t make the same mistakes ‘they’ made against Green Mountain.”

The varsity coach, Rob Stainton, has been trying a new strategy with the team. The new strategy involves the goalie playing the back instead of blasting the ball forward. “He’s a good coach, he knows all about soccer and knows how to get us to play at our full potential,” Alec states.

Fans of the Woodstock boys soccer team are eager to see what the future holds. Come support the Woodstock boys soccer team by watching their next game. Go Woodstock!