With great wins, come great losses. This winter season the boys’ soccer team made it to regionals. With new players to the team and a new coach, the team played until the very last minute.

   This season, Head Soccer Coach Oscar Gil challenged the players by making them practice in different conditions, which allowed them to not only focus on the field or the weather, but on the quality of how they’re playing.

  “Our coach reminds us to not give up even if it’s the last minute, he’ll make us run an extra hill during practice,” striker, sophomore Omer Gan-El said. “He uses different techniques like making us practice in smooth fields or rough fields so we are comfortable playing home and away from home.” 

Along with helping the team physically, Gil also reminds the team of the opportunities waiting for them in order to push them even further.

Throughout the season, the team spent a lot of time practicing and spending time together. 

  “As a captain, I really like to hype everyone up throughout practices and before games,” senior Ari Mizrachi said. “Even if they make mistakes I remind myself to not yell or get upset and try to keep constructive criticism.”

   With all the practice and team morale, the soccer team was able to qualify for regionals despite tough losses throughout the season. Each player in the team played a special part in getting themselves to regionals for the first time in many years. 

 “We all came to practice and put in effort constantly,” said Gan-el. “We even watched videos of the teams we were going to play and imagined ourselves playing them so we could work on it.” 

  Although they practiced constantly, on Feb. 9, the team lost during penalties to South Broward preventing them from passing on to nationals.  

 “Losing affected us all badly and was heartbreaking, my advice for my team is just to leave it all on the field and play your best,” senior and co-captain Michael Kiblisky said.

   Despite their loss, the soccer team continues to maintain high hopes and motivation for next season. With plans for more discipline and extra practice, the team hopes to make it even further the next season. 

  “Next year I want to practice more on the weekends, especially to focus on my speed, stamina and agility,” Gan-El said. 

    As the season comes to an end, we hope to see new players next year, more wins and look forward to an even more exciting season. 

   “It was a great season, sadly ending, it was a good memory for us all,” Kiblisky said.