The Mystic Valley Boys Soccer team went Varsity this year after having two very successful years as a Sub-varsity program.
Although confident they would do well, they did even better than expected. The Eagles ended the season 9-6-1 and second place in the CAC Small league, just one point under Whittier Tech. The boys were seeded number 9 in the Northern Division 3, and beat the number 8 seed Cristo Rey 1-0 in the first round of the state tournament.
The Eagles have played and worked exceptionally well as a team. They learned to work as a unit, as well as move and control the ball together. The Boys Soccer Team finished up a great season and an exciting post-season with a loss to Georgetown 8-0. Georgetown went on to take the North Division 3 Championship and second overall in the State tournament.
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Tomás Drahos led the regular season in points with 9 goals and 8 assists. Giuseppe Iacovone was second with 11 goals and one assist, and has played a huge role on both sides of the field. Hari Perisic had 4 goals and 2 assists, and did an excellent job in goal when Ryan Keane was out injured. His most important goal was against Whittier that gave the team a huge upset win 1-0 at the end of the season after having been beaten by Whittier 8-0 in early in the season. That margin of difference showcased the huge improvement of the team overall this year.
The team pulled out a phenomenal season playing through a number of injuries - at one point there were 5 starters on the bench due to injuries. Seniors played a vital role over the last three years to bring up the program to where it is now. Ryan Keane did a great job in goal recording 4 shutouts, allowing 2.5 goals per game, and he came back from an injury early in the season.
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Wilson Tran recorded 2 goals, but dominated the middle of the field for us in every game and he and Michael Levine, team co-captain, were responsible for creating a lot of opportunities for us. Michael battled through several injuries including a concussion this season but he was always at the heart of team and helped build up the boys’ camaraderie. Benjamin Soper and Patrick Holden were team workhorses, rarely coming out of the game and playing very well together defensively.
Every member of the team made a significant contribution to the team this year, and we are very excited to see what the future holds for next year’s team.
