The boys varsity soccer team had a long 2023 season. The boys went to the first round of the playoffs against McDonough with only two losses and won.
They continued to the 2023 MIAA Soccer A championship but lost by two points against Loyola, with whom they lost to previously in the season.
Head Coach James Fendryk said, “Overall, the season was a success. When we set our goals early in the season, it was always to be in the final and take the final as is. Unfortunately, we came up on the short end; on that night we didn’t have the best game, but it speaks a lot about the guys to be in that position two years in a row. That’s the definition of seasonal success.”
The team “knew going in, having played [Loyola] twice before, that it was going to be a tough contest. We started off really, really sharp in the first 15 to 20 minutes,” said Coach Fendryk, “I’m just really proud of them.”
Next season, the coaches will work with the future 13 seniors; they will have to build a system that plays to their strengths.
Senior Austin Hofmann said, “You make out what your performance will be like. It’s all in the head; you can’t let that stuff get to you. All of the long and hard working practices helped.”
Austin believes the best part of attending championships was the environment, seeing both schools with at least 100 students and the Under Armour stadium packed.
As Austin continues his senior year and prepares for college, he is sad to leave many John Carroll memories behind. Some advice he would give to future members of next year’s varsity team is to “never stop working; give your full 110% effort; have one another’s backs; carry on the legacy we are leaving behind, and, most importantly, just have fun while doing it all.”
Senior Josh Petty said the best part of going to the championship was “the bus ride up to the field. We knew it was going to be our last ride on the bus as high school players. We made the best out of it.”
Senior Cam Tolson could not play due to his injury this season but said what he will remember most about this season are the relationships he gained from how close this team was.
He will also miss his teammates’ excitement throughout the season and seeing them happy after winning big games.
He believes the best part about going to the championship was the feeling of being there. He was so proud of the team for getting there and seeing them give everything they had on a big stage was “incredible to witness.”
Cam feels the feeling of losing the previous year in the championship game helped the team prepare mentally for this year’s game.
Advice Cam would give future team members would be something his mentor Kevin Bowser always said, “It takes every single player to make this team; every single player in this program matters. Even if you aren’t a player that gets a lot of playing time, you are valuable to the team; the players ahead of you couldn’t do what they do without you.”