Graphic by Ella Viti
John Kim | Harrison Unger
Sports Columnist | Sports Reporter
Newton South tied Brookline 1-1 during this Saturday’s Under the Lights game. Brookline is ranked 4th in the Massachusetts North Division 1 and has a D1 committed player. Despite this, the team played “very well and did a good job matching their high level of energy and intensity,” says one of the Senior captains, Daniel Stephens.
A key component of this year’s squad is its chemistry: “Our team this year is an evolution of last year’s team. Fundamentally, we’re the same core as last year, plus a year’s worth of experience… The improvement of player-coach communication has drastically improved our mentality. Last year was kind of a rebuilding year because of the new coach, and this year, we’re finding our groove,” says Harrison Unger, another Senior captain.
To add on, the team’s bonding off the field has had just as large of an effect. “Having team dinners and stepping aside from soccer helps boost the team chemistry, which is evident on the pitch… We’ll have a practice where we work really hard and have the next day be a bit more relaxed, yet focused. But every game, we get better, and our best is yet to come,” says Unger.
While the team’s future is bright, there are many things to improve upon. Unger claimed that “we kept our energy high, [but] we definitely could have stayed more composed on the ball and maintained possession. We need to find a way to go from sitting back on defense to becoming more aggressive in the final third of the pitch. As a team, we need to strive to find a winner.” Considering Brookline’s good reputation, coming out with a tie was still positive.
For years to come, however, the team has a lot to look forward to. Stephens says that “next year will be very exciting because of the amount of juniors we have on the team… The coach is starting to get an idea of the real goal of the program. Some key players are Kamar Burris-Khan, Teddy Ginsburg, Ben Dietrich, Wassim Korideck, and Nicholas Jerome-Canter.”
