Soccer team sets new goals on new field

Jordan Maralit ’21

Riordan’s soccer team has started this season strong on the home field.

Jordan Maralit ’21 and Jordan Noeuku ’21, Staff Writer
January 8, 2020

Finally, the field is done and extracurricular activities such as football, baseball, and soccer can commence. The return of the sports teams on the field is a great relief for the school.

The soccer team played its first game on the new Mayer Family Field where different teams in different sports have the opportunity to play on the field.

Last year and years before, the soccer team practiced every day at the Crocker Amazon Park. Now, since the new Mayer Field is open, players have time to get to practice on time after school is over.

The Varsity and JV soccer team did well in the pre-season. Both Varsity and JV have faced Terra Nova and Leadership on the new field. JV is 3-0 and had an undefeated pre-season, while Varsity is 2-1, losing in the third pre-season scrimmage on the new field against Leadership.

The pre-season is over, which means players are ready for the regular season. It motivates the athletes not just because they are playing on the new field, but the energy that is brought by Riordan students, faculty, and families.

Soccer coach and religion teacher Michael So, said, “It’s a bit of a relief to have a home field. Going to practice is now much easier. Having a home field also inspires a strong desire to defend our school against visiting opponents.”

So added, “The home field is a fantastic advantage for several reasons. We are very grateful to all of the planners and donors who came together to bring the new field to fruition. With that said, a field is just a field. We do not pressure the players to win games using it. Instead, we focus on factors like strategy, teamwork, andcommunication to win games. At the end of the day, one of the main purposes of playing on a team sport is to learn how to play with others. Cooperation and sportsmanship are key skills in adult life, and that is what we would like to help our players with during their seasons here.”

Devin Sachs ’21 said, “I think we have some potential as a team, but are still working out the bumps. Some of our goals are to build a successful program in the future, but it will take many seasons. My goal is just to improve as a soccer player. I look forward to seeing us improve over last year and to have a great year as a team.”