Fall is a great time at Minnetonka High School. It marks the beginning of a new school year, new classes, and best of all: fall sports. While the autumn air may be cooling down, the Minnetonka Boys’ Varsity Soccer Team is heating up with their soccer season officially in full swing.

The team is doing very well this season with an impressive record of 7-2-1, and will have more goals as sections draw nearer. Last year, the boys went 13-5-1 and almost made it to the state tournament, barely losing to Edina in a penalty kick shootout in the Section 2AA Finale. They finished the season with a ranking of 5th in the state and 2nd in the highly competitive Lake Conference.  Although they have lost 10 seniors from last season, they are working hard to perform better than ever.

When asked about the team’s improvements from last season, Alejandro Ferrer-Lugo, a junior captain for the team, said, “This year our team is working together much better. That is something we didn’t have last year.”

Bright spots on this year’s team include Sergio Rivas, a junior midfielder who is leading the team in scoring with 8 goals and one assist, including a hat trick during their game against Owatonna on September 9th. Other stellar midfielders include Noah Chung, Andres Rivas, and Noah Soffer.  The defensive corps, led by Nick Wilson, Niko Scheibal, Caleb Skistad, and Drew Manderfeld, have limited their opponents to very few scoring opportunities. Junior goalkeeper Luca Vereecken has also done a sensational job, including saving two penalty kicks.

Sergio Rivas is especially confident in the team, saying that, “After building a strong program with good players the past few years, I [think] this year will be similar to years past, challenging for the section and state titles.”

The team’s most anticipated games this year will be against Edina and Wayzata, who are their strongest competitors. Coach Rogers, discussing the team’s goals for the rest of the season, stated, “If we can stay healthy and continue to play with high energy and determination, we have the ingredients to challenge for the Lake Conference, Section 2AA, and State titles. I believe that we are a solid top 5 team, and I’m proud to state that we have a real chance to win our next game, regardless of who the competition is.”

With the season over halfway done, the boys are looking forward to the important games coming up in the next few weeks, especially their home games. “We have a great venue at our upper turf field and hope that the Minnetonka student-body comes out to watch us and cheer us on!” said Coach Rogers.

The team is working very hard on the field, and all that’s left for us is to support them on the sidelines.