Everything seemed to go right for SLUH Soccer last Tuesday. From finding the back of the net eight times in just 70 minutes to not letting up a single shot on defense, the Jr. Bills fought hard under the scorching sun to roll over visiting opponents Timberland and MICDS. 

The fall soccer Jamboree is a preseason tradition that features two 35-minute scrimmages against opposing high school teams. This year, the practice bout was the Jr. Bills’ first taste of real gameplay in several months, and served as a preview of the deep talent on this year’s team. Head Coach Bob O’Connell was able to play all of his varsity players over the course of the two games, and SLUH still shut out the competition, beating Timberland 6-0 and MICDS 2-0. 

The offense dazzled against Timberland. The Jr. Bills hoarded the ball for most of the half and their quick passes created several breakaway opportunities.

“To be honest, I was really pleased with the amount of chances we created. We scored six goals in the first period—that’s a lot of goals,” said O’Connell. “I don’t know if I've had a group in any game or Jamboree to score that many. I thought offensively it was pretty good.” 

Both teams seemed to have an obvious size advantage against SLUH, but experience proved sufficient for the Jr. Bills. Three of SLUH’s starting forwards this year are seniors, including Tyler Van Bree, who joins varsity for his third year in a row, and Stephen Saladin. 

“We’re pretty good up the middle,” O’Connell noted.  “We have a lot of senior leadership up the middle of the field. Having Stephen play for us again this year is something that a lot of schools don’t have. His speed is different and his toughness is going to help us score goals.”

Rounding out SLUH’s senior offense is Johnny Ferrara, who started at right forward in both Jamboree matches. Ferrara led the team with two goals in the match against Timberland. His first goal, a vicious shot that looped over the head of Timberland’s defense after a breakaway, showed the speed and precision of SLUH’s offense when it’s clicking. Still, senior Evan Yalavarthi saw room for further improvement.

“They were introductory matches so we did put up a lot of goals, but I also thought we still have a lot of work to do,” he said. “We are still trying to figure our formation out. I think we have all the players and pieces we need but it will still take time to combine them all together. We don’t really have the chemistry yet to win a state championship.”

Yalavarthi, who starts at midfield, also brings varsity experience to the roster. He joined the team as a sophomore, and now he’s looking forward to being a leader for the young team.

“We have a lot of talented players on the team but also the team is kind of young,” said Yalavarthi. “We have a senior in each spot, though: defense, midfield, and offense and then we have the younger players around us, so I think the seniors will definitely be leaders.”

Junior Midfielder Davis Ragan is one of those surrounding players.

“We have a lot of talented players” said Ragan. “I feel that as a team we are yet to prove ourselves, but if the Jamboree was any indication of the future, I’m excited.” 

 On the back end of the field, play on Tuesday night was just as clean. Senior center back Ben Ridgway and sophomore center back Christian Thro were able to keep pace with both teams’ strikers all night, chasing down every breakaway. Senior Brian Critchfield, who started in goal against Timberland, only touched the ball once in his roughly 20 minutes of playing time. 

The pair of defenders also made contributions on offense. Ridgway rushed the net to score off a corner kick against Timberland and Thro notched an assist against MICDS after he rocketed the ball up the field to junior Sam Tieber, who scored on the breakaway. 

Still, O’Connell faces uncertainties about the starting defense.

“Some of the areas we are still questioning is who the goalie will be and how we’ll play in the back,” he said. “ I think the Jamboree answered some of those questions but we still need to see our back three or four against some better, faster kids.”

Ridgway agreed with both O’Connell and Yalavarthi: the ceiling for SLUH soccer is still higher.

“We didn’t let in any goals and I see that as a success but it’s early in the season and there’s always room to improve,” he said. “But as a first look of what our team’s going to look like, it was very good.”

The wins last Tuesday showed the strength of SLUH’s roster this year, but they will have a tough task ahead of them on their season opener. This Thursday, the Jr. Bills will travel to Marquette to take on the Mustangs. 

“Marquette is always really well coached, to open with them will be a real test. I know they have a forward, number 10, who’s really special as well,” said O’Connell.

“I’m excited to play Marquette,” said Ridgway. “They’re supposed to be a pretty good team so it will be a good test to see how we play as a team. If we can come out with that game, our season will look pretty good.” 

In the meantime, O’Connell plans to focus on defense at practice, drilling his team on defensive responsibility and when to press opposing teams. Even this early in the season, though, the Jr. Bills are looking past the season opener and keeping their focus on its end: the playoffs. After losing back to back district semifinals, varsity soccer is looking to finally capitalize on some of its talent. 

“This is one of the best teams I’ve had since I’ve been playing,” said Yalavarthi. “Obviously our end goal is to win a state championship. Last year we didn't really get the chance to come together as a team so we never reached our potential. This year, we’re starting out strong and if we keep winning we’ll definitely make it to the state championship.”

“We are always, and I really believe this, more concerned with our own development,” echoed O’Connell. “Hopefully we keep getting better. We don’t want to be the best team in August, we want to be peaking by the end of October.”