On Tuesday, February 19th, McClatchy’s boys varsity soccer team fell to Whitney in the section playoffs after a hard fought game, ending with a series of penalty kicks. Nevertheless, the players claim they look back on their otherwise undefeated season with pride and hope for next year.
Despite their optimism, many players on the team expressed some of their disappointment in their ineligibility to compete for the section title.
“We were a very dominant team overall, definitely worthy of a section title,” said Kyle Helstowski (‘20). Several other players share the idea that, if they had earned the opportunity to compete for a higher ranking, their team would have succeeded.
Robbie Muchowski (‘20) claimed that low-level play caused the team’s failure to proceed in playoffs. “We lost too early. I’m pretty sure if we had played better in the game we lost we would have gone on to win the section championships.”
Jacob Rounds (‘20) even ventured to say that their final game was a “fluke.” “We should have been able to beat them, and it just came down to refereeing and us not really playing our game when it mattered most. We kind of fell apart. Key players were taken out and injured, and finally we lost in penalties,” he said.
After this letdown, many of the juniors on the team hope that they can reproduce the same level of play for a more effective season next year. However, they also recognize that it will be a challenge to do so. “Moving forward it’s going to be hard, but we had a lot of juniors on our team, and it’s about our players stepping up for next season to fill key roles left behind by some seniors,” said Rounds.
Aside from their fall to Whitney, team spirit and companionship supported the team through tough games. “We had a lot of fun along the way mostly because everyone felt they were part of a family,” said Helstowski. Some players believe this bond contributed to the team’s success, allowing each player to reach their potential.
“It’s always cool to see the guys get better individually and come together as a group,” said Kris Brown (‘19), a recent Chico State Commit.