Rider soccer has always been the best of the best the cream of the crop, the head honchos, and this season has not been different from any of the previous seasons. Despite the loss to Northside High, the varsity team says they had a great season that was filled with excitement and that bonds that formed during this season.
“We started the season with a bunch of talented individuals, but as the season progressed we ending up forming a competitive team,” Head Soccer Coach Joshua Hill said. “We had a great season. We went to went to regional quarter finals and placed 4th in it.”
Players say there were plenty of memories throughout the season.
“The most memorable and exciting moment was the win against Denton, It was the most intense game we played that year,” Mario Morales said.
With some slots being left open this year, some of the juniors had to step up there game
“The juniors weren’t treated like ‘next year’s group’ because we needed them but the fact that we had to rely on them made up all closer together because they meant as much to us as the seniors did,” senior Travis Penney said.
Plenty of highlights filled the season.
“Some of our high lights during the season were going 10-0 in the district and going on a 12-game winning streak,” Hill said.
And, of course, one of the team’s biggest high light was beating Old High not once but twice in their season.
But players say fans should remember key players that made those highlights for the year.
“I think the key players on the team had to have been the seniors,” Hill said.
The seniors were a big part of the Rider soccer boy’s wins.
Losing the last game was a real disappointment to us,” Hill said. “The whole team took it really hard.”
Some of the players were disappointed that the loss kept them from a chance at State.
“What made it worse is we played better teams then them,” Penney said about Northside, the team that beat The Raiders 2-1, knocking them out of the playoffs. But the players have come to face the facts.
“In soccer if you’re not meant to win that game, you will not win it,” Morales said.
The last game with Northside High was not what they expected. With this season over and the seniors leaving, it will have a big impact on next year’s team.
“I would say the seniors were the key players in our success,” Hill said.
But don’t count out the Juniors for next year. Hill said they are going to come out strong and on top.
“Next year look forward to a team that has a chip on their shoulder,” Hill said.
Some of the seniors are optimistic about the juniors and sophomores who are moving up.
“Next year’s team will be pretty good due to all the experiences they got from this year,” Penney said. “Next year will most likely be full of wins and upsets, but we have a strong offense with Ruben Flores, and with Minsung Park leading the team, anything is possible.”