Nov. 5, 2025
By Alexandra Lourenço
Editor-in-Chief
From short passes out of the back to team dinners that strengthen bonds off the field, the boys soccer team has found a rhythm that led them to close the regular season on Oct. 31 with a 14-5 record.
Junior center attacking midfielder and center defensive midfielder Leon Sahiti, who is a two-year varsity member, said the team’s playing style has become more technical.
“We are playing with more short passes, the way we play out the back. Last season, we just kicked it out from the back,” Sahiti said. “This is definitely better, but also more challenging because the ball is more on your foot, so it is easier to lose the ball.”
Sahiti said he enjoys team dinners and the occasional pizza at practices.
“This makes us all come together and… makes us more close as a family, which will help us on the field,” Sahiti said.
“After that game, I feel like every team was like, ‘We need to watch out.’”
He said the highlight of the season was the home game against Harrison High School on Sept. 19.
“I was nervous going into the game, obviously, because this game [can] decide the league, but I had confidence in my team,” Sahiti said.
It was a close game tied at 3-3 that went into double overtime when senior Robby Dasler, who plays center attacking midfield, center back and striker, blasted the ball past the goalie, prompting Sahiti and the rest of the team to celebrate.
“I was speechless. I just ran up to him, hugged him. I was just really happy,” Sahiti said.
Similarly, sophomore striker Ryan Kartanowicz, who joined varsity last year, also said the game against Harrison was his favorite this season.
“Harrison has always been a big [rival], so we were looking to win,” Kartanowicz said. “Going into the game, I felt like we were just going to be like all the other teams and lose, but we beat them…. After that game, I feel like every team was like, ‘We need to watch out.’”
Kartanowicz said the game displayed the team’s strength.
“The [winning] goal against Harrison [shows] we won’t stop until the final whistle,” Kartanowicz said.
With 11 seniors graduating last school year, Kartanowicz said there were many adjustments to this year’s roster.
“We lost a lot of key players,” Kartanowicz said. “Last season, we had [mostly] seniors, but this season we brought up a few players from [junior varsity] to take their spot and fill in for them.”
Senior Chase Paglio, who is serving as this year’s team manager, keeps the team’s statistics, controls the scoreboard at home games and runs the team’s Instagram account. He said he enjoys watching the team succeed.
“When we win and we have a long bus ride home, the vibes in the bus are always up,” Paglio said. “Every time we win big games, we all run to the corner [of the field], and we all celebrate.… Everybody’s just super happy.”
He attributes the players’ achievements to their determination.
“The team’s very passionate,” Paglio said. “Everybody out there wants it more than the other team.”
