Boys soccer seniors said they felt a mix of pride and frustration after they led the team to one of its most successful seasons ever but fell short of their goals in the postseason.
The team boasted one of the best win-loss records and the first league title in Eudora boys soccer history. They claimed individual records on defense and earned a top seed in the state before eventually losing a nailbiter in the second round of the playoffs.
Senior Nate Steinlage said the team was really close, no matter what grade you were in or how much you played. That team environment helped propel the team to succeed.
“We tried to push everyone, no matter what it was,” Steinlage said. “If it was just a freshman not doing the extra conditioning or us trying to get to school on time, we all tried our best to do everything and put the effort in.”
Senior Daniel Peterson battled through an injury this season and said it was frustrating knowing he gave it his all, but the team still fell short of its ultimate goal.
“I know that I left everything I did on the field every game,” he said. “And because of that, I know there’s nothing else I could have done to change the outcome of any game.”
The team lost a large group of seniors last year and had to work even harder to overcome some of that lost talent.
“Nobody expected us to do as well as we did,” senior Cameron Daniels said.
A big part of the team’s ability to overcome last year’s exodus of seniors was by focusing on bonding as a team on and off the court.
“It’s not just like a soccer team. It’s more like a group of friends that have been through a lot together,” senior Mason Harding said. “We just are part of each other’s lives at this point.”
That bond helped the team learn to play together. Because they grew close off the field, they learned to trust each other on the field, with no individual trying to take control of a game.
“I think the biggest part was selflessness,” senior Brayden Hayes said. “We weren’t depending on one person the entire season like we had been in the past.”
The seniors said they hope next year’s team continues the habits from this year.
“We’ve always tried to go out and eat food and do stuff, and it kind of helps us bond,” senior Max Morford said. “And, you know, we want those guys next year to do the same exact thing.
Reach reporter Cuyler Dunn at [email protected]
