Last season saw the Cambridge Rindge and Latin boys’ soccer team have one of its best years ever, advancing to the quarterfinals of the MIAA tournament. With the loss of a dozen seniors, leaving the team with only four, a rebuilding year might have seemed likely.
But that has been anything but the case. The Falcons are having a stellar season, finding themselves ranked second in the MIAA power rankings, and carrying a 9-1-3 record after winning their seventh straight game, 4-1, against 15th-ranked Acton-Boxborough on Monday.
Although the team is young, with nine juniors, and eight sophomores to complement those four seniors, it is surprisingly experienced.
“Almost all of our entire starting lineup was on varsity last year,” said junior Elias Hyland, who is tied for the team lead in goals with nine, tied for the lead in assists with six, and scored a hat trick against Westford Academy in a 10-2 win last Tuesday. “We were very, very young. I feel like we’ve grown into these positions where we’re leaders. And we know varsity soccer, and we just know the system very, very well.”
Last year, many of the older players made a point of the younger players on the varsity team. They also worked with players on the JV squad. This helped season them, their coaches said.
“We’re finding their game IQ is much higher than it was for some of us when we were younger,” said first-year coach Olf Mouyaka, referring to his coaching staff. “Their decision-making, the timing of their runs, the things that go beyond just passing the ball — some of that is really high on this team. They know how to organize themselves on the field and know where to be, and it makes a big difference.”
Niko Emack, who coached the team for two seasons before stepping down before this year, agreed the knowledge younger players received last year has boosted them.. “They’re a lot more prepared, and they’re not seeing the game go by in a blur,” he said. “What makes this program so strong is there’s less of a learning curve when we’re seeing folks in their ability to slow the game down.” {Disclosure: Emack is on Cambridge Day’s board of directors.]
Their gameplay isn’t the only way the team has exhibited maturity beyond its years. The players have the emotional maturity to support one another when someone makes mistakes or struggles. They are selfless, happy to play unfamiliar positions, and are eager to accept less playing time if that’s what the team needs.
“New guys are stepping up to become new leaders, taking on the roles of the seniors who left,” said junior Kirubel Tilahun, the team’s leading scorer with nine goals. “Coming into the season, we knew that all the juniors and sophomores had to step up, even though we weren’t comfortable with that. We had to step out of our comfort zone and take action and be leaders.”
With the Falcons performing at high levels, Mouyaka has given his players considerable freedom on the field. His trust has given them the confidence to take risks.
“Coach isn’t screaming at us what to do,” said sophomore Leo Davis. “He just lets us make our own decisions. And then after we made our decisions, he gives us some pointers or compliments us if we do it correctly.”
When the MIAA tournament begins in a couple weeks, the team has every reason to believe it can go as far as last year’s team, if not farther.
“Despite the fact that we’re young, I feel like that just makes us even more dangerous because we, you know, we’re young, we have nothing to lose,” said Hyland. “We don’t really have any pressure.”
A stronger
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