10-22-2024 11:53pm

Hononegah soccer fights hard

Photo: Natalie Fry

Hononegah's freshman soccer team has an impressive record of 11-4-2 overall and 3-1-2 in conference. They opened their first game with a 5-0 blowout victory over Crystal Lake South. Throughout the season, the team has withheld nearly all of their opponents from scoring even a single goal. Freshman Connor Bridegan (20) is leading the team in goals with a total of 16 so far and averaging 1.5 goals per match. Bridegan has also been playing up to the JV team where he is a major contributor to the offense as a wildcard addition. Given the accomplished record that the freshman team has presented the last two years, it is clear that coach Mike Fasula is effectively teaching these players how to work together to win soccer games.

Hononegah’s JV team is sporting a winning record of 11-7-3 overall and 4-2-2 in the NIC-10. Although their win/loss ratio is not as pristine as the freshman team, this group of players is arguably the strongest in the program. Between sophomore Grayson Schomburg (18) and freshman Tyler Nguyen (4) on defense, Hononegah’s side of the field is kept in control. There are still times when the opponent is able to slip past them, but luckily, the star goalie sophomore Jack Schultz (1) doesn’t think twice before throwing himself at the ball to protect the goal. Another testament to JV’s exceptional teamwork is in the relationship between their midfield and offensive players. Whether it's sophomores Joaquin Rodriguez (21) and Greysen Merrill (19) or junior Grayson Cain (3) on offense, all of them work in harmony with their midfielders to score points.

The varsity soccer team is 6-9-2 overall and 3-5 in conference. In general, the team has struggled a bit with keeping the ball on the other side of the field. Some of the varsity Indians’ difficulty this season can be blamed on the unusual amount of injuries. While junior Sammy McCormick (4) was out for muscle sprains, it left a particular hole in their defense for multiple games. One of their top strikers, senior Karl Goss (10), is sitting for the remainder of the season with a damaged ankle, and junior Cameron Nelson (9) is out with a serious concussion. Despite the challenges they have faced so far, this team still demonstrates exceptional communication and passing. Players like seniors Caden Lucchesi (6) and Ben Clements-Jewery (8) embody the passion this team has for the game. Lucchesi is a dominating offensive force with the help of Clements-Jewery in midfield. Throughout the season, Clements-Jewery has gone above and beyond leading his team as a captain while being a trusted center point for most of the passes from his teammates.