Tracking back to last year’s soccer season, the Varsity boys took the school to great heights. During the school year, the team went undefeated, winning the district title for the second year in a row. Osbourn’s Varsity boys soccer has always been known to be a strong powerhouse but last year really raised the bar. Just because school had ended, this didn’t mean their season had to as well. 

The boys continued to play during the summer and had to change fields because of construction on the main field. Despite having to play in an unfamiliar environment, they still went on to skyrocket and win the Regional title. That was the first time in 33 years the Varsity team had won it.

This was a very memorable moment for goalkeeper coach, Jodi Kranich. “Honestly, it was incredible when we won regionals because we hadn’t done it in so long. Making history was a really memorable experience.”

As confidence started to rise, so had support for the team. Osbourn’s staff were working very hard behind the scenes to help set up their new field and provide extra support after the school year had ended. “As the season progressed and we became more successful, the amount of support we received from our school and community members motivated us even more,”  explained Head Coach Brandon Calandra.

After winning the Regional title, the boys knew they had to keep persevering. Excitement mixed with anxiousness was the common feeling amongst the players and coaches as they were about to enter the State tournament. With such strong chemistry connecting all the players, they remained confident about their ability to win. “From the beginning of the season, I was expecting to go to states,” said team captain, Cooper Noseworthy.

When preparing for the next big games, Assistant Coach Michael DeEmilio, shared their strategy and preparation. “We scouted the opposing team by looking at how they played and which key players to look out for. We then prepared practice plans based on that information and continued to refine our current systems as a team,” he explained.

As the boys played their first game in the State tournament, they blew everyone away, winning 6-2 against Colonial Forge.

As they got closer to their next biggest game, the pressure started to increase even more. “The pressure of going in and not playing well would prevent me from playing to the best of my ability. I think as soon as I got over that feeling, that’s when I started to play my game,” said Angel Vargas.

Though the game was so very close from start to finish, the Eagles lost in the State semi-finals to Landstown. Staying 1-1 for almost the entirety of the game, the boys lost in penalties. Despite not fulfilling their wish of winning the State tournament, the boys soccer team went on an amazing and thrilling journey throughout the season, selling out almost every game and filling each row of bleachers.

From start to finish, everyone knew the boys were going to do well. “I think there were a lot of things that motivated our team’s success. Setting high expectations before the season helped motivate everyone to push each other to get better and not get comfortable at any point in the season.” Calandra said.