The boy’s soccer team is kicking off the preseason strong. This upcoming season is going to be exciting with a new coaching staff, new soccer kits, a new field, and a major change in the starting eleven. The season begins on March 11 during spring break. For now, the team is having kickarounds every Sunday in the high school gym and they hope to be out on the turf soon.
Almost every weekend the boy’s soccer team has a kickaround in the high school gym to help introduce freshmen and new transfers to the team. The kickarounds are also a good time for the coaches to see what level their team is at. The new head coach is Nathan Grosse who is assisted by Coach Brett Giomo and Coach Richard Lewis.
The boy’s team will also be getting new white and black soccer kits along with some new training gear. This is also the first year the boy’s soccer team will have a home stadium to play and practice on, showcased with a new home bench shelter. One exciting new look into this season is the hole left by last year’s seniors, many of whom were starters on varsity. This big hole in the lineup gives everyone a chance to step up and become a starter.
The new assistant coach, Coach Giomo, feels “very excited” for this upcoming season, having been away from coaching for a few years. Coach Giomo grew up playing soccer and has been around it most of his life. Coach Giomo played soccer at UNI and played as a right mid-field player. Coach Giomo coached for 5 years at Western Dubuque, 3 as an assistant, and 2 as the head coach. His favorite soccer team is the English club team Liverpool. Coach Giomo said his goals this season were to help the team with, ”cohesiveness, building a team bond, and selflessness.” He is hoping to use this season as a learning experience and is hoping to get further integrated into the community.
A returning senior, Luke Stephens is looking forward to the upcoming season and is really excited about having the opportunity to play in the MAC this spring. Stephens is excited to have Coach Grosse as the new head coach. Stephens said, “I think he has a huge wealth of knowledge about soccer. I am looking forward to working with Coach Geimo and Coach Lewis and getting to learn their perspectives on the game.” Stephens also predicts that this season we will have a young team but a good team that opponents aren’t expecting.
A team goal Stephens has for this season is to win the first playoff game. This is not something that our program has been able to achieve in the past three years. Stephens said, “My soccer journey has been a winding road, so I am hoping to find joy in a game that I fell in love with years ago and to lead my teammates the best way I can”. If Stephens had to describe his soccer experience in three words they would be “growth, camaraderie, and heart.”
